Best Games That Deserved A Limited Edition Controller

Highlights

• Limited edition controllers are a beloved way for gamers to show their love for a game or franchise.
• Despite the popularity of limited edition controllers in the past, there has been a decline in their availability in recent years.
• Many and deserving games, such as Need for Speed Unbound and Mortal Kombat 1, should have had their own limited edition controllers to enhance the gaming experience.

Most gamers love limited edition controllers. They’re a way of giving a fandom of a particular franchise something physical that signifies their love of a game or series, often coming with interesting patterns and paving the way to a big release. In recent years, the likes of these controllers seem to be dying off, with color palette swaps being favored over game-themed iterations.

Whilst Nintendo and their limited edition Switch consoles still bring out fun and flavor of what great limited edition hardware can look like, they’re more often than not an entire console bundle, instead of a controller-only option. Countless titles deserve to be given the limited-edition controller treatment, but sadly, far too few have had the luxury.

7 Need For Speed Unbound

Feeling The Need For Style

Racing games aren’t exactly the first game genre players will be thinking of when they’re looking for a stylish limited edition controller, but Need for Speed Unbound is a perfect contender.

Being one of the more stylish Need for Speed entries, it merges cel-shading and graffiti art with a realistic art style. As a result, gamers were treated to a slick racer with its graffiti art style leaping from the screen. How could gamers not imagine that style elevating the standard game controller to something so much more?

6 Assassin’s Creed Origins

A Fresh Start, Backed By A Fresh Controller

Assassin’s Creed Origins marked the franchise’s refreshed new RPG style, taking fans back to the start with Medjay Bayek in the heart of Ancient Egypt. It was the perfect moment to mark the occasion with a new themed controller for fans to usher in the change.

The game’s Egyptian theme alone had the potential for so many great design ideas. The controller could have incorporated the golden theme of the game, and Egyptian hieroglyphs could have made for one mighty fine gamepad.

5 Mortal Kombat 1

Finish Him With Sophistication

Few franchises have been around longer than Mortal Kombat. The game debuted to gamers back in 1992, and the franchise has continued ever since to varying degrees of success, but the most recent entries in the series have gone down as surefire hits for many gamers thanks to the visceral fatalities, responsive combat, and beloved fighters.

Following the events of Mortal Kombat 11, Mortal Kombat 1 was to usher in a brand-new timeline resetting the universe, a momentous occasion that should have been marked with a limited edition controller for fans to celebrate. Whether the controller took inspiration from the series’ most notable fighters or the long-standing history, there was plenty of material to make a fighting fit controller for fans to fawn over.

4 Cassette Beasts

Hit Record In Style

Cassette Beasts was one of the best indies to release in 2023. Developer Bytten Studio took the well-known Pokemon formula and breathed new life into the genre with fresh gameplay mechanics, a top-notch soundtrack, and an appealing visual style that cemented it as a must-play for any Pokemon fan.

Add to that an array of colorful and creative monster designs, and there’s the potential to make a truly beautiful indie controller, one that could celebrate all of what makes Cassette Beasts so great.

3 Borderlands

Unhinged Cel-Shaded Goodness

The Borderlands franchise is probably the go-to game for many when it comes to gamers wanting to load up a great looter-shooter title. After all, the franchise’s striking cel-shaded visuals helped make the game a fan favorite for many games out there. Well, that and the great comedy writing and all of the inventive guns on offer.

The Borderlands franchise features so much material for inspiring a great limited edition controller. It could use the array of great characters and iconic Psycho masks to truly bring the controller to life, but sadly, this design idea has yet to become a reality.

2 Ghost of Tsushima

Reclaim The Homeland In Style

Ghost of Tsushima is regarded by many fans as one of PlayStation’s best exclusives. Taking place on the gorgeous Japanese island of Tsushima, the game was packed with so many beautiful moments and artful sequences, almost like a dramatic painting come to life.

A limited edition controller could have taken inspiration from Jin’s gold and black ghost get-up or infused the falling leaves, much like The CaliWorkshop did with their stunning custom controller for the game. In short, there were so many great artistic options. It’s a shame Sony didn’t release a final limited edition controller for one of PlayStation 4’s swansong exclusives.

1 Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora

Na’vi Blues Wouldn’t Put Gamers Down

Everyone knows about Avatar. Despite releasing in 2009, the film remains as the highest-grossing movie of all time, thanks in part to the visually striking world of Pandora and its inhabitants. The film universe has since expanded with the 2022 sequel Avatar: The Way of Water and the 2023 game Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, the latter of which was the perfect opportunity for a limited edition controller.

The game has stunned players just as much as the film did for cinema-goers, and with hints that the game could impact future movies, a limited edition controller could be a perfect way to celebrate the universe as a whole. Whether taking inspiration from the planet of Pandora itself or the skin of the native Na’vi, there’s no doubt that a limited edition controller would have wowed gamers and fans alike.