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.

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.

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

1. Mayflash F500 Arcade FightStick

Best Arcade Fight Stick

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.