Once you've surrendered yourself to one of the best fight sticks, it's hard to ever go back. There's a reason these arcade-style controllers are still used by many top-level fighting game players today, and it's not just because they were the standard back during the boom of arcades.
From giving you more space to pull off a complicated maneuver in Street Fighter 6 to having tight, specific controls to easily execute a cancel or whiff to punish your opponent in Tekken 8, fight sticks offer a whole new way to experience and master your favorite fighting games.
For the best fight stick we'd recommend, check out the Nacon Daija. It offers gold-standard Sanwa parts, full button mapping and even a textured palm rest for comfort. For a premium option, look no further than the Victrix Pro FS, with its excellent performance, responsive controls and upgradebale design. Only getting started? The Hori Fighting Stick Mini is the budget stick for you.
Whether you're at the top of your game or just starting out, a fight stick can take you a long way. For the best fight stick that suits your style, scroll on down.
The quick list
The Nacon Diaja Fight Stick boasts a Sanwa joystick for tight, reliable movements and fully mappable buttons to configure to your heart's content. Its professional-grade setup and comfortable design (with palm rest included) mean taking games like Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Kombat and more to the next level.
For beginners, experienced players or anyone looking to use a reliable fight stick on multiple platforms, this Mayflash F700 Elite is right up your alley. With genuine Sanwa parts, support for Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz and wired connectivity, along with customizable parts, this fight stick offers a lot of value for the price.
If you’re testing the waters of fight sticks and don’t mind a smaller design, then the Hori Fight Stick Mini is a fine choice. It’s by no means tournament-ready, but its satisfying 8-button layout, sturdy and precise stick inputs and ease of connectivity to PS5, PS4 and PC make this a tiny, budget victory for first-timers.
The Victrix Pro FS commands a steep price, but its superb design, quality parts, smooth performance and easy customization make it worthwhile for virtually all fighting game enthusiasts.
The Mixbox does what it says on the tin: mixes the WASD-style keyboard keys with arcade-style Sanwa Denshi buttons. No 8-way joystick here, and if you're used to keys on a PC but need better button inputs, the Mixbox is made for you. There are even buttons at the rear and side, offering more shortcuts for your combos.
For those in need of an entry-level fight stick with plenty of customization, easy connectivity, options for multiple platforms and fantastic controls, the 8BitDo Arcade Stick will do the trick. Grab for Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S or PC.
Load more products...
If an arcade stick just isn't your style and prefer to start with something familiar, the Hori Fighting Commander Octa is the best fight pad you can get. It's a tournament-grade controller with responsive buttons and an accurate D-Pad, and even an analog side pad.
When I do find time to game, you can catch me trying to master combos in Street Fighter 6 or Guilty Gear Strive using a fight stick. Whether it's nailing a charge move or figuring out the timing of a follow-up after a cancel, a fight stick can help you do it all miles easier — if you get the right one for you.
The best fight sticks you can buy today
Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.
The best overall fight stick
1. Nacon Daija
The Nacon Daija is a great pick for players who want a sleek, focused design. It features Sanwa-made parts, the gold standard for arcade sticks, but many of the auxiliary controls are mounted on the side panel instead of the top, meaning you're unlikely to hit them by accident in the middle of a bout.
Nacon also offers some nice customization options, giving you full access to the stick's interior to replace components, a removable faceplate to swap out the artwork and the choice of a ball or baton top for your joystick.
The best value fight stick
2. Mayflash F700 Elite
The Mayflash F700 Elite fight stick will be many people's go-to pick for plenty of reasons. For one, it comes with Sanwa parts — which are considered the most high-quality, responsive and durable among arcade stick enthusiasts. It's also customizable, allowing gamers to change the joystick and buttons should any of those components fail or if they want to upgrade to different parts.
Plus, this arcade stick is also compatible with just about any device, including PS5/PS4, PC, Android, macOS/iOS/iPadOS and more (note that it's not compatible with Xbox Series X/S). Along with its snappy connectivity via Bluetooth, a 2.4 GHz dongle or wired, this is a wicked fight stick for the money (around $179).
Find out more about the Mayflash F700 Elite.
The best budget fight stick
3. Hori Fighting Stick Mini
For anyone unsure if fight sticks are for them but don’t want to invest over $100/£100 to find out, the Hori Fight Stick Mini fixes that problem with its budget price. For under $60/£60, this mini-sized fight stick controller for PS5, PS4 and PC packs a near-full experience of arcade-style gameplay, and that includes a standard eight-button layout and a clicky, responsive stick.
Despite its compact and lightweight design, you won’t have to worry about the stick moving all over the place while you game either, thanks to the firm rubberized feet. Plus, it works great while using it on your lap. No, this doesn’t come with tournament-friendly parts or features, so those more familiar with fight sticks won’t get much out of this mini-controller. Still, it’s great for first-timers and a fun alternative stick to use over at a friend’s house thanks to its being very portable. As far as budget fight sticks go for fighting game enthusiasts, this is a fantastic starting point.
Read our full Hori Fighting Stick Mini review.
The best premium fight stick
4. Victrix Pro FS
For the ultimate arcade stick experience, the Victrix Pro FS is the only option. This premium peripheral has features its competitors lack, including an all-aluminum body and removable joystick. It’s the best arcade stick to use at home or your local tournament.
The responsive Sanwa Denshi joystick and buttons are a joy to play on. They let you pull off both subtle and complex moves with little effort—making this controller feel like an extension of your hands. Thanks to the easy-to-open hatch on the controller’s underside, it’s easy to swap out these parts if you want or need to replace them. There’s even a place to keep the detachable joystick inside the controller.
The aluminum chassis makes it easier to move your hands around, and the angled wrist slope and foam padding underneath also do their part to make this controller feel comfortable to play on and keep on your lap (respectively). All those features come at a hefty price, however. meaning this stick is only really for the most hardcore fighting game players
Despite its price, the Victrix Pro FS is undoubtedly the premium arcade stick out there. We consider it a work of art due to its gorgeous design, responsive parts, quality-of-life features and excellent gaming performance.
Read our full Vitrix Pro FS review.
The best unique fight stick
5. Mixbox Fight Stick
Another stickless fight stick, the Mixbox mixes traditional arcade buttons with keyboard direction inputs to create a hybrid option, ideal if you find joysticks don't give you the input or feedback you want from a controller.
It's super versatile, with the more expensive Universal Edition allowing you to play on basically any console you like, including the PS5. You'll need to weigh up the costs before you buy this model, but we can vouch for how easy it is to use and how good it feels to play with.
Find out more about the Mixbox Fight Stick.
The best retro fight stick
6. 8BitDo Arcade Stick
Whether you're looking to play fighting games, beat 'em ups, platformers or anything in between, the 8BitDo Arcade Stick for Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC should be on your radar. Why? Well, it's under $100, and offers a reliable joystick, buttons and comfort.
It offers over 30 hours of battery life, wireless support, responsive controls and is actually easy to mod to your liking. Depending on the model you pick, though, you won't be able to use it on certain platforms (like the Xbox Series X/S version no working on Switch or Android). Regardless, if you're wondering if an fight stick is for you but don't want to spend too much, then look no further than the 8BitDo Arcade Stick.
Find out more about the 8BitDo Arcade Stick.
The best fight pad
7. Hori Fighting Commander Octa
If you're just not ready for a fight stick yet, not to worry; the Hori Fighting Commander Octa is a fine alternative. It delivers the same basic design of most modern game controllers, but has the added benefit of having all these aspects designed to better suit fighting games.
This includes the clicky six face buttons, springless trigger buttons for easier button presses, a sturdy circular D-pad with small up, down, left and right buttons for precise inputs and programmable buttons. Plus, at around $59, it's quite the steal.
Find out more about the Hori Fighting Commander Octa.
How to choose the best fight stick for you
Beyond normal device buying tips like keep your budget in mind, here are some pieces of advice that are unique to buying fight sticks.
The first thing to consider is how portable you want the stick to be. Do you intend for the stick to remain plugged into your games console or will you be carrying this around to play at other venues? Keep that decision guide in mind when you see how large and how heavy these sticks can be.
Another important factor you need to check is platform compatibility. There are third-party products to make fight sticks work with any console you wish, as well as some sticks that have multi-platform support built-in, but it's better if you know you can pair your new fight stick with at least your own console without any hassle.
If you want to get really in-depth, you could also take a look at the button and joystick arrangement. Some sticks place their buttons in two parallel lines, while others have the rightmost buttons offset to emulate a particular arcade cabinet layout. Likewise, some sticks use rounded tops for their joysticks, and others feature a longer baton-style top instead. The option to customize your stick is always there if don't mind opening up the fight stick to change the parts over. However if you can, try out some sticks in person before making a purchase to see which set-up you prefer.
