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Best Xbox controllers: Quick Menu

The best Xbox controllers are made with enhanced features in mind, and several of them offer game-changing features you won't find on the standard official gamepad. In 2024, there are more products than ever on offer, so you're bound to find something to suit your budget and preference.

Our guide to the best Xbox controllers is primarily aimed at the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S systems, but that's not to say our picks aren't compatible with the last generation, as all the controllers on our list are compatible with the Xbox One console.

In addition, we've made our choices with the best Xbox Series X games in mind and how having one of these controllers will drastically improve your experience. We've considered everything from comfort to cost, aiming to recommend top-quality products that won't break the bank so you have some extra funds for more of the best Xbox Series X and Series S accessories.

The Quick List

1. Xbox Wireless Controller

Best overall

While lacking some more premium features, the Xbox Wireless Controller is the all-round best gamepad for the console. Excellent buttons, sturdy grip and one comes free with every console.

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2. 8BitDo Pro 2

Best budget

8BitDo provide another affordable banger in the Pro 2 for Xbox. While those PlayStation-style analog sticks won't be for everyone, this is a quality piece of hardware for those on a budget.

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3. Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2

Best premium

If you're after a controller that does everything and more, Microsoft's own Elite Series 2 wireless controller is as premium as it gets. Expensive, mind.

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4. PowerA Fusion Pro 3

Best mid-range

While not the best in terms of build quality, the Fusion Pro 3 provides a wonderful mid-range experience with programmable back buttons and trigger locks for enhanced play.

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5. Nacon Revolution X Pro

Best wired

The Revolution X Pro has one of our favorite designs of any controller on this list. Ergonomically fantastic and with satisfying face buttons, it's a step above other wired gamepads for Xbox.

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6. Turtle Beach Recon

Best voice chat

The Turtle Beach Recon is ideal for online play with friends, featuring a robust suite of voice chat options, including on-board volume control and EQ settings.

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7. HyperX Clutch Gladiate

Best cheap wired

What the HyperX Clutch Gladiate lacks in build quality, it makes up for in being a feature-rich wired pad for those on tighter budgets.

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8. Thrustmaster eSwap X2

Best for customizability

With easily swappable modules, the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 is a must-have for players who prefer to have total control over their gamepad and its layout.

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9. 8BitDo Arcade Stick for Xbox

Best fight stick

If you're serious about fighting games on Xbox, look no further than the brilliant 8BitDo Arcade Stick, tailor-made for Microsoft's console.

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Best Xbox controllers in 2024

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The best overall Xbox controller

Best overall

Specifications

Connectivity: Wireless, wired

Battery life: 20-30 hours

Sticks: Asymmetrical

Additional features: N/A

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Buy it if

✅ You want a controller you can use with a range of devices: The Xbox Wireless Controller works with more than just the Xbox Series X|S. The gamepad is compatible with Xbox One, Windows 10 PC and Android, too.

✅ You want a premium controller feel without the price tag: With the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 priced at a whopping £159.99 / $179.99 / AU$249.95, Microsoft is offering the average player a slice of its premium pie for a more digestible price.

Don't buy it if

❌ You want lots of extra features: The Xbox Wireless Controller does what it says on the tin and nothing more. It's an excellent pad, but one that's also very straightforward.

The Xbox Wireless Controller is the one you’ll get out of the box when you buy a new Xbox Series X|S, and it’s handily one of the best contemporary controllers. But it never hurts to have a spare, right?

The Xbox Wireless Controller hasn't changed much in terms of design since its Xbox One iteration. However, there are some notable changes worth highlighting. Overall build quality is slightly improved, and the new D-pad is a huge upgrade, featuring a circular base that makes it easier to perform diagonal inputs.

Xbox Wireless Controllers are readily available, and quite affordable these days across both standard and special colorways thanks to frequent discounts. Several more hues are also available if you’d prefer something flashier, but most of these do cost slightly more. Alternatively, you can even make your own custom Xbox Wireless Controller over at the Xbox Design Lab.

The Xbox Wireless Controller ticks most of the boxes of what makes a pad great. High-quality buttons, a best-in-class d-pad and generous battery life are among the controller’s best features. Put simply, you just can’t go wrong with the Xbox Wireless Controller no matter your budget or preferences. It’s an all-rounder, but one that excels in almost every area.

The best budget Xbox controller

Best budget

Specifications

Connectivity: Wired

Battery life: N/A

Sticks: Symmetrical

Additional features: N/A

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Buy it if

✅ You’re on a budget: Though wired controllers tend to be cheaper generally, the 8BitDo Pro 2 pad offers great pro-level features and hardware construction.

✅ You prefer Sony-style thumbsticks: Side-by-side sticks are the design of choice for PlayStation players, and this is one of the best ways to get that configuration on Xbox.

Don't buy it if

❌ You like asymmetrical sticks: This pad doesn’t follow the standard Xbox controller layout, meaning you’re going to need to look elsewhere for offset sticks.

It’s hard to go wrong with an 8BitDo pad. The 8BitDo Ultimate controller for Nintendo Switch is testament to that. Thankfully, the popular third party manufacturer also has a fantastic option for Xbox owners in the Pro 2 Wired controller.

The Pro 2 is a touch on the light side. However, it does feature two back paddle buttons that can be remapped to your liking. Excellent for if you’d rather have certain commands on a more accessible button, for example. The most notable change from other Xbox controllers is the use of a symmetrical analog stick layout, similar to the PS5's DualSense. That won't be for everyone, but it does free up space on the top half of the pad, allowing for more real estate for the face buttons and D-pad.

The most immediately striking thing about the Pro 2 has to be its price. It's an affordable pad, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s of a low quality. On the contrary, the Pro 2 upholds 8BitDo’s typically high build quality, making for a pad that’s as satisfying to use as it is to purchase.

Despite its budget price, you'll find a controller here that performs admirably during play. The pad's modules are all up to that high 8BitDo quality, with tactile buttons, sticks and triggers. The D-pad does feel a touch mushy, though, and is a downgrade from the one found on the Xbox Wireless Controller.

The best premium Xbox controller

Best premium

Specifications

Connectivity: Wireless, wired

Battery life: 40 hours

Sticks: Asymmetrical

Additional features: Swappable thumbsticks, back paddles, trigger stops

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Buy it if

✅ You want peak customization: With swappable modules, customizable back paddles and hair trigger locks, the Elite Series 2 is perfect for players who love to tinker.

✅ You're after a premium feel: It's a luxury purchase, especially with the Elite Series 2's stellar build quality.

Don't buy it if

❌ You're on a budget: The Elite Series 2 is the most expensive controller on our list, and outside of sales periods, commands a very high price that won't sit well with everyone.

If you’re after utmost quality in a controller, and budget isn’t an issue, then your port of call should certainly be the superlative Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2. Out of the box, you’ll immediately feel the jump in quality over the standard Xbox Wireless controller. A clean metal finish, texture grips and fantastic feeling buttons and triggers made the Series 2 an utter joy to play with.

The Xbox Elite Series 2 is the premium controller for Xbox Series X|S. Boasting phenomenal build quality and a substantial weight to match, the pad makes it a joy to play your favorite games. Extra-firm grips help you keep a tight leash on the controller, too, and enhancements like a metallic D-pad and analog stick shafts help it to be long-lasting and resistant to wear and tear.

The Elite Series 2 certainly isn't cheap. And if you're not keen on its price, Microsoft has since released a cheaper ‘Core’ version of the controller. This is identical to the standard Elite Series 2 sans extras like back paddles and swappable sticks, which are instead sold separately.

Rest assured that the Elite Series 2 earns its stripes with a wealth of customization options. Buttons are fully remappable, with multiple profiles you can save to for when you’re switching between your go-to games. Dead zones allow you to set where you’d like your triggers to rest, an excellent addition for first-person shooters like Halo Infinite. You can also swap out the analog sticks if you like to experiment or if the defaults aren’t to your liking.

The best mid-range Xbox controller

Best mid-range

Specifications

Connectivity: Wired

Battery life: N/A

Sticks: Asymmetrical

Additional features: Swappable thumbsticks, back buttons, mic volume switch, trigger stops

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Buy it if

✅ You like Pro-adjacent features: The PowerA Fusion Pro 3 has you covered with mappable rear buttons, swappable sticks, dedicated mic volume switch and more.

✅ You play shooters online: The Fusion Pro 3’s trigger locks are excellent for first and third-person shooters.

Don't buy it if

❌ You want a premium feel: The controller feels a little cheap and flimsy for its price range, though the buttons, sticks and D-pad do improve things here.

The PowerA Fusion Pro 3 isn't quite a premium purchase, but has a robust feature set that you won't find on cheaper pads. You're getting programmable rear buttons here, that can be assigned as secondary inputs for your go-to games. And multiple profiles mean that you can swap as you switch from game to game during your play sessions.

The shell of the gamepad is slightly lacking in overall build quality, feeling a little cheap and lightweight. Still, what matters is that the buttons, triggers and sticks feel relatively great, living up to the Fusion Pro 3's mid-range price tag. 

It certainly won't be in everyone's price range, but it is significantly cheaper than other pads on this list including the Elite Series 2 and Nacon Revolution X Pro.

Another strong feature here, that you won't find on other pads, is the dedicated mic volume switch you'll find at the center bottom of the controller. This is a wonderful addition that saves you from having to dive into your console's settings to adjust your mic's output.

The best wired Xbox controller

Best wired

Specifications

Connectivity: Wired

Battery life: N/A

Sticks: Asymmetrical

Additional features: Swappable sticks, back buttons

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Buy it if

✅ You prize value for money: The Revolution X is unbelievable value for money. It offers staple features found on other ‘Pro’ controllers at a fraction of the price, and does so with remarkably high quality.

✅ You like deep customization: Revolution X’s app lets you customize your control schemes to a near-absurd degree, making it an excellent choice for competitive players.

Don't buy it if

❌ You want even more buttons: The Xbox Elite wireless controller features removable back paddles that can be customized to a greater degree.

If you’re after an Elite Series 2-like controller experience, but not quite prepared to pay its hefty price tag, then we highly recommend Nacon’s Revolution X Pro wired controller for Xbox. It offers ‘Pro’ controller features like back paddle buttons and swappable sticks, all for a double digit price.

It doesn’t quite have the premium feel of Microsoft’s luxury controller, but the Revolution X is still an excellent value proposition. Here you're getting analog sticks that rival Microsoft’s own in terms of quality, a comfortable design with sturdy grips, and some lovely extras in the form of a carry case and a suite of swappable analog stick parts.

There’s just a couple of drawbacks with the Revolution X, those being the wide triggers that take a little getting used to, and that it’s a strictly wired pad. However, these are really just nitpicks. Ultimately, the Revolution X is a ‘Pro’ adjacent controller with most of the features you’d expect from one, including mappable button profiles. Throw in a free Dolby Atmos license and you’ve got a controller that pairs well with the best Xbox headsets. We can’t recommend the Revolution X enough.

The best Xbox controller for voice chat

Best voice chat

Specifications

Connectivity: Wired

Battery life: N/A

Sticks: Asymmetrical

Additional features: Back buttons, on-board voice chat controls

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Buy it if

✅ You want excellent voice chat features: There's lots to explore with the Recon's voice chat suite, including on-board controls and EQ settings.

✅ You want enhanced audio: The Recon supports Turtle Beach's own Enhanced Audio, meaning you'll get a stronger sound profile with practically any headset.

Don't buy it if

❌ You want something simpler: While robust, the Recon's busy on-board audio controls do lend a slightly convoluted feel to the pad.

If you're in voice chat with friends more often than not when playing your favorite multiplayer games on Xbox, consider the Turtle Beach Recon controller, which has been designed around offering an excellent voice chat experience. That, and its bespoke Superhuman audio setting that lets you hone in on distant sounds; perfect for pinpointing gunshots and footsteps in large-scale games like PUBG Battlegrounds and Warzone.

The controller itself is no slouch, either, with good quality buttons and sticks, mappable back paddle buttons and comfy padded grips to prevent slipping in particularly heated multiplayer moments. If you’re sick of fiddling with your console’s mic settings menu, then you’ll likely gel with the fact that the Recon lets you control right on the pad itself.

Right on the controller itself is a central dock packed with audio settings for voice chat, including four Turtle Beach EQ settings offering various balances between chat and game audio. If you're an audio-first player, then the Turtle Beach Recon is the ideal pad for you.

The best budget wired Xbox controller

Best budget wired

Specifications

Connectivity: Wired

Battery life: N/A

Sticks: Asymmetrical

Additional features: Back buttons, trigger stops

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Buy it if

✅ You’re on a strict budget: ‘Pro’ adjacent pads don’t get more affordable than the Clutch Gladiate. It’s certainly one to consider if you want to keep costs low.

✅ You’re interested in some light ‘Pro’ features: Remappable rear buttons and hair trigger locks provide a good introduction to higher-end controller features on a pad this affordable.

Don't buy it if

❌ You want more ‘Pro’ features: The Clutch Gladiate is still light on ‘Pro’ adjacent touches, and the hair trigger locks are a bit of a letdown here.

The HyperX Clutch Gladiate is an aggressively budget option for those who prefer a wired controller. While build quality is lacking in relation to the competition, it's nonetheless an impressively-performing pad with some 'Pro' level features you won't find on the Xbox Wireless Controller.

The HyperX Clutch Gladiate shines when it comes to feel. Its face buttons and analog sticks are close to on par with Microsoft's official pad. Add in a couple of tactile, mappable back buttons (a rarity on controllers this affordable), and you've got a controller that provides excellent feel and is worthwhile as a spare, so long as you don't mind the wired only connection.

There are some flaws here, which is understandable for the price. In the Clutch Gladiate's case, it's the inconsistent hair trigger locks, which after testing, don't work as intended on a range of Xbox Series X games. Curiously, we had no issues using the trigger locks while gaming on PC, even in testing the same game across both platforms. As a result, you may prefer the HyperX Clutch Gladiate as a PC pad.

The best Xbox controller for customizability

Best for customizability

Specifications

Connectivity: Wired

Battery life: N/A

Sticks: Swappable, symmetrical and asymmetrical

Additional features: Swappable modules for sticks, d-pad and face buttons

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Buy it if

✅ You want a high degree of customizability: The eSwap X2's modules can be swapped at any time, and with any configuration.

✅ You're left-handed or prefer symmetrical sticks: Have an easier time with the face buttons on the left, or prefer your analog sticks to be lined up? Both are possible here.

Don't buy it if

❌ You're after a wireless controller: Unfortunately, the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 doesn't offer a wireless configuration, which may prove irksome to those who prefer a clutter-free setup.

Thrustmaster's second go at a modular controller may not look like much of an improvement at surface level. And indeed, there's really only smaller updates scattered throughout. However, if you're looking for a highly customizable controller that lets you swap around buttons, sticks and the d-pad at will, there's no better choice than the eSwap X2.

These swappable modules allow for a highly accessible gamepad. If you're an Xbox player, but prefer the symmetrical stick layout of, say, the DualSense on PS5, you can do that here. Similarly, left-handed players may prefer to slot the face button module in on the left side of the pad.

While the lofty price tag may cause you to balk, and the lack of wireless connectivity is certainly a shame, the Thrustmaster eSwap X2 still puts forward an impressively customizable experience that's second to none for Xbox players.

The best Xbox controller for fighting games

Best fight stick

Specifications

Connectivity: Wireless, wired

Battery life: 30 hours (15-20 with a headset connected)

Sticks: Square gate joystick

Additional features: Customizable internals, layout toggles

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

Buy it if

✅ You’re after an entry-level Xbox stick: 8BitDo’s Xbox fight stick is the best for the console at its price point and is perfectly suited for first-time stick users.

✅ You’ve just bought Street Fighter 6: Street Fighter 6 has done a phenomenal job onboarding new players, and its multiple control schemes complement first-time fight stick users well. 

Don't buy it if

❌ You want something less weighty: The 8BitDo Arcade Stick for Xbox is bulkier than your average controller, so you might not get on with it for longer gaming sessions.

After the success of the excellent 8BitDo Arcade Stick for Nintendo Switch, which features in our best fight sticks buying guide, the hardware manufacturer is back with a bespoke Xbox version of the same fantastic stick. 

Design-wise, most thing here are identical to its counterpart, but has an Xbox makeover that's aesthetically fitting for the console. It retains the same weight and feature set as its Nintendo Switch counterpart, so all you're really getting here is console compatibility.

It's also one of the more affordable fight sticks on the market that's actually worth buying. But of course, we can only really recommend it if you regularly play fighters like Guilty Gear Strive or Street Fighter 6. If you don't, then you'll be better served shopping for one of the other gamepads on this list.

The 8BitDo Arcade Stick for Xbox has the same robust feature set as its Switch counterpart. It supports both wired and wireless play (via an included dongle), and is also fully customizable. That means if you don't like the default parts, you can open it up with a screwdriver to replace them with your own.

Best Xbox controllers - FAQs

Which Xbox controllers are the best?

If we had to isolate a couple of controllers from this list, and you can afford them, we have to put forward the Elite Series 2 and the Revolution X. The Elite Series 2 is the full premium package, with unrivaled build quality and plenty of customization options to allow you to make really granular changes. The Revolution X is the next best thing, coming in at a cheaper price tag while also offering ‘Pro’ features like back paddles, mappable button profiles and extras like swappable thumbsticks.

Are cheap Xbox controllers worth it?

If you're after a controller as a spare gamepad for any extra players, you won't want to pay top dollar for it. Generally, most third-party controllers offer a decent product without hosting a significant price tag, especially in comparison to some of Microsoft's official offerings. For a kickabout controller, cheap alternatives are always worth it. 

Are wired or wireless controllers better for Xbox?

It all depends on personal preference. If your console is set up at a desk, you're probably closer to your screen, so a wired controller won't feel like too much of a tether. But, if you're using one of the best gaming TVs rather than one of the best monitors for Xbox, a wireless controller provides a little more flexibility.

How we test the best Xbox controllers

The best Xbox controllers are tested and reviewed based on a number of criteria, including design, feature set and arguably most importantly of all, price. There's rarely a one-size-fits-all Xbox controller, so we endeavor to test each to their strengths, such as options for voice chat or being suited to a particular genre.

Interested in more for Xbox? We've rounded up a list of the best Xbox Game Pass games to try out with your subscription, as well as the best Xbox accessories for when you need a new headset or supporting device.

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