As someone who’s been playing fighting games for over a decade, these are the fight sticks I recommend for when a standard controller just won’t cut it

Fighting games are far and away my favorite competitive game genre. While relatively niche compared to its MOBA and shooter peers, the best fighting games are no less rewarding.

If you’re looking to jump into fighting games for the first time, then you may also be considering investing in a bespoke controller – colloquially referred to as a fight stick. The best fight sticks come in all shapes and sizes; some offer an arcade-like experience with joysticks, while others are designed with competition in mind, offering ‘leverless’ layouts that rely on responsive and tactile buttons for all inputs.