The list in brief
1. Best overall
2. Best budget
3. Best premium
4. Best for Switch
5. Best universal
6. Best alternative
FAQs
How we tested
The best fight sticks are perfect if you're looking to recreate that arcade experience from the comfort of your own home, and in 2024 there are more products than ever to suit any preference or budget you might have. For fighting and arcade titles, they're an excellent alternative to the best PS5 controllers and best Xbox controllers.
That said, shopping for one of the best fight sticks can be pretty overwhelming if you're a first-time buyer. Luckily we've been around the block, so we know what makes a controller so excellent, and that stretches from PC to PS5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch and last-gen systems, too.
Having one of the best fight sticks can also help to immerse yourself in the latest and greatest fighting games, including Street Fighter 6, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising and Tekken 8, but also applies to any existing fighters you might already be practicing too.
The quick list
The best fight stick overall
The Nacon Daija is the full package. While on the pricier side, it's been co-developed by pro player Marie-Laure ‘Kayane’ Norindr, this feature-complete stick will be your go-to for fighting games if you choose to buy.
The best budget fight stick
The Hori Fighting Stick Mini is a fantastic introductory fight stick, if you're still on the fence about embracing the hardware. It's an aggressively affordable stick that's perfect for both beginners and arcade game play.
The best premium fight stick
It certainly doesn't come cheap, but the Victrix Pro FS is a luxury, feature-packed fight stick that's been embraced by several pro players at big-ticket tournaments.
The best fight stick for Nintendo Switch
If you're planning on playing the many classic fighting and arcade game ports on Switch, then you should consider buying the 8BitDo Arcade Stick for the portable console.
The best universal fight stick
The Mayflash F500 Elite is an excellent choice if you're after a fight stick that works across a range of platforms. This way, you won't need to pick and choose a specific version.
The best alternative fight stick
The Hit Box won't be for everyone, and some tournaments are cracking down on its use, but its leverless setup can provide an input advantage if you're planning on taking your game to the professional level.
Best fight sticks in 2024
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The best fight stick overall
✅ You want the utmost quality: The Daija excels when it comes to build quality and responsiveness. If you’re after a premium experience, definitely consider the Daija first.
✅ You like customization: Whether you’re swapping out parts on the stick or making your own button layout profiles, customizing the Daija is straightforward and surprisingly fun.
❌ You’re on a budget: The Daija’s an expensive piece of kit. There are cheaper options out there, though they don’t have the same range of features or premium build quality.
The best fight stick you can buy right now is the Nacon Daija. Don’t let its size or price put you off; there’s no better stick whether you’re looking to break into fighting games for the first time or you’re after a new mainstay for the year’s upcoming releases.
The Daija features top-notch build quality overall. Plus, developed in partnership with pro player Kayane, the Nacon Daija sports top-end Sanwa buttons and both ball and bat top options are included in the box for its square gate stick. A selection of side buttons allows for ease of navigation on your console, too.
The Daija is a little on the heftier side, so it might not be the right fit for you if you have restricted space for your gaming setup. But if you can spare the room for it, you’ll find the Daija to be a future-proof fight stick. The pad also supports multiple custom button profiles – handy for when you’re switching between fighting games – and has a handy lock feature to prevent you from accidentally pausing or opening the Home menu in more serious tournament settings.
- Read more: Nacon Daija arcade stick review
The best budget fight stick
✅ You're on a budget: The Hori Fighting Stick Mini is the cheapest option on this list, making it an excellent choice for beginner players.
✅ You're after something lightweight: This is an excellent stick in terms of weight and size, making it perfect for smaller hands or younger audiences in general.
❌ You want premium features: The Mini is a fairly straightforward stick that doesn't offer much in the way of customizability.
If you’re starting out and don’t want to bet the farm on a fight stick yet, you should consider Hori's excellent Fighting Stick Mini. We love this controller for its compact, portable nature and simple button layout that shouldn't overwhelm new players with many button options.
Hori's Fighting Stick Mini bears a fairly average build quality, understandable given its price. It does lack the premium feel of other sticks on this list, but the silver lining here is that it's lightweight. This makes it perfect for an entry-level player getting into sticks for the first time.
We’re big fans of the Hori Fighting Stick Mini's ball top stick, which is satisfyingly sizable and affords excellent grip. The buttons might not be Sanwa quality, but they get the job done, and the 8-button layout makes it a viable fighting stick for most supported games.
The best premium fight stick
✅ You want a high-quality fight stick for PS5 and PC: This is an excellently designed fight stick for PS5 and PC made out of a single piece of aluminum and featuring Sanwa Denshi stick and buttons for a premium feel.
✅ You want to customize your fight stick: Thanks to its open hatch design, you’re able to open up the Victrix Pro FS and use the included tools to swap out the sticks and buttons at your leisure.
❌ You want good value for money: For as great as the Victrix Pro FS is, you can find the same hardware inside in cheaper fight sticks for the PS5 and PC in the Nacon Daija which offers better value for money overall.
Don’t just take our word for this one; the Victrix Pro FS has been lauded by several pro fighting game players as recently as the EVO 2023 tournament in Las Vegas. If you’re looking for top-shelf quality from a fight stick and want to put serious effort into improving your game, you should consider the Victrix Pro FS as your stick of choice.
The Victrix Pro FS is about as premium as it gets when it comes to the best fight sticks. It features a wide chassis for extra hand room while playing, and the overall build quality is exceptional. We're also huge fans of the various choices of colorways, especially that gorgeous purple.
If you’re concerned about quality and planning on putting serious time into your favorite fighting games, the Victrix Pro FS will serve you well for years thanks to high-quality Sanwa Denshi parts and broad customization options.
The best fight stick for Nintendo Switch
✅ You're like quirky aesthetics: One of our favorite things about the 8BitDo Arcade stick is its NES-like looks.
✅ High quality at an affordable price: This stick thankfully won't break the bank, but doesn't compromise on quality as a result.
❌ You don't own a Switch: This stick will work on PC, but Nintendo Switch is the primary platform here.
8BitDo is one of our favorite third-party hardware manufacturers because it often matches high quality with affordable price tags. That’s true of the brilliant 8BitDo Ultimate controller for Nintendo Switch, and the same applies to its standout fight stick, too.
First and foremost, we love the 8BitDo Arcade Stick for its lovingly designed retro aesthetic that instantly brings to mind Nintendo consoles of old. It's just a seriously well-built stick on top of that, too. And while it doesn't come installed with high-grade Sanwa parts, you're able to pop it open and replace the base parts with your own modules should you desire.
Exceptional build quality, profile creation, button mapping, and even wireless connectivity are all stables of 8BitDo hardware, and that’s true of its arcade stick, too. Hate being held down by wires? The 8BitDo’s Bluetooth and 2.4g support means it’s usable in both the Switch's docked and portable modes. Though if you take your game online, we’d recommend sticking to wired play to minimize input lag, especially as only the Nintendo Switch OLED features ethernet cable support for an overall stabler connection.
- Read more: 8BitDo Arcade Stick review
The best universal fight stick
✅ You're play on multiple platforms: The F500 Elite will work across multiple consoles and PC.
✅ You're an intermediate player: We'd say the F500 Elite is a fantastic stepping stone for those looking to break into tournament play.
❌ You're on a tight budget: Its mid-range price is quite agreeable, but you may want to look elsewhere if you're after something a little cheaper.
Play fighting games across a range of platforms? The Mayflash F500 Elite fight stick is a universal option that works across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PC, and more. If your fighting games are scattered between platforms, we highly recommend this stick to save you some headaches.
We also love this stick for its high level of customizability. If you’re aesthetically minded, making your F500 Elite your own is easy. And that’s something we’d recommend as we’re not huge fans of the default cracked plate look. Still, Mayflash’s hardware tends to be fan favorites thanks to its highly modular nature. Though you may not be inclined to change modules at all, as the stick is already fitted with best-in-class Sanwa parts.
The best alternative fight stick
✅ You're play at tournaments: For tournaments that allow it, you'll have an input advantage if you can get used to the leverless setup.
✅ You like customizability: Hit Boxes and leverless pads like it are praised for their high levels of customizability in terms of button profiles and aesthetics.
❌ You're on a budget: Hit Boxes are very expensive, requiring both a significant time and money investment.
While we certainly can’t recommend the Hit Box to beginner players, it might just be the pad you need to take your fighting game experience to the next level. The Hit Box eschews a traditional joystick. In its place are dedicated directional face buttons for movement. This can help you get the upper hand in matches with less input travel time.
The Hit Box has been around since 2010, and is a popular choice among fighting game players thanks to its leverless setup that swaps a traditional ball/bat top stick for face buttons instead. This allows certain movement and inputs to be performed quicker on average, giving a significant advantage in tournament play.
Like some other sticks on this list, the Hit Box includes high-quality Sanwa buttons by default, pushing its price up. Such excellent buttons are one of the main reasons the Hit Box is burgeoning in popularity, though. Just be aware that it remains a controversial piece of kit, and many tournaments are cracking down on their use, including Capcom Pro Tour. However, opinion is beginning to positively sway for the Hit Box, and it may become more of a standard in the future with potentially cheaper options in the coming years. Definitely a space worth watching.
Best fight sticks - FAQs
What makes a fight stick one of the best?
Generally deciding on what makes a fight stick one of the best is down to a lot of personal preference alongside things like the price tag. Button layout, size, and additional features play into your decision, making it impossible to give a definitive answer on what makes a stick one of the best, but any from our list guarantee a high-quality product and performance.
Are fight sticks better than controllers for fighting games?
When it comes to deciding whether a fight stick or a controller is better, it'll be down to personal preference and what is more comfortable. Fight sticks do not give you any meaningful advantages when it comes to actual play; it's more for the experience and potential comfort factor more than anything else.
How we tested the best fight sticks
The best fight sticks in our list were tested with some of the best fighting games you can play right now. We analyzed each stick based on the parts they use, overall build quality, general feel, customizability and of course, price. After testing each for roughly a week or two, we're confident in including each on this list, either from our own expert testing or recommendations from the very best fighting game players in the world.
