There are so many corporations making sport controllers nowadays, it may be sufficient to make one’s head spin. Especially in the event you’re seeking to department out from first-party gear and peek on the wider scope of merchandise provided by manufacturers like Victrix, 8BitDo, Nacon, and the like.
While we have now devoted lists for the best PS5 controllers, best Xbox controllers, best PC controllers, and extra, 2025 has seen quite a lot of glorious new gamepads hit the market. As such, I’ve created a helpful record of my favourite controllers that I’ve personally examined and reviewed this yr.
If you don’t have the time to browse through our individual guides and reviews, I hope this list will provide convenient reading for the five controllers you should have your eye on this year – whether you’re in the market for a new mainstay or a spare for friends and family.
Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller
- $84.99 / £74.99 / AU$119.95
- Compatible with Nintendo Switch 2
I’ll start the list with my favorite first-party controller of the year, none other than the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller. Is it the most groundbreaking or visually striking controller of the year? No, certainly not. But Nintendo has made some smart tweaks to its Pro Controller that had me loving it as soon as it was in my hands.
Build quality is simply fantastic, with some of the smoothest-feeling thumbsticks to come from a first-party manufacturer. Plus, the addition of a pair of remappable buttons on the rear might not be anything new, but they’re extremely welcome on the Switch 2 Pro Controller, and being able to quickly assign them via a quick menu (and on a per-game basis) is a blessing.
I, of course, also have to mention the seemingly bottomless battery life of this gamepad. At around 40-50 hours, it outclasses PlayStation’s DualSense wi-fi controller virtually tenfold. It’s an outstanding improve over the Joy-Con 2 controllers, too, and I feel it’s a vital buy for taking part in the best Nintendo Switch 2 games with.
Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded
- $209.99 / £179.99 (around AU$322)
- Compatible with PS5, Xbox, and PC (PS5 and Xbox versions will be sold separately)
The Victrix Pro BFG Reloaded is an upgraded version of the original Pro BFG, and presently the very best premium PS5 controller I’ve ever examined (although an Xbox model can also be on the best way). While presently up for pre-order at Turtle Beach’s web site and due for a launch in late September, I’ve been in a position to go hands-on and have examined it for evaluation.
The unique Pro BFG was already an important controller, due to its modern swappable pad modules that enable for a ton of customizability. It’s the identical right here on the Reloaded mannequin, letting gamers go for symmetrical or asymmetrical stick layouts (in addition to southpaw layouts) relying on their desire. The revised Fightpad module can also be fantastic, and an important choice for gamers of the very best preventing video games.
Chiefly, the Reloaded brings Hall impact thumbsticks to the Pro BFG mannequin, which can enable for a a lot longer-lasting controller. I’m glad that is an improve Victrix has chosen for the pad. After all, at $209.99 / £179.99, you’ll most positively need the pad to final for a great few years with no need to fret about stick drift.
8BitDo Ultimate 2
- $59.99 / £49.99 (around AU$90)
- Compatible with Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC (Xbox and Switch versions sold separately)
The 8BitDo Ultimate 2 is an excellent upgrade over the original Ultimate controller. That first model is still my favorite Nintendo Switch controller, and the Ultimate 2 – which has variations out there for Xbox and Switch programs – has some notable benefits over its predecessor.
The Ultimate 2 employs sublimely clean TMR (tunnelling magnetoresistance) thumbsticks. In layman’s phrases, that’s an improved model of Hall impact with even higher longevity. Other additions, together with two further remappable bumpers and digital set off locks, are, after all, very welcome, too.
Some components of the Ultimate 2 I might take or go away, although. The new RGB ring lighting across the thumbsticks seems to be attractive and is impressively customizable. However, they do have a bit extra drain on general battery life when used wirelessly. But nonetheless, that’s a small (and anticipated) blemish on an in any other case sensible 8BitDo pad.
Revolution X Unlimited
- $199.99 / £179.99 (around AU$300)
- Compatible with Xbox and PC
I loved Nacon’s Revolution 5 Pro controller for PS5, however the Revolution X Unlimited is principally that, however higher. While solely appropriate with Xbox consoles and PC, it’s a notably upgraded gamepad in a number of methods.
The distinctive promoting level of the Revolution X Unlimited is its built-in LCD show. Usually, I’m not an important fan of those; like with the Turtle Beach Stealth Pivot, they are often cumbersome and never add a complete lot to the general play expertise.
Nacon has fortunately trimmed the fats right here. A single devoted button is all it takes to change to the display’s navigation, and its menu retains issues easy, providing choices for headset and mic audio tuning, fast button mapping, and wi-fi pairing choices. It affords precisely as a lot because it must with none useless bloat.
Horipad Turbo
- $29.99 / £29.99 (round AU$46)
- Compatible with Nintendo Switch and PC
Finally, we have now the Horipad Turbo, a finances Nintendo Switch controller choice from producer Hori. It’s not a gamepad that completely blew my socks off, however I used to be impressed with it as a low-cost choice.
For starters, its built-in Turbo button is an efficient match for the video games in Nintendo Switch Online’s retro libraries. This saves you from having to press a single button over and over, and you may as an alternative maintain it down for as many inputs as you want.
While its finances nature exhibits with light-weight, plasticky construct high quality and the shortage of wi-fi, gyro, or vibration assist, it’s in any other case a no-nonsense gamepad that’s good as a spare for native multiplayer gaming. There are just a few formally licensed Nintendo-themed designs to select from, too, they usually all look quite pretty.