The best Nintendo Switch controllers make for excellent, upgraded alternatives to the console's pack-in Joy-Con controllers. Plus, as Black Friday looms, we're expecting many of the controllers featured in this list to be a part of the best Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals later in November.
As the Switch approaches seven and a half years on the market, more options than ever before have opened up for both budget and premium gamepad choices. We're covering both wireless and wired models here, too, so you'll find something in our list that's well-suited to your preferences.
By and large, the best Nintendo Switch controllers are more affordable than the best PS5 controllers and the best PC controllers. Pricier, premium options do exist, but manufacturers like 8BitDo, PowerA and CRKD typically offer top quality controllers that are much easier on the wallet. And when they're not, they'll still pack a host of high-grade features and - occasionally - innovations. Better yet, most offer Bluetooth connectivity for ease of responsive wireless play.
The Quick List
Best overall
The 8BitDo Ultimate is unmatched in the realm of Nintendo Switch controllers. Featuring a gorgeous build, quality buttons and sticks and a fair price, it's an essential purchase.
Best official
Nintendo's official Pro controller is a fantastic upgrade over the Joy-Con controllers, with its best feature being its frankly absurd amount of battery life, and quick-charge functionality.
Best budget
It may be a pared down version of the standard Ultimate, but this Bluetooth model shines with superb build quality and a pair of excellent-feeling digital triggers.
Best handheld
The Nitro Deck is essential if you primarily play your Nintendo Switch in portable mode. Featuring excellent build quality and a wealth of great features, it's simply phenomenal.
Best pro features
With pleasant RGB, nine remappable buttons and a handy face button quick-switch, the GameSir Tarantula Pro packs an impressive feature set at an affordable price.
Best for multiplayer
While certainly not of the highest quality, the Joy-Con controllers come packed in with the console itself, and can enable two players access to multiplayer.
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Best fight stick
If you regularly play fighting games on Nintendo Switch, consider purchasing the 8BitDo Arcade Stick for a more authentic and arcade-like experience.
Best for retro gaming
The CRKD Atom is a small but mighty companion for Nintendo Switch Online's retro game libraries including NES, SNES and GBA.
Best Nintendo Switch controllers in 2024
The best Nintendo Switch controller
✅ You want a high-quality, versatile controller: The 8BitDo Ultimate offers premium quality for less, and the inclusion of a charging dock only sweetens the deal.
❌ You're an amiibo enjoyer: Lacking NFC (near field communication) support, you won't be able to scan amiibo figures with this gamepad.
If you had to make a snap decision on which Nintendo Switch controller to buy, make it the 8BitDo Ultimate. Between the build quality, feel, battery life, and more it simply ticks almost all the boxes we’d expect for what’s one of the best controllers on the market, period. Throw in extra features like remappable button profiles via the 8BitDo app (including two extra buttons at the pad’s rear) and you’ve got a ‘Pro’ adjacent controller that’s well worth the cash.
The price tag is even sweeter. At $69.99 / £59.99, it matches the cost of our next entry on the list, and packs in even more features. The 8BitDo Ultimate’s value rises even further when you consider that it comes with its own charging dock, too. Handy for when you need to charge in a pinch when the pad’s 20 hours of battery life runs dry.
There’s only a couple of shortcomings to speak of, namely a slightly crowded central area where you’ll find buttons like Start, Select, Home and Share. This can make it easy to hit multiple buttons by mistake. There’s also no NFC support, so you’ll need to rely on the Switch’s Joy-Con controllers if you’re into collecting and scanning amiibo figures and cards. But ultimately these are mere nitpicks and don’t spoil anything that this fantastic controller gets right.
- Read more: 8BitDo Ultimate controller review
Best official Nintendo Switch controller
✅ You want massive battery life: The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller goes the distance with approximately 40-50 hours of charge.
❌ You're sick of stick drift: Without hall-sensing sticks, the Pro Controller is still prone to stick drift after long-term use.
It’s no great shock that the official Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is a contender for the best pad for the system. Despite being just slightly pipped by the 8BitDo Ultimate in our books, Nintendo’s own is still an excellent controller worth considering. Especially if you like the sound of 40+ hours of battery life on a single charge. Yep, the Pro Controller’s battery life might just be the best thing about it.
At $69.99 / £59.99 the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller matches the price of our top entry on this list. And while the Pro Controller lacks some of its rival’s features (no charging dock, rear buttons or support for multiple button profiles), it makes up for it in other areas such as full NFC support and – again – that staggering battery life.
If you’re looking for a controller that’s a bit more traditional (not to mention much sturdier) than the Switch’s pack-in Joy-Con controllers, there’s very little wrong with the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. While we do prefer the buttons and triggers on the 8BitDo Ultimate, the Pro is still an excellent choice especially if you play primarily in docked mode.
- Read more: Nintendo Switch Pro Controller review
The best budget Nintendo Switch controller
✅ You want 8BitDo quality for cheaper: Comparable to the 8BitDo Ultimate in terms of quality, the Ultimate C offers a slightly pared-down experience for less.
❌ You want that charging dock: With overall worse battery life than its more powerful counterpart, consider the 8BitDo Ultimate if you'd prefer the full package.
Yes, the 8BitDo Ultimate C Bluetooth controller may be a pared-down alternative to the standard Ultimate gamepad, but that doesn't mean it's any sort of slouch. This Nintendo Switch controller offers wireless Bluetooth connectivity, decent battery life, superb build quality and a pair of fantastic digital triggers that we actually prefer over the main version of the controller.
Being a budget option, it is worth noting that it's missing some core features of the 8BitDo Ultimate. 2.4GHz connectivity isn't present here, nor are remappable back buttons for secondary input support. There's no charging dock included with this model either, and its battery life clocks in at around 16 hours (about 6 hours less than the standard Ultimate).
Still, it's certainly on the higher-end of quality when it comes to budget Nintendo Switch controllers. And you'll be hard-pressed to find a wireless option that's this cheap.
The best handheld Nintendo Switch controller
✅ You're a portable player: The Nitro Deck offers the best portable Nintendo Switch experience out there.
❌ You primarily play on TV: If you don't take your Switch out and about, there's little use in purchasing the Nitro Deck over other top controllers.
The Nitro Deck is, as we referred to in our review, effectively the Swiss army knife of Nintendo Switch accessories. It's easily one of the best Nintendo Switch controllers in this list, and ideal for players who prefer gaming on the go.
It doesn't cost the world, either, with the base model coming in at just $59.99 / £59.99. However, given its portable nature, you may wish to opt for the slightly pricier $89.99 / £89.99 variant which features multiple choice of limited edition colorways and extras like a carry case.
The Nitro Deck simply feels excellent to play Nintendo Switch games with. Its sturdy build protects your unit from damage, and its smart Hall-effect sticks mean that it won't suffer from stick drift the same way many Nintendo Switch controllers do. It's an essential purchase, then, if you're looking for a portable way to play.
- Read more: Nitro Deck review
The best Nintendo Switch controller with pro features
✅ You want a heap of features: Nine remappable buttins, trigger stops and Hall-sensing sticks? The Tarantula Pro is awash with Pro-level features.
❌ You want a more straightforward controller: If you're simply not interested in ancillary features on your controller, you'd be better off sticking with a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller.
GameSir has done it yet again, offering an impressively forward-thinking controller at a very reasonable price point. The GameSir Tarantula Pro innovates with smart remappable button placement and a handy face button layout switcher, which can swap between Switch and Xbox layouts on the fly via a simple multifunction button macro.
GameSir has opted for a symmetrical stick layout here, which you might prefer if you regularly use some of the best PS5 controllers like the DualSense. This also allows the controller to be slightly more compact than your average gamepad which typically use the Xbox Wireless Controller silhouette.
In terms of features, you're getting GameSir's own Hall-sensing TMR sticks, a whopping nine remappable buttons, trigger stops, the aforementioned quick-switch system for button layout and a handy multifunction button that lets you set macros, switch button profiles and more. It's a fully-fledged true Pro controller package and easily one of our favorite controllers in this list.
- Read more: GameSir Tarantula Pro review
The best Nintendo Switch controller for local multiplayer
✅ You're in a household with multiple people: The Joy-Con controllers are excellent for easily accessible multiplayer sessions.
❌ You simply want better quality: These aren't the most durable controllers in the world and you may find yourself needing replacements sooner rather than later.
The Joy-Con controllers were a fresh, novel concept when the Nintendo Switch launched way back in 2017. And some of their more forward-thinking elements, such as the HD rumble (a similar type of haptics as seen in the DualSense) are still great to this day. Chiefly the fact that – if you can handle their small size – you’re effectively getting two controllers for the price of one. This alone makes the Joy-Con excellent for local multiplayer games.
But that fact, along with the Joy-Con’s novelty, makes them even pricier than the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. You’ll be paying $79.99 / £69.99 for a pair of Joy-Con controllers, making them even costlier than the top two entries on our list.
Throw in that the Joy-Con controllers lack the firm build quality of the Pro Controller, and have analog sticks that are prone to a drifting defect, then you may be better off checking out some of the other options on our list. On the other hand, there’s undeniable value in their versatility, and they’re excellent for local multiplayer titles like Mario Party Superstars and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. This makes the Joy-Con controllers fun and family friendly.
The best Nintendo Switch fight stick
✅ You love fighting games: There's plenty of fighting games available on Switch and they pair fantastically with this arcade stick.
❌ You want something less bulky: It's the largest controller on this list and if you don't play fighters, its use case is rather limited.
8BitDo bookends our best Nintendo Switch controllers guide with its superb arcade stick – a prime choice if you’re into downloading and playing the veritable wealth of fighting games available on the Nintendo eShop, from compilations like the Capcom Fighting Collection to SNK cult classics like Garou: Mark of the Wolves. It’s not just one of the best Nintendo Switch controllers, though, as it also features in our guide to the best fight sticks in 2024.
At $90 / £82, the 8BitDo Arcade Stick certainly is the priciest bit of kit on our list, but complements Nintendo’s console well thanks to its gorgeous retro finish and 8BitDo’s ever-reliable build quality. As well as fighting games, then, it’s similarly wonderful for playing the litany of retro titles available via Nintendo Switch Online.
The 8BitDo arcade stick also puts forward high-quality buttons, button mapping and multi-profile support, and even wireless connectivity. You won’t be bogged down by wires thanks to the stick’s Bluetooth support, which also makes it work wonders in both docked and portable modes.
- Read more: 8BitDo Arcade Stick review
The best Nintendo Switch controller for retro gaming
✅ You want a controller that doubles as an accessory: The CRKD Atom is a fully-functional controller that you can also hook to a bag or a keychain.
❌ You're not really playing retro games: With its lack of thumbsticks and tiny size, the Atom isn't best suited to modern AAA gaming.
Don't be fooled by its diminutive size or the fact that it's also advertised as a bag or keychain accessory; the CRKD Atom is a fully-functional controller from the makers of the excellent Nitro Deck. While lacking thumbsticks and not exactly suited to longer gaming sessions, the Atom is fantastic for short burst of retro play.
That makes it an excellent fit for Nintendo Switch Online's variety of retro game libraries, including NES, SNES, Mega Drive / Genesis and Game Boy Advance. It connects to your Switch via Bluetooth and offers around 10 hours of battery life - that's pretty impressive given its small size.
The Atom also comes in a variety of fun colorways, all costing an eye-catchingly cheap $19.99 / £19.99 / AU$33. So if you're after a neat little controller that's as portable as the console itself, we can't recommend the CRKD Atom enough, especially so at this stunningly low retail price.
- Read more: CRKD Atom review
Best Nintendo Switch controllers - FAQs
Is a controller better than the Joy-Con?
Although it predominantly depends on personal preference, we would say that a controller is generally more comfortable for longer gaming sessions in comparison to the Joy-Con controllers. The Joy-Con are novel when you first get your console, and they are great for multiplayer games and short bursts, but generally, the smaller form factor makes the controllers uncomfortable after a while. This is why we would recommend getting a controller just in case the Joy-Con don't fit the criteria anymore.
Should I wait for Black Friday Nintendo Switch deals to buy a new controller?
Yes, absolutely, especially if you're planning on picking up a new Nintendo Switch controller this month. Black Friday is easily the best time of year to pick up a wide variety of the best Nintendo Switch controllers at heavily reduced prices. As such, we'd definitely recommend waiting until later in November before making a purchase.
Can I use a wireless controller with a Switch Lite?
Fortunately, wireless controllers can be connected to any member of the Nintendo Switch family, including the OLED and the Switch Lite. However, if you've ended up with a wired controller you won't be able to use it with a Switch Lite. We find wireless controllers more convenient with the Nintendo Switch family anyway.
