If you're aiming to bring your A-game and get the most out of your fighting game experience, then you'll want to pick up a fight stick. Sometimes called arcade sticks, these nifty alternative controllers mimic the button and joystick layout of an old arcade machine.
Fans of retro games and older genres like "shoot 'em ups" and "beat 'em ups" will get a lot of mileage out of these controllers, but fighting games definitely benefit the most. Since so much of the gameplay relays on precise and often intricate button and stick combinations, the clear and distinctive layout of a fight stick makes it much easier and more consistent to perform well when using one.
The best fight sticks at a glance:
• Best overall fight stick: HORI PS5 Fighting Stick - View offer on Amazon UK
• Best customisable fight stick: Hori SERIES X Fighting Stick - View offer on Amazon UK
• Best fight stick for beginners: MAYFLASH Universal Arcade Stick - View offer on Amazon UK
• Best wireless arcade stick: 8Bitdo Arcade Stick - View offer on Amazon
With so many high-profile fighting games entering their next generation, from Street Fighter to Tekken, now is the perfect time to swap over to using a fight stick. Whatever your choice of game, and whether you favour deep customisation options or prefer portability, there is absolutely a fight stick that will suit your needs.
We've considered factors like customisation and build quality as we've searched for our favourite fight sticks, so you can read on and find which one is best for you.
Best overall fight stick
The natural choice for any PS5 gamer, this Hori fight stick is a fantastic bit of kit. You can use the dedicated app to precisely customise your settings, and there's even a tournament mode button that disables any inputs that would lead to accidental disqualification. The overall build is lightweight but remains durable, and thanks to the removable top panel, you can slot artwork in as well.
Although we're big fans of the size and shape of this fight stick, it is lacking in one area: cable storage. The cable is not detachable, meaning you need to take extra care of it to ensure it never gets damaged.
Pros
- Fantastic customisation
- Lightweight yet durable
Cons
- Cable is a bit awkward to store
| Dimensions | 48 x 16.5 x 36.5 cm |
| Weight | 1.5 kg |
- Customer review: "Very nice Arcade stick. Seems to be lightweight and easy to carry. Have bought many Hori arcade sticks in the past, and they have very good build quality. This also has good build quality from what I've seen. Would have preferred a detachable cable and a better safer secure USB wire cable storage."
Best customisable fight stick
If the customisation options of the prior pick take your fancy, then you'll likely enjoy the Hori Series X. The app and removable top panel remain, and now it's even easier to assign buttons to your preference. A brilliant stick for Xbox and PC fighting game enthusiasts, the options for multiple profile settings that you can switch between is a blessing for those who often hop between games.
The stick is highly responsive, so you should have no trouble getting those dreaded Z-inputs down now, but we do want to note that both it and the buttons can be a bit noisy.
Pros
- Profile settings make swapping game setups seamless
- Responsive joystick
Cons
- Can be a bit loud and clacky
| Dimensions | 48 x 36.5 x 16.5 cm |
| Weight | 3.4 kg |
- Customer review: "It feels solid and well built, an impression increased when you open the controller up using the hinge system, with the mechanism being strong, easily supporting the controller when it is open. The Hayabusa joystick is very high quality - and whilst somewhat louder than a Sanwa joystick feels tighter and more precise somehow. This is a real selling point for this stick, in my opinion."
Best fight stick for beginners
Fighting games can be difficult to get into, but the Mayflash Universal Arcade stick has your back. It's got great compatibility, is super simple to set up with any console or PC, and is reasonably portable enough for you to take it to your local tournaments. Sure, there are much better options for joystick tech, but that's only noticeable when you've gone through a handful of arcade sticks already. Plus, whereas the stick is just okay, the buttons are surprisingly responsive and high-quality for the price.
We also want to note that this fight stick has a dedicated USB cabinet, which is a much-appreciated addition.
Pros
- Brilliant buttons
- Handy USB cabinet
Cons
- There are better stick options out there
| Dimensions | 35.99 x 6.1 x 23.29 cm |
| Weight | 2.97 kg |
- Customer review: "Has really made Fighting games, side scrollers, beat em ups and shoot em ups 100% more enjoyable. I'd highly recommend this if you're looking for a beginner-friendly stick with the option to mod it in the future."
Best wireless arcade stick
The first thing we love about this 8Bitdo Arcade stick is the obvious design inspiration. Mimicking such an iconic controller, you can imagine that this stick is perfect for many arcade-style classics, and you'd be right. In fact, unlike an old-school Nintendo controller, this arcade stick is actually really comfortable to hold, so you can lab out combos in training mode without feeling any strain.
A surprising benefit of the 8Bitdo is that it has (optional) wireless connectivity, and a stable one at that. While you'll probably want to stick to ever-reliable wires for tournaments, this is a lovely addition to further enhance your comfort when casually fighting or going through an arcade classic.
Pros
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Comfortable to use
Cons
- Buttons could be more secure
| Dimensions | 30.3 x 20.3 x 11.15 cm |
| Weight | 2.1 kg |
- Customer review: "It took a few minutes to get used to it, but going from a controller is very intuitive. The joysticks and buttons are much more ergonomic. If you find that using a controller for extended periods causes wrist strain, this controller is worth trying out."
Best portable arcade stick
The Nintendo Switch's portability is one of its greatest strengths, and the Hori Fighting Stick Mini is the perfect portable companion to go along with it. The smaller frame does make it a little less comfortable for long play sessions, but we think that's a worthwhile trade-off. This is an especially budget-friendly fight stick too, so it's worth considering if you want to try a stick, but the other prices are daunting.
Considering the Switch's array of retro experiences on offer, this stick is right at home in the hands of anyone wanting to get nostalgic and relive some classics.
Pros
- Amazing value
- Durable build
Cons
- Switch needs to be docked
| Dimensions | 10 x 10 x 3 cm |
| Weight | 0.5 kg |
- Customer review: "This is a thing of beauty - configured for Nintendo Switch and connected via USB A (so you can only use it whilst the Switch is docked). The micro-switched 8-direction control stick is balanced perfectly and expertly responsive and the buttons (although not micro-switched) are also responsive and don’t have too much travel."
FAQs
Is an arcade stick worth it?
This comes down to your choice of games. As you can tell, we think they're a fantastic addition to go along with any fighting game, but if you only play the occasional one, you may not get as much use out of it. Arcade-style and retro games pair excellently, but if you primarily play recent AAA titles, using an arcade or fight stick would just make things way more difficult.
We do heavily recommend opting for a fight stick if you want to get into the competitive scene of your chosen fighting game, especially if you favour combo-centric characters.
Fight stick vs controller?
Using a controller is perfectly fine for any arcade or fighting game, but the reason you may want to lean towards a fight stick is due to the joystick gates.
Using a modern controller, you've likely noticed that the analogue stick registers inputs in all directions. This is obviously way better for free-roaming 3D titles, but it can make the precision inputs required for throwing out a Hadoken a bit unreliable. Arcade sticks tend to be 8-gate, meaning they register each input as one of the eight main directions. As such, it's a lot easier to throw out a quick quarter-circle forward and know that it's definitely going to come out accurately, and not as another move.
Kyle Purves is a Commercial Content Writer for What’s The Best, with an avid interest in all things gaming and tech.
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