Best Xbox Series Controller 2021: Xbox Series X / S Controllers for All Players

If you’re getting ready to save the galaxy again in Halo Infinite or explore the world in Microsoft Flight Simulator, you’ll want the best controller you can get your hands on (and sometimes your feet with). Xbox fans have always been spoiled for choice with a pad, wheel or joystick, and the Xbox X / S generation continues this tradition. Unlike the PS5, players can bring all their own Xbox One controllers to the Xbox. Series X and Xbox Series S and there are also a handful of new options. It offers Xbox gamers an almost overwhelming number of controller choices. So we took down the lists and manually selected our favorite controllers for a variety of budgets and games. Whether you want affordability, adaptability or a competitive advantage, we have your back.

TL; DR – These are the best Xbox Series X / S controllers:

Xbox Core Controller

Best Xbox Series X / S Manager

The reigning champion. The go-to gamepad for general use on Xbox and game consoles. There is not much to say about the Core Controller (see our review), because it just speaks for itself. It is a solid built, reliable, standard setting that is friendly to many different hand sizes and control schemes. It’s almost like the Platonic ideal of a game controller. There is nothing excessive about it, because it does not need any gimmicks to do what it does best. It simply gets the job done.

The one thing I’m not excited about is that it requires AA batteries to play wirelessly. But if you get rechargeable batteries and a wall charger, you can charge one set of batteries while using the other, and you do not have to keep buying the giant blister packs like in 1999. And the core controller has a USB-C plug that works on a computer and console, if you don’t have to deal with batteries at all.

2. PowerA Enhanced Wired Controller

Best Budget Xbox Series X / S Controller

At the other end of the spectrum, PowerA’s Enhanced Wired Controller (see our review) continues the tradition of offering cheaper options that still hold up well. If you want to be the amazing friend who has a full flight of controllers ready, or your friends remembered to bring one along or not, you probably do not want to brag about four Elite controllers. It would be a powerhouse, so let me not tell you how to live if that’s the kind of baller you’re.

But for the rest of us, these more affordable workhorses are perfect for the P3 and P4 slots. They can withstand a lot of punishment and do not feel as cheap as many other options in this price range. They also have a built-in share button and a microphone mute switch, which is nice if your pet suddenly needs your attention in the middle of a game. The face buttons are not as tangible as on the core controller, but the overall ergonomics feel good.

3. Xbox Elite Series 2

Best High-end Xbox Series X / S Controller

The Xbox Elite Series 2 (see our review) is the flashy sports car of Xbox controllers. It’s going to cost you, but you’re paying for premium components, adaptability and luxury. The thumb sticks, D-pad and triggers are interchangeable so you can choose the parts that feel best for you. It also has a rechargeable battery that can last up to 40 hours, so you do not have to go hunting for the batteries as with the Core controller.

It even comes with four additional paddles on the back that can be programmed to do things like change the function of your face buttons if you hold them. This is especially great if you use it on computers for games like Final Fantasy XIV, where you have more capabilities than a standard controller can handle. It all has a price that is more than twice the price of a core controller. But you get what you pay for.

4. Razer Wolverine V2

Best Tunable Xbox Series X / S Controller

The Razer Wolverine, which is at a beautiful midpoint between the Core and Elite pads, is the best third-party pad for Xbox. It’s not like that rogue out-of-the-box controller you handed over to your little brother earlier during the Halo night. Razer has done everything in its power to make sure that it surpasses or even surpasses the official hardware offered by Microsoft.

As you would expect from Razer, this thing is very adaptable. The face buttons are completely redesigned, and there is even a hair trigger mode that you can activate immediately using physical switches. This means that your LT and RT will register an entry with only a slight tap instead of pushing it down completely, which is a big advantage in fighting games and shooters. This is an ideal option for competitive players who do not want to earn something like the Elite controller, but need more features than the Core controller can offer.

5. Thrustmaster TMX Force Feedback

Best Upgraded Xbox Series X / S Controller

The next Forza game may not have a release date yet, but there are already many great driving games on the Xbox and PC that can best be played with a proper steering wheel setup. Thrustmaster always impresses me with the robustness and feel of their components. When I buy something from them, it feels like it came from an industrial assembly line in a car factory, not from a toy store. The TMX offers seriously realistic power feedback with its finely tuned internal motors and the non-slip wheel grip feels good.

It only has two pedals, so you would rather shift gears with the attached paddles. But it’s also relatively inexpensive for the quality you get at just $ 200. You can definitely spend a lot more than that on a race setup. I also really like the button layout and styling of this one because it looks more like something you would see in a professional race car as opposed to a standard controller.

6. Thrustmaster T-flight HOTAS One

Best Xbox Series X / S Flight Stick

Microsoft Flight Simulator looks amazing on the Xbox Series X and modern computers, and for the real experience you want to play it with a stick and throttle. Thrustmaster offers an excellent all-in-one controller to your virtual cabin with the T-Flight HOTAS One, which is simple enough for even brand new pilots to master quickly, but also satisfying for experienced bait.

It is a one-piece controller that is ideal for console games, and it has a very modern, streamlined look that looks like it is not in place to seat your living room. The switches and buttons on both the stick and the accelerator pedal are raised and shaped so that you can easily find them without looking down, which can be more troublesome on other sticks like Logitech, where all the buttons feel the same. It also has a Share button built right into the base to capture the scenic views you will be swinging over, which is usually not the case for PC sticks.

Leana Hafer is an avid PC gamer. Chat action RPGs, strategy games and more with her on Twitter at @AsaTJ