While it’s conventional and easy to use a controller on your PS5, there are several ways you could use your PS5 if you don’t have one or don’t want to use one.

Some of these options might not be as easy as a controller, but they have unique strengths and weaknesses you can take advantage of. You can also use many options listed here to explore your PS5’s remote access features. And the others provide hardware alternatives you can take advantage of.

1. Power Off and On and Eject Discs via the PS5 Buttons

You can power your PS5 by pressing the PS button on your controller, and you can eject discs with your controller by hovering over a game on your home screen, pressing the options button, and selecting Eject Disc from the menu. But you could also switch your PS5 off and on and eject discs by pressing the power and eject buttons on the body of the PS5.

They are represented by two buttons on the lower end of your PS5, just beside the disc tray. The first button is shorter and has an eject icon above it, while the second button is longer and has the power symbol above it.

Using this disc ejection button is helpful if you just want to eject a disc quickly without waiting for your PS5’s UI to boot. The eject button will also boot your PS5 if it is switched off.

2. Use Remote Play to Remote Control Your PS5

Remote play is one of the most popular ways to game on your PS5 without the controller. You can access all the titles on your PS5 online with remote play. However, you must have a good internet connection (at least 5MB/s) and a compatible device (Mac, PC, iPad, iPhone, Android device, etc.). Still, you can remotely access your PS5 as if you’re using it directly.

You can play on your PS5 remotely by downloading the PS Remote Play app on a compatible device and signing in. You might experience bad latency, poor responsiveness, and lag, so we don’t recommend this for playing competitively. Either way, we have a guide you can consult to learn how to set up remote play on your PS5.

3. Control Media Playback With a Media Remote

One of the things you can do to make your PS5 an excellent entertainment system is get a PS5 media remote. The media remote is a simple one with buttons for volume, source, navigation, play/pause, fast forward, rewind, and additional buttons to launch entertainment apps quickly.

You first need a controller to set up a media remote. But as soon as you’ve set it up, you won’t need to use a controller anymore. Your media remote can also power your TV on and off and function as a universal remote, depending on what type of TV or monitor you’re using.

Of course, you can’t play games with a media remote; it works best for media playback.

4. Alternate From Your Controller Using a Mouse and Keyboard

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Connect a keyboard and mouse to your PS5, and you can play games that support a keyboard and a mouse. However, there aren’t many titles on the PS5 that work with a keyboard and mouse, but it’s worth experimenting with, especially for FPS games.

You can navigate your PS5 with a keyboard; use the arrow keys to move through the lists and the Enter or Return button to select the games or apps you want to launch. However, unlike the Xbox, which returns you to the home screen when you press the Windows button on a keyboard, the PS5 doesn’t recognize any home key on the keyboard. You must press the PS button on your controller or media remote to return home.

5. Control Your PS5 With Voice Commands

Like the PS4, the PS5 also has a voice command feature. You can use this to control your PS5 with several commands. Of course, its functionality is limited, and you might not be able to access this feature at all in other regions, but here’s a list of things you can do with it for now:

1. Launch a game or app.
2. Search the PlayStation Store and your library
3. Pause media.
4. Rewind media.
5. Fast forward media.
6. Skip and repeat media.
7. Capture gameplay footage.

Once you enable voice commands on your PS5, you must say, “Hey, PlayStation!” for it to start listening and then say the desired command.

6. Launch Games and Apps With the PS App

The PlayStation App (PS App) is a nifty tool you should have on your phone. It’s a great way to manage your PSN account and PS5’s game library and storage. You can use it not only to view games in your library but also to launch them.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the PS App on your phone.
2. Tap Game Library at the bottom of the screen (controller icon).
3. Select the game you wish to play and tap Play on Console.

The PS App will connect to your console (whether or not you’re on the same network) and launch the game. If your PS5 is in Rest Mode, you can also wake it up remotely with this method if it’s connected to the internet. It could be useful to make sure no sneaky updates blindside you before you come to play.

Explore the PS5 Without a Controller

If your controller is unavailable for any reason, remember there are still various ways to use your PS5. All remote access options require your console to be connected to the internet, and others need you to own additional hardware accessories.

However, none of these methods really makes gaming as fluid as a controller directly on your PS5 does. But they can be good for using your PS5 as an entertainment system.