Skip to Content

PS5 Controller Battery Life: How To Make DualSense Battery Last Longer

Having a low battery life for your PS5 controller can be annoying and unpleasant. If you are one of those people facing this issue, you are in the right place. We have amazing solutions for the low battery life of the PS5 controller. 

The PS5’s controller battery may be draining quickly due to certain games using a lot of vibration, or because it’s simply not being charged enough. You can disable the vibration to extend the battery life, and investing in a docking station may make it easier to keep the controller charged.

The battery life of the PS5 controller has been controversial but there are some tips you can follow if you want long-lasting battery life. These will enhance your gaming experience too. So, let’s get started!

How Long Does a PS5 Controller Battery Last?

Having a high battery life in a controller is like a blessing. If the battery drains quickly and you have to charge it again and again, it can be frustrating. As the PS5 is a relatively new console, one might expect the battery life of its controller, the DualSense (on Amazon), to be pretty high. And to some extent, it is true.

The battery life of the DualSense controller is much better than DualShock 4 (also on Amazon) controller and can last about 12 hours. In some cases, if you don’t play heavy load games, the battery can even last 12+ hours (up to 15 hours).

The battery life of a controller not only depends upon the manufacturing but also on how you use the controller. Many factors can affect the battery life making it last less than 12 hours. Some games can drain the battery life of the PS5 controller much faster than others. 

The battery life of the PS5 controller isn’t the best when it comes to other controllers but it is much improved than the previous PS4 controller. We cover most of the issues you should be aware of around the DualSense controller in our Ultimate PS5 OWner’s Guide, but for now let’s get back to this battery drain issue. 

Why Is Your PS5 Controller Battery Dying So Fast?

In the start, the battery life of your PS5 controller was amazing but now it drains out faster than expected.

The battery life of the PS5 controller could be dying due to various reasons. It could be because the controller’s batteries have become bad or you are using and charging the controller wrong. So, let’s learn about this issue in detail.

Specific Games Take More Battery

Some games tend to drain the battery of the PS5 controller earlier than others. Such as games that involve a lot of vibrational controls and require pressing a lot of buttons. These games require the controller to work more than usual and the controller has to invest more battery. This way, the battery dies faster.

If you play such games quite often, it can affect the overall battery health of your controller. Eventually, the battery life will worsen with time.

Overcharging

Overcharging is never recommended for any device and the PS5 controller is no exception to it. We’ve looked at how the DualSense remote left on the dock all the time, or left charging overnight, will automatically prevent itself from damaging the battery with significant overcharging.

But if you leave it plugged in it will trickle-charge and that will reduce the battery life over time.

It’s Just the Indicator

Sometimes after only 6 hours, the PS5 controller indicates that the battery is getting low. Mostly you should listen to such indicators but if you keep on playing, the battery will still last you around 10 hours.

This means that the indicator isn’t necessarily telling you to stop and do something now, it’s just a heads up that you should charge soon. So, this indicator is sort of reminding you that “after this current session, you should put the controller on the charger.”

Not Shutting Down Properly

When your controller isn’t in use, you should turn it off. If you keep it on even if you don’t use it, the battery will die. Make sure that you disconnect the controller from the PS5 properly and shut it down every time you stop using the DualSense controller.

If you’re suffering from phantom DuelSense vibrations, or the controller keeps flashing Blue, those are situations where a glitch is leading to increased power usage.

How Do You Make The PS5 Controller Battery Last Longer? 

Close up of man hands holding wireless joysticks on foreground

Do you need some tips and tricks to make the battery life of the PS5 controller last longer? If yes, you are in the right place. We have some worth-reading tips for your controller so that you can enjoy your games without any disruptions.

Reset the DualSense

Resetting the DualSense controller will refresh everything and make it smooth again. It can make the battery life better too. To reset the controller:

  1. Turn the controller off properly.
  2. Find the Reset button at the back of the controller located next to the Sony logo.
  3. Use a paperclip or a needle to press the Reset button.
  4. Hold the button for 5-7 seconds and release.
  5. Turn on the controller and test its battery life now. 

This is also a great tactic for keeping the remote healthy in general, and it can fix lag issues, connection issues, and even controller drift–so keep this one in your back pocket!

Enable Automatic Turn Off

If you are a person who always forgets to turn off their controller after gaming, enabling automatic turn-off would be a game-changer for you. Yes, the PS5 controller offers you this feature through which it shuts down automatically after a set amount of time.

To turn on automatic shut down, follow the steps:

  1. Open settings and select the System option.
  2. Click on the Power Saving option.
  3. Select “Set time until controllers turn off” and choose a suitable time from the pop-up menu. The time it offers is 10, 30, and 60 mins. The ideal option would be 10 minutes for saving battery life.

Use a Suitable Charger

You should only use a charger manufactured by PlayStation itself. Cheap-quality chargers can damage the battery life of your controller. Get the PlayStation DualSense Charging Station (on Amazon). It allows you to charge two controllers at once.

Lower Trigger the Effect Intensity and Vibration Intensity

The more the vibration and trigger effect intensity, the more battery your controller will consume. For best results, lower the trigger effect intensity and vibration intensity of your PS5 controller from settings. 

Follow the steps below:

  1. Go to Accessories from settings.
  2. Go to the Controllers menu.
  3. Select Trigger Effect Intensity and set it on weak or off. 
  4. Select Vibration Intensity and set it on weak or off.

If you play games that benefit from trigger effect intensity, you should check this by changing the settings before playing the game. Otherwise, keep it off or at a weak setting.

Staying Powered On

Now that you know how you can increase the battery life of your controller, you can enjoy it all the time. The battery life of your controller can go bad for various reasons. Sometimes the controller is faulty. If so, you can send it for a repair to PlayStation if it is under warranty and they will look into the issue for you. And if you ever experience issues like DualSense controller input lag, be sure to check out our related article on that!