Best controllers for Street Fighter 6: Fight sticks, leverless & pad

Oct 11, 2023

Getting the best Street Fighter 6 controller is pretty complex. You can pick from fight sticks, leverless controllers, or even pads. With so many options available, we’ve gone over some of the best tools for the job.

Getting the best controller for Street Fighter 6 is a matter of subjectivity. Not everyone will be happy with a leverless controller, despite its numerous advantages. Others might prefer playing on a default pad, or even an arcade stick. Right now, no single device decides who wins, and who loses.

With that in mind, we’re segmenting our recommendations into three categories: Arcade Stick, leverless controller, and pads. All you need to do is to decide what the most comfortable option for you is.

We’ve reviewed many of the peripherals listed here, and are ready to give you the lowdown on the controllers we feel are the best of the best.

The Victrix Pro FS is simply a work of art. Its machined aluminum construction gives it an air of quality that you just don't get from any other fighting game peripheral. Its intelligently-designed slope makes it comfortable to play on for hours, and the detachable lever makes it easy to put into your backpack. We go into further detail in our review.

With LEDs flanking each side of the stick, it feels more like a premium tool than a simple video game controller. It's expensive, but for that, you’ll get an officially licensed PlayStation 5 controller that also works on PC.

Additionally, the Victrix Pro FS is also available in a leverless layout, if you are so inclined. You also get a detachable USB-C cable, which we’re huge fans of. We’ve just used too many arcade sticks that eventually failed due to a soldered cable that we just can't recommend over a stick that has a detachable cable.

Alternative pick: Qanba Obsidian 2

The Snack Box Micro is currently our favorite controller for Street Fighter 6. The reason why we think that the Snack Box Micro currently rules the roost is in both its build quality, replaceable parts, and the advantages of using a leverless controller. For a more detailed summary, read our full review.

The Snack Box Micro's form factor allows you to stow it away almost anywhere, and because it's compatible with every console under the sun, taking one to a tournament or to your locals will not create any issues whatsoever, since you’ll be prepared to play on any platform.

A leverless controller allows you to have zero travel time between inputs. This could make inputs like a tight drive rush cancel combo much easier when compared to performing the input on a pad or arcade stick. However, those playing grapplers that require 360-degree inputs may struggle. For traditional motion and charge characters like Ryu and Guile, the Snack Box Micro is absolutely astonishing, and well worth the price of entry. However, some might want to wait for the Razer Kitsune, which is an upcoming mainstream option.

Alternative pick: Victrix Pro FS 12

The Victrix Pro BFG isn't only one of the better pads available right now, it's also one of the most versatile. The device has access to a fightpad module for a six-button layout, or you can stay with a more traditional layout, too. We go through all of the available options in our review.

One of the most impressive things about this controller is the ability to switch out the D-pad, which can be a boon for pad players who want to play grapplers like Zangief or Manon. Honestly, this pad is also fantastic for gaming on PS5 in general, and we think it's actually better than Sony's own DualSense Edge.

The only downside here is that it's limited to PlayStation and PC. For Xbox users, you might want to take a look at the Hori Fighting Commander OCTA.

Alternative pick: Hori Fighting Commander OCTA (Review)

With some of our top picks out of the way, you might be left thinking "damn, these are all way too expensive!" but fret not, as we’ve got options for you to consider here, too.

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The Qanba Drone 2 is our pick for the best budget arcade stick you can buy right now. It offers everything you’d expect out of an arcade stick, while still managing to be exceptionally affordable. It's also a relatively compact package, which has a chamfered edge for using it after hours of play. It also has built-in cable storage for those who want to stow it away.

We’re still in the middle of testing the Drone 2, but it does manage to trade blows with Hori's similarly priced Fighting Stick Alpha.

Alternative pick: Hori Fighting Stick Alpha (Review)

We’ve previously stated that you don't need the most expensive gear to become proficient at a game like Street Fighter 6. That's why we’re recommending the Xbox Series Controller as our budget option for gamepads. It's nothing too special, and it's also likely that you have a controller like this just lying around already.

Despite this, professional players have used the tried and tested gamepad and won entire tournaments. Hardware is not an indicator of skill. You still get access to all of the important buttons, and the D-pad is excellent for almost any character.

Okay, we might be cheating a little bit here. But when you consider the technology underneath a leverless controller, getting a gaming keyboard might be the answer to getting used to leverless inputs without having to splash out.

A keyboard might not be a tournament-ready option unless you work out how to include things like SOCD cleaning. Regardless, if you are wondering what it's like to use a leverless controller, using a keyboard is the cheapest way to do that.

Check our list of best gaming keyboards for some options on what you should pick up.

An increasing number of Street Fighter players, including SFV Evo 2022 champion Kawano have been using all-button controllers, such as the Hitbox or Snack Box Micro to guide them to victory. Some of Street Fighter's most legendary players, such as Topanga 2023 champion Tokido, Daigo Umehara, and more have switched to using this new input method.

Though, now more than ever, we’re also seeing an increased number of top players performing at the highest levels using nothing more than a standard gamepad. Capcom Cup 2022 winner MenaRD, dominant SFV player Punk and British prodigy Endingwalker find it most comfortable to use a pad.

All the while, the humble Arcade Stick is seemingly becoming less popular.

With the advent of modern controls, a fight stick is not necessary to play Street Fighter 6. For many years Fight sticks became standard, since the games were originally played in arcades. However, as the years have gone by, several alternatives have cropped up, such as a normal game controller, and the leverless controller.

While a fight stick gives you access to every button for your character, and motions are easy to input, if you’ve never used one before, there will be a slight adjustment period to contend with. Though, if you are confident that you’ll take to it like water, then you should absolutely pick one up. Also, they look very cool.

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