The best Xbox controllers to buy in 2024 (2024)

The best Xbox controllers are typically made with enhanced features in mind, and several of them offer game-changing additions you won't find on the standard official gamepad. In 2024, just like with the best PC controllers, there are more products available than ever, so it's easy to find something to suit your budget and preferences.

Our guide to the best Xbox controllers is primarily aimed at the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S systems, but you're not missing out if you're an Xbox One player as all controllers featured in this list are compatible with the last-gen system via backwards compatibility.

We've made our choices with the best Xbox Series X games in mind, and how owning one of these controllers will drastically improve your experience. We have 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

Load the next 3 products

Best Xbox controllers in 2024

The best overall Xbox controller

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.

• Read more: Xbox Wireless Controller review

The best budget Xbox controller

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.

• Read more: 8BitDo Pro 2 wired controller review

The best premium Xbox controller

In the Victrix Pro BFG, we finally have a high-end Xbox controller that outclasses Microsoft's own Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, which previously took this spot as the best premium controller for the console.

The Victrix Pro BFG achieves much the same as the official pad, with exceptional build quality and top-notch performance. However, what sets the Pro BFG apart is its modules, which are easily and intuitively swappable with an included screwdriver.

Included in the box are three of these modules: one with an analog stick and d-pad, one with an analog stick and face buttons, and a unique fightpad module that's excellent for the best fighting games with a set of six mechanical buttons. The best part is that these modules can be swapped around and installed at your preference. Do you like PlayStation's symmetrical stick setup better? You're able to achieve that here.

There's a wealth of customization options beyond this too. The Victrix Pro BFG feature programmable rear buttons and trigger stops so you can achieve your preferred travel distance. And you may want to do some tinkering here, as we found the Victrix Pro BFG's triggers to be a touch sensitive by default. However, this is but a small nitpick on what is otherwise a phenomenal premium gamepad.

• Read more: Victrix Pro BFG for Xbox review

The best mid-range Xbox controller

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.

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.

• Read more: PowerA Fusion Pro 3 review

The best wired Xbox controller

The GameSir Kaleid is already one of our favorite PC controllers (that version being named the T4 Kaleid), and finally the budget-friendly brand has seen fit to manufacture a version of the gamepad that's compatible with Xbox consoles. And it's fantastic.

The Xbox version of the GameSir Kaleid has all of the original's best features. Drift resistant Hall effect sticks, mappable rear buttons for secondary inputs, a gorgeous translucent design brightened by smartly-layered RGB, and a robust app that allows for in-depth customization of all of these elements and more.

At a decent $49.99 / £59.99, the Kaleid comes in at roughly the same price as the Xbox Wireless Controller. And indeed, the only real dealbreaker with the Kaleid is its lack of wireless connectivity. Still, if you're willing to trade that for some truly superb features, you'll find a long-lasting and visually striking controller here.

• Read more: GameSir Kaleid review

The best Xbox controller for voice chat

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.

• Read more: Turtle Beach Recon Controller review

The best budget wired Xbox controller

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.

• Read more: HyperX Clutch Gladiate review

The best Xbox controller for customizability

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.

• Read more: Thrustmaster eSwap X2 review

The best Xbox controller for fighting games

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.

• Read more: 8BitDo Arcade Stick for Xbox review

Best Xbox controllers - FAQs

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.