Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Trending
  • Gamescom 2025 schedule
  • Gamescom
  • Battlefield 6
  • New Games for 2025
Don't miss these
Best action games - God of War screenshot of Kratos facing off with a giant white dragon, holding a human head in one hand
Action Games 25 Best action games you can play right now
Steam Deck review
Games I'm too broke to buy Donkey Kong Bananza, so if you're sharing my FOMO here are the best Steam Deck games I'm playing instead
ben starr dressed in harequinn makeup chomping down on a banana
Roguelike Games Fighting his own roguelike monster, Balatro creator says he's "146/150 for completionist++ and getting a taste of my own medicine"
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Puzzle Games Best local multiplayer Switch games to play in 2025
The best survival horror games: a screenshot from Resident Evil 7.
Survival Horror Games The 10 best survival horror games to test your endurance skills
Tekken 8 screenshot
Fighting Games The 25 best fighting games you can play right now
A screenshot of Gustave in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Mortal Kombat After 857 hours spent playing 8 RPGs this year, I'm finding solace from open world burnout in the most curious of genres
Splatoon 3
Co-op Games The 25 best multiplayer Switch games you can play today
Resident Evil Village
Games The 25 best video game villains you just love to hate
Hades
Roguelike Games The 25 best roguelike games to play right now
Luigi running from ghosts in Luigi's Mansion
Games The 25 best GameCube games of all time
DK punches through gold Banandium chunks in Donkey Kong Bananza
Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza player spends over 4 hours pushing its destruction to the absolute limit by smashing up an entire level: "Well, that took a while"
Mario Kart World screenshot for Switch 2 showing Wario blasting ahead with a host of characters right behind him in a desert biome
Super Mario I finally got to play Mario Kart World after hundreds of hours in Mario Kart 8, but Knockout Tour was so stressful that I immediately went back to its predecessor
Best PC games: Screenshots of Baldur's Gate 3, Helldivers 2, Split Fiction and the Resident Evil 4 Remake
PC Gaming Best PC games: The 25 greatest PC games to play in 2025
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Games Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 made me cry after 30 minutes and convinced me to finally revisit the best sad games in my Steam library
  1. Hardware
  2. Gaming Controllers

8 games that almost broke your controller

Features
By Connor Sheridan published 25 November 2014

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

'Fra-gile'? It must be Italian

'Fra-gile'? It must be Italian

Gamers breaking their controllers in fits of rage is such a tired trope. Who can afford to do that now that the damn things cost as much as a new game? No, the real scourge of the video game peripheral is the games themselves. And across the decades, many titles have emerged with strenuous demands that are liable to push our poor little plastic paddles over the edge.

With that in mind, we went through the annals of gaming history to find some of our favorite examples of games that tend to wreck your stuff. Whether it's buttons that will never push the same or analog sticks that are about ready to break off, you might want to plug in the junky controller you reserve for guests for these eight moments...

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Metal Gear Solid tortures your circle button

Metal Gear Solid tortures your circle button

I could've written this whole thing about how the Metal Gear Solid series has permanently smooshed every generation of my DualShock controller (bide your time, DualShock 4 - The Phantom Pain may not be as merciful as Ground Zeroes). Instead, I'll focus on its original controller-ending event: MGS' torture scene. Within seconds, it becomes clear that Revolver Ocelot loves electrocuting folks almost as much as he loves making thinly veiled sexual innuendos about guns.

This scene is notable because it actually offers players and their poor, abused circle buttons a way out - simply give in to the torture and tell Ocelot what he wants to know. If you instead persist through multiple sessions, Dr. Naomi Hunter will radio in and offer to use muscular implants (read: the vibrating controller) to massage your weary arms. Her nanomachines can't fix the controller if you smash its buttons in, though. Never forget your DualShock's sacrifice.

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS smashes circle pads to bits

Super Smash Bros. for 3DS smashes circle pads to bits

Many fans were dubious when Nintendo revealed that Super Smash Bros. was headed to 3DS before its release on Wii U. They questioned whether it could display all the often far-reaching action on its smaller screen, and whether its less-powerful hardware would mean more limits imposed on its big-screen cousin. Turns out those concerns were mostly overstated, but there was another hazard that few people saw coming: the 3DS' flat little Circle Pad just can't take all that high-impact brawling.

With the C-Stick gone (for now), there's only one way to input Smash Bros.' eponymous, momentum-shifting smash attacks: slam the circle pad to the side as you hammer on the A button. And that's just one of the game's many uses for high-speed directional inputs. Sure enough, many players reported that their circle pads went loose or popped off altogether after a few weeks - or even days - of play. Better to leave the really high-impact smashing to the Wii U version.

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
Mario Party grinds analog sticks down to nothingness

Mario Party grinds analog sticks down to nothingness

Remember all those minigames in the original Mario Party where you had to rotate the analog stick to win? Ostensibly you could do it with your thumb, the same way you played the rest of the game. But Party professionals know that there's only one surefire way to take home the coins in Tug O'War or Pedal Power: by pressing the analog stick into your palm and twirling it in a miniature wax-on, wax-off motion.

Victory comes at a steep cost, but blisters and friction burns will eventually heal (Nintendo actually distributed special playing gloves to kids as part of a legal settlement). No, the real damage is done in plastic: the N64 controller's persnickety analog stick, which gets all gunked up if you look at it funny, frequently suffer reduced sensitivity from the repeated grinding motion. Mr. Miyagi didn't prepare us for this.

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Down will come 3DS in Tomodachi Life's baby rocking minigame

Down will come 3DS in Tomodachi Life's baby rocking minigame

Tomodachi Life lets you fill an island with little Mii lookalikes of all your favorite friends and celebrities. But players who have a tough time saying 'no' to their Miis will soon find their island overrun by infants. Seriously, you'd think Shaun White and Christina Aguilera were trying to repopulate the Earth. But just because they're good at making babies doesn't mean they know the first thing about taking care of them.

The new parents will inevitably ask you to come over and soothe their demonspawn through a rocking minigame, in which you're advised to cradle the 3DS in your hands much as you would a baby. No apparent logic dictates the rhythm that will cease its mad shrieking, but if you get frustrated and rock too hard? There's a good chance that your 3DS will come sailing out of your arms - since, y'know, you're holding it like a baby instead of a 3DS. Maybe a five-foot drop will shut it up.

Baby credit: Sosostris

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a work out

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a work out

Yes, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas delights RPG fans with its range of physical stats for CJ, each of which can be improved by visiting the gym, picking a salad instead of a burger, or simply by sprinting around. But even as CJ's stamina improves (and, after completing a certain mission, is made infinite), you have to keep tap, tap, tapping to get away from the cops on foot. Look, I know those buttons are designed to take a lot of punishment, but I'm not sure we're talking 'Los Santos to San Fierro roundtrip' levels of abuse here.

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Wii Sports bowls into oblivion

Wii Sports bowls into oblivion

Somebody at Nintendo had to see this coming, right? When you introduce a new generation of folks to gaming with a virtual rendition of bowling, they're going to act like they're bowling. And what do you do when you bowl? You take a long stride forward, swing your arm in a deep curve from back to front, and release. Wait! You're not actually supposed to Oh, well, now you know for next time. That is, after you buy a new Wii Remote and a new television.

I was never all that worried about my friends wrecking my games before, but you better believe I cinched those Wii Remote straps tight to their wrists after I saw the dozenth news report of shattered peripherals. Wii Remotes were few and far between back in 2006! And yeah, I guess the destroyed TV sets were kind of a shame too.

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
No More Heroes clashes and smashes

No More Heroes clashes and smashes

You knew there was going to be more than one Wii Remote waving game in here, right? Though there are plenty of haphazard motion control mechanics to choose from, No More Heroes' sword clashes take the cake. Protagonist Travis Touchdown will often find himself locked in a desperate struggle (hey, that's what they named the sequel) as his matter-annihilating beam katana somehow becomes trapped against an enemy's weapon. The only way to prevail in this contest of strength? Spin the Wii Remote around in rapid little circles like a high-speed feather duster.

Combine this haphazard motion with motion-controlled wrestling moves and the frustration from attempting the same damn boss fight for the dozenth time, and you have a recipe for airborne Wii Remotes. At least all these goofy battle moves that players are forced to perform don't look as questionable as the beam-katana-recharging animation, which you could be arrested for attempting in public.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Track & Field was the scourge of the arcade owner

Track & Field was the scourge of the arcade owner

Most video games let nerds like us abstract our competitive spirit, so that we don't have to rely on raw physicality. Track & Field humors no such foolishness. Instead, most of its events come down to a straight-up mash-fest: whoever pounds the buttons fastest wins the day. Arcade and NES players alike share blister-inducing speed techniques. Those who are less concerned with maintaining the integrity of the game can rub coins or other foreign objects across the buttons to attain land speeds that would make Usain Bolt look more like Usain Bus.

Speaking of 'the integrity of the game', all those hacks meant Track and Field's buttons were regularly busted in pursuit of high scores. At least the little cretins that broke them got to do some real-life running before the arcade manager saw what they did.

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
I'm about to BREAK

I'm about to BREAK

All your buttons still intact after that? If not, don't say I didn't warn you. And don't stay quiet if you have a few favorite examples of your own to add - be sure to let me know in the comments!

Ok, so maybe a few levels are frustrating enough to make us break our controllers. And maybe a few bosses, too. We're not perfect, ok?!

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan
Social Links Navigation

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.

Read more
Best action games - God of War screenshot of Kratos facing off with a giant white dragon, holding a human head in one hand
25 Best action games you can play right now
Steam Deck review
I'm too broke to buy Donkey Kong Bananza, so if you're sharing my FOMO here are the best Steam Deck games I'm playing instead
ben starr dressed in harequinn makeup chomping down on a banana
Fighting his own roguelike monster, Balatro creator says he's "146/150 for completionist++ and getting a taste of my own medicine"
Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Best local multiplayer Switch games to play in 2025
The best survival horror games: a screenshot from Resident Evil 7.
The 10 best survival horror games to test your endurance skills
Tekken 8 screenshot
The 25 best fighting games you can play right now
Latest in Gaming Controllers
Hand holding Hyperkin Hall Effect joystick next to grey Nintendo 64 controller on woodgrain desk.
After nine years searching for the perfect N64 joystick replacement, I've finally found a controller mod worth doing
The GameSir X5s laying on a desk next to various gaming devices
GameSir basically just remade the Backbone controller for half the price, and says it works with Switch 2 as well
The Asus ROG Raikiri 2 controller showing its back and front, on a purple background
The design of Asus' previous controller made no sense, and the updated version revealed at Gamescom proves it
The D-pad and left stick on the GameSir G7 Pro
What are TMR thumbsticks?
The black GuliKit ES Pro next to a TMR thumbstick module
GuliKit just launched a TMR controller for Switch 2 that costs less than $30
PowerA Advantage Controller with Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller on a wooden desk
I've been testing this $40 PowerA Advantage Nintendo Switch 2 Controller, here's what you actually lose compared to the Pro
Latest in Features
A mech firing a machine gun in the desert in Menace
Menace is an XCOM-Warhammer hybrid that makes turn-based strategy feel like an immersive sim, and for the first time in my life I'm playing a game that seems made for me
Dogtooth
The new Yorgos Lanthimos movie is getting rave first reactions out of Venice Film Festival, but I think it's worth revisiting his breakout feature Dogtooth before Bugonia hits theaters this fall
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Legacy of the Forge DLC showing Henry and two allies standing looking down
I built a home and ran a business in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's next DLC, and the added role-playing guarantees I'll spend another 70 hours in my current game of the year
D&D Player's Handbook laid out on a wooden surface
Will romantasy be the next great crossover for Dungeons & Dragons? Fourth Wing could be the perfect D&D setting, if you ask me
Jurassic Park: Survival
Jurassic Park: Survival has quietly been 35 years in the making, and it's taking us back to where it all began
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era artwork showing a beautiful fantasy city
Playing Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era has turned me into a Dungeon devotee, and I can't help but feel like I'm already seeing a strategy classic in the making
  1. The key art for Hell is Us, showing Remi with his equipment - military poncho, laser sword, and drone - in front of a Hollow Walker's milky white face
    1
    Hell is Us review: "The lack of waypoints and explicit objectives is a double-edged magical sword that pulls me deep into its harsh world"
  2. 2
    Shuten Order review: "The Danganronpa creator's new multi-genre mystery feels like a forgotten DS cult classic I would have been obsessed with"
  3. 3
    The Rogue Prince of Persia review: "I roguelike but don't roguelove this freerunner – there's just not enough to stand out"
  4. 4
    Shinobi: Art of Vengeance review: "So close to being to a pitch-perfect revival of a classic series, but just can't quite line up the killing blow"
  5. 5
    Fate of the Fellowship is the most anticipated board game of the year, and it's a thing of absolute genius
  1. Jacob Elordi as the monster in Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein
    1
    Frankenstein review: "A classy, if somewhat safe, adaptation"
  2. 2
    Weapons review: "A twisted fairytale that bests Barbarian"
  3. 3
    The Fantastic Four: First Steps review: "An occasionally thrilling heroic adventure that sits safely within a B-tier MCU range"
  4. 4
    Superman review: "A triumphant reinvention and a promising start for the DCU"
  5. 5
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  1. John Cena as Peacemaker holds a gun to the head of a different John Cena as Peacemaker in Peacemaker season 2.
    1
    Peacemaker season 2 review: "Darker and sadder than the first year, but there's still a lot of fun to be had with the 11th Street Kids."
  2. 2
    Wednesday season 2 part 1 review: "Complex and exciting but weighed down by too many subplots"
  3. 3
    Alien: Earth review: "Arguably the franchise's strongest outing since James Cameron's Aliens"
  4. 4
    King of the Hill season 14 review: "Hank Hill himself has evolved into a much more open and accepting person"
  5. 5
    Eyes of Wakanda review: "A creative premise shortchanged by the runtime and Marvel bloat"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...