Best Sanwa Fightsticks

High quality doesn’t come any better than Sanwa. Sanwa-Denshi has made arcade parts for many popular brands, including Sega and Konami, for years.

Sanwa parts are well known for being high-quality and reliable too.

Performance is often top-notch with minimal lag, meaning you’ll be able to pull off moves and combos more easily in games like Street Fighter and Tekken.

While some prefer to build their fightstick and install Sanwa parts manually, this requires a certain degree of technical know-how.

Fortunately, some manufacturers have purposely built fightsticks with Sanwa parts included. This ensures that the fightstick will perform great right out of the box.

Below, I have listed the best Sanwa fightsticks to suit most budgets.

In addition, these fightsticks come with the peace of mind that you don’t have to upgrade the parts any time soon and will likely last a long time. So, without further ado, let’s get right into it.

Best Sanwa Fightsticks At a Glance

Mayflash F500 Elite Arcade Stick

Mayflash F500 Elite

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Qanba Dragon Review

Nacon Daija

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Qanba Obsidian Review

Qanba Obsidian

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Razer Panthera

Razer Panthera

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Qanba Dragon Review

Qanba Dragon

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Mayflash F500 Elite – Sanwa stick at a reasonable price

The original Mayflash F500 is a great budget fightstick but lacks the high-quality parts needed to elevate it above rival fightsticks.

The Mayflash F500 elite fixes this, adding tournament-grade Sanwa buttons and a joystick. The result is impressive. Performance is top-notch, and the price is reasonable.

For further information, check out this side-by-side comparison of the F500 and F500 Elite.

The Good

The Bad

  • Setup is awkward

Qanba Obsidian – Beautiful premium stick with Sanwa parts

If you don’t like the look of the Razer Panthera but want a premium stick that plays just as well, get the Qanba Obsidian.

This beautiful fightstick is fully equipped with Sanwa parts, so you know it’s good. While its size makes it slightly impractical, it is still one of the best fightsticks on the market.

Read Qanba Obsidian’s full review

The Good

  • Beautiful design
  • Solid build quality
  • Sanwa buttons and lever
  • Cheaper than the Qanba Dragon

The Bad

  • Awkard to travel with because of its size
  • Difficult to customize artwork
  • No easy access option for modding

Qanba Dragon – The best fightstick money can buy

Is money no object? Do you want the best fightstick? Then here comes the Qanba Dragon.

Subtle isn’t the word I would use to describe the Dragon. It’s big, heavy, and the most premium fightstick on the market. It has too many features to list here but read the full review by clicking the link below.

The Qanba Dragon is expensive but remember; you get what you pay for. So if you want the supercar equivalent of a fightstick, get the Qanba Dragon.

Read Qanba Dragon’s full review

The Good

  • Solid premium build quality
  • The hefty design reinforces its premium look
  • Sanwa buttons and joystick
  • Performance is top notch
  • Unique method to store cables
  • Understated artwork
  • Easy access to the inside for modding
  • Headphone Jack

The Bad

  • Hefty size means difficult to travel with
  • It’s expensive
  • Artwork difficult to customize

Razer Panthera

Razer Panthera Arcade Stick Review

The original Razer Panthera was and still is one of the best Sanwa fightsticks on the market. It boasts a great design with solid construction. It’s clever and easy to open, lid makes it a breeze to mod, should you need to—just an all-around fantastic stick.

Read Razer Panthera full review

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  • Premium design
  • High-quality Sanwa parts
  • Comfortable to hold
  • Highly responsive buttons and joystick
  • It can easily be modded
  • Spacious Internal storage compartments

The Bad

  • Can’t change the artwork easily

Nacon Daija – A premium fightstick that is easy to mod

Nacon Daija

The Nacon Daija was built with the help of pro-fighting game player Kayane, so you know it’s good.

A solid premium design, Sanwa parts, and easy-to-mod capability make the Daija one of the best fightsticks on the market.

Read Nacon Daija’s full review

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The Good

  • Solid and sturdy size
  • Clean looking design
  • Comfortable to hold
  • Sanwa joystick and buttons
  • Very easy to mod
  • You can easily swap out artwork
  • Performance is excellent
  • Headphone jack
  • Spacious internal storage for wires

The Bad

  • Hefty size for some
  • Difficult to swap out the lever for something other than Sanwa

Illustration of a man with headphones in a studio full of electronic equipment, giving a focused look.
Jake "Arcade Ace" Kim

Jake discovered his passion for fight sticks when he spent his summers mastering the arcade scene. He soon became a local legend, dominating every fighting game he laid his hands on. Jake's love for the arcade culture has led him to collect an impressive array of fight sticks, each with its own unique story. Now, he's channeling that love and expertise into guiding others to find their perfect fight stick match.