When you're trying to smash your opponents and pull off the ultimate combos, even the best Xbox One and PS4 controllers likely won't do. A fight stick can be your best friend in fighting games. The best fight sticks have trusty joysticks that let you put your whole hand and arm into each movement, not relying on just your thumb to pull off the complex and quick movements of arcade fighting games. A nice ball-top joystick can make the difference between reliably pulling off quarter circles and never figuring out the near-ubiquitous move.

TL;DR – These are the Best Arcade Fight Sticks:

1. Mayflash F500 Arcade FightStick

Best Arcade Fight Stick

Our Pick Mayflash F500 Arcade FightStick On Amazon See It

2. Qanba Drone

Best Budget Fight Stick

Qanba Drone On Amazon See It

3. Victrix Pro FS

Best Xbox One Fight Stick

Victrix Pro FS On Amazon See It

4. Razer Panthera Evo Arcade Stick

Best PS4 Fight Stick

Razer Panthera Evo On Razer See It

5. Hori Real Arcade Pro V Kai

Best PC Fight Stick

Hori Real Arcade Pro V Kai On Amazon See It

6. Hori Real Arcade Pro V Hayabusa

Best Nintendo Switch Fight Stick

Hori Real Arcade Pro V Hayabusa On Amazon See It

7. Hit Box

Ditch the Stick

Hit Box On Hit Box See It

8. Mixbox Universal Edition

Best WASD Fight Stick

Mixbox Universal Edition On Mixbox Arcade See It

9. Etokki Omni Arcade Stick

The Korean Fight Stick Option

Etokki Omni Arcade Stick On Etokki See It

10. Nacon Daija

Best High-End Fight Stick

Nacon Daija On Amazon See It

What to Look for in an Arcade Stick Controller

You'll find a wide variety of fight sticks on the market. A good many are made for serious play with quality mechanical switches and the same Sanwa parts you'd find in an arcade cabinet . Some offer a similar feel but are more affordable. You can even snag models that offer up a bit of RGB lighting to tweak to your liking. We'll guide you through our top picks so you can find a quality fight stick, whether you want it for casual play or high-level tournaments.If you want an affordable fight stick controller that that works across all platforms, the Mayflash F500 Fighting Stick is an excellent choice. It has a sturdy base and eight buttons that are designed for smashing.We weren't joking when we said the Mayflash F500 is compatible with all platforms. You'll have no trouble playing connecting this arcade stick to a PS4, PS3, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, Android, and NeoGeo. The only caveat is you need to have a standard Xbox 360 or Xbox One controller connected to your console while using it with Microsoft's consoles.For this affordable entry price, you get a solidly built fight stick that feels good to play on. The stick itself can feel a little loose, but it accuracy problems or double-triggering issues. Once you're ready to move on up to a tighter Sanwa lever you'll have an easy time of swapping out parts.It gets high marks from us for its classy metal chassis and the use of high-quality Sanwa components. A compartment on the bottom of the controller flips open easily, allowing you to tinker with the internal components as you please. Lastly, the whole thing is easy to carry around too thanks to some integrated cable hooks that can double as attachment points for shoulder straps, which allows you to tote this arcade fight stick around like a shoulder bag. gaming keyboards \. Meanwhile, the joystick utilizes Sanwa's tried and true lever for quality directional inputs.As for the PlayStation specific features of this fight stick, it comes with a touchpad and share button as you would find on a standard PS4 controller . It also has wide dimensions and subtle heft allow it to rest comfortably in your lap for hours. The only thing we don't love about the Razer Panthera Evo Arcade Stick is you have to undo 16 screws to get into the interior of this controller if you want to change out any of the components.Fighting games aren't just a console affair, the PC community around this genre has also been steadily growing. Microsoft teamed up with Hori to design the Real Arcade Pro V Kai specifically for its console and Windows gaming PCs This fight stick is a solid and highly-rated choice thanks to its excellent design, sturdy buttons, and excellent joystick ergonomics. It's available in red, white, and blue and features the company's acclaimed Hayabusa buttons and joystick for excellent control and a real arcade feel. There's also a hidden side panel that allows you to customize the controls to your liking as well.This arcade fight stick uses its own propriety Hayabusa switches and lever, which we'd usually shy away from but they feel good enough to give you an extra edge in fighting games. Of course, if you want to swap in some more premium parts you can do that too as this controller is fully customizable.It's an interesting controller layout for sure, but it essentially gives you the precision of a D-Pad, but ergonomically arranged for fighting games. Best of all the Hit Box uses 100% authentic Sanwa Buttons so you know you're getting the best and most responsive experience out of this controller.The mechanical keyboard aspect aside, this Mixbox controller comes equipped with eight Sanwa Denshi buttons. Also as the universal edition, this arcade fight stick works with the PS3, PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch, and even the Wii U if you still have it kicking around.The Etokki Omni is also built like a tank with a full-metal chassis that weighs 7.27 pounds. It'd definitely on the pricey side, but a fight stick that feels this good and is this well made is worth it. Unfortunately, stock appears limited at the moment, but will hopefully come back in short order. PS4 Pro , PS4, and PC, and it has simple controls for managing the inputs when you need more navigation control than a fight stick has by default. As a premium fight stick, the Daija comes with quality Sanwa joystick and buttons. You also get both a get a couple of options for the joystick a ball top and bat top.While the Daija comes strong to start, you can also customize it to your liking. The lid easily pops open to let you change out components, and a wiring guide will help you ensure you get everything properly connected. You can even customize the style, as the clear face plate is removable, so you can print out your own design and slip it under the face plate.Finding the right arcade stick controller for you is all about getting the best lever and buttons for your budget.When it comes to the stick of a fight stick, you pretty much only have the option of going with either a Japanese- or Korean-made parts. Sanwa is going to be the most prevalent name you hear while shopping for a controller in this segment. It's a Japanese company that produces arcade buttons and sticks, the latter of which features square gate and mild resistance.Comparatively, Taeyoung Fanta and other Korean-made fight sticks usually come sporting a circle-shaped gate and rubber grommet. You'll want this type of stick if you want a lever that springs back to neutral after every motion.

Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam