Fighting games are historically best played on arcade sticks, also known as fightsticks. Nothing wrong with using a regular controller, of course, but there’s a reason most pros prefer fightsticks!
Their form factor and punchy buttons are just more comfortable and satisfying in the long run. On top of that, fight sticks are highly customizable via modding, which can help tailor them to your preferences.
It is one of the best ways to bring back the good old retro factor of games!
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The hardest thing about getting an arcade stick is choosing one, though. But don’t worry! We’ve picked out the best ones and detailed them to make things easier for you!
Best Arcade Sticks for PlayStation 5
One of the main things to note about the PS5 and arcade sticks is that any officially licensed PS4 stick should work out of the box on your PS5. However, we will be trying to focus on sticks that are natively compatible with the PS5.
You should also make note of the type of parts that the controller uses. Sanwa are the market’s standard due to their high quality, so they’re usually recommended.
Nonetheless, here’s a handy table to break down the arcade sticks we will cover in this article.
| Best Arcade Sticks for PS5 | Parts Type | Natively Supported Systems | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| HORI PlayStation 5 Fighting Stick Alpha | Hayabusa | PS5, PS4, PC | |
| NACON Daija Arcade Fight Stick PlayStation Edition | Sanwa | PS5, PS4, PC | |
| Victrix Pro FS Playstation Fight Stick | Sanwa | PS5, PS4, PC | |
| MAYFLASH Universal Arcade Fighting Stick F500 | Sanwa | Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, Windows, macOS, Android, Raspberry Pi, Steam Deck | |
| Qanba N3 Drone 2 Wired Joystick | Qanba | PS5, PS4, PC |
| Best Arcade Sticks for PS5 | Parts Type | Natively Supported Systems | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| HORI PlayStation 5 Fighting Stick Alpha | Hayabusa | PS5, PS4, PC | |
| NACON Daija Arcade Fight Stick PlayStation Edition | Sanwa | PS5, PS4, PC | |
| Victrix Pro FS Playstation Fight Stick | Sanwa | PS5, PS4, PC | |
| MAYFLASH Universal Arcade Fighting Stick F500 | Sanwa | Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, Windows, macOS, Android, Raspberry Pi, Steam Deck | |
| Qanba N3 Drone 2 Wired Joystick | Qanba | PS5, PS4, PC |
Best Overall: HORI PlayStation 5 Fighting Stick Alpha
HORI’s PlayStation 5 Fighting Stick Alpha is one of the first arcade sticks with actual native support for the PS5. It’s also a very solid choice, as usual for the HORI brand. It’s also probably the best all around, due to its affordable price and high quality.
However, you should know that it features HORI’s Hayabusa parts instead of the standard Sanwa parts. They’re still easy to replace and mod, should you wish to, but it’s something to keep in mind. It’s also made to be easy to open up, so you shouldn’t have any issues customizing and maintaining it.
The build quality leaves something a bit to be desired, though, as it can feel a tad cheap when compared to other sticks. On the upside, this also means that the asking price isn’t too steep.
Pros
- Slim and comfortable design
- Easy to open for modding and maintenance
- Fair price for its quality
- Uses HORI’s top-tier Hayabusa parts
Cons
- Cheap-feeling build quality
- Doesn’t have standard Sanwa parts, although Hayabusa parts are still good
Runner-Up: NACON Daija Arcade Fight Stick PlayStation Edition
NACON’s Daija stick was designed with the help of Kayane, a French professional fighting game player. She’s best known for playing Dead or Alive, Soulcalibur, and Street Fighter at a competitive level. In other words, this stick comes from the hands of a true pro!
As such, you can expect a really powerful stick suitable for pro players. It even includes a customization app that allows you to manage different profiles, allowing you to have different configurations for different games and situations.
It uses high-quality Sanwa parts and is pretty moddable, although the overall build is fairly heavy. It can be tiresome for long sessions, so you should keep that in mind.
Thankfully, the white PlayStation edition is officially licensed by Sony! As such, it works flawlessly on any PS5.
Pros
- Full-featured profiling app allows easy customization
- Easy to mod if you need further customization
- Comfortable handrest
- Sleek design
Cons
- Fairly large and heavy
Premium Pick: Victrix Pro FS Playstation Fight Stick
The Victrix Pro FS is an interesting one, as it comes in two form factors: the regular Pro FS and the Pro FS-12.
The regular Pro FS features a joystick for movement on the left, as usual. On the other hand, the Pro FS-12 is an all-button hitbox design. Which one you prefer is entirely up to you, of course, so it’s nice to have both options available.
Both variants have one thing in common: they’re premium controllers with great build quality that should feel nice to use even for the pickiest consumers.
It’s also very easy to mod since it uses market-standard Sanwa parts. You shouldn’t have any trouble opening it either, as it has detachable parts and even comes bundled with an Allen wrench. To top it all off, it’s built with extremely durable materials.
The downside to all this? It’s not cheap, at all. It’s an easy recommendation if you’re willing to go for a top-tier premium controller, but it’s not good as an entry-level option.
Pros
- Comfortable form factor
- Extremely durable build
- Easy to mod
- Uses market-standard Sanwa parts
- Available in regular joystick and Hitbox-style variants
Cons
- Very high cost compared to its competition
Most Versatile: MAYFLASH Universal Arcade Fighting Stick F500
The MAYFLASH F500 is an interesting choice. Its main selling point is that it works on nearly everything, which makes it an easy choice if you plan to game on multiple platforms besides your PS5.
It’s also quite accessible, with a relatively low price compared to its competition. Despite that, it includes solid Sanwa parts, so you can’t go wrong with it.
However, there are two notable flaws in this stick. First, there’s no L3/R3 support at all. This can be a minor issue to most, but it’s worth noting.
The biggest flaw is that you will need to purchase a MAYFLASH Magic-S Ultimate if you wish to use it on your PS5. It doesn’t have native support, sadly.
Pros
- Can be used on almost any system
- Decent Sanwa parts
- Good quality for a low price
Cons
- No L3/R3 support at all
- Requires the MAYFLASH Magic-S Ultimate for PS5 compatibility; no native support
Budget Choice: Qanba N3 Drone 2 Wired Joystick
Last but not least, the Qanba N3 Drone 2 is our pick for the most accessible arcade stick. It’s an entry-level controller that won’t break your bank, making it the cheapest fightstick with native PS5 support as of this writing.
In most ways, this is a very serviceable arcade stick. It’s not too heavy or too light, and the build feels fairly solid for its price. It’s on the smaller side as well, which makes it comfortable and easy to carry.
Perhaps its one notable flaw is that it has Qanba parts. The buttons in particular don’t feel quite as good as the standard Sanwa ones do, which is a bit of a shame. Nonetheless, they remain serviceable for the price.
However, the joystick can be modded and replaced with a Sanwa one should you wish to do so. You should have no trouble modding this stick, either.
The only other thing that might seem odd is that the cable comes out from its right side instead of the back, which is less than ideal.
Pros
- Solid choice at a low price
- Cheapest stick with native PS5 compatibility
- The relatively small size makes it comfortable and easy to carry
Cons
- Qanba parts are worse than the market standard
- The cable comes from the right instead of the back
To Sum Up
Overall, we have to hand it to HORI’s Fighting Stick Alpha as the overall best. It’s easy to mod and has great Sanwa parts right out of the box, while also having a fair price that keeps it accessible. You just can’t go wrong with it!
However, you should go for the Qanba Drone 2 if you want a cheaper option. It’s not quite as good but there’s nothing wrong with it for its price, and you can mod it with better parts down the line if you want.
And of course, the MAYFLASH F500 has a very accessible price and works with nearly anything, making it best for gamers who play on multiple platforms. It’s a great choice if you don’t mind having to purchase an add-on dongle just to get PS5 support.
If you instead wish to take matters more seriously, though, you should go for the NACON Daija or the Victrix Pro FS.
The Victrix Pro FS is particularly fantastic, but it’s just quite expensive. Not everyone has that kind of money to burn for gaming, right?
Nonetheless, you can’t really go wrong with any of these arcade sticks. We hope our breakdowns helped you decide which one to get!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which arcade stick works on PS5?
Not all arcade sticks (fightsticks) work on the PlayStation 5. You can either choose fightstick that is officially licensed by Sony or choose one that has PlayStation Support.
2. Can you connect an arcade stick to PS5?
Yes, you can! Just remember to purchase an arcade stick that has support for PlayStation 5.
3. Are arcade sticks better than controllers?
It all comes down to personal preference. For some games, especially fighting-type games like Tekken or Street Fighter, arcade sticks might give you an advantage over controller users.
4. Can you play old arcade games on PS5?
Yes, there are plenty of retro classic arcade games on PlayStation.
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