The best PC joysticks in 2021

There's an assured joy in using a PC joystick to explore the vast galaxy of Elite Dangerous, discover real world landmarks in Microsoft Flight Simulator, or blast apart enemy ships in Star Wars Squadrons. The best PC joysticks are your window to more immersive interaction with your game, and provide the kind of control you don't get with a keyboard and mouse. We still recommend a good wireless gaming keyboard and gaming mouse combo to go with the best PC joystick, so you can navigate a game's menu. But a joystick is the building block for setting up a home cockpit that'll make it feel like you're right there in the action. Serious flight sims are played best with a HOTAS (Hands-On Throttle and Stick), which are an investment, but once it's all set up, it's hard to think about playing a flight sim any other way. Easy is the name of the game; the joysticks on this list all require minimal setup, though if you're looking for the full cockpit experience, and have the cash to spare, VKB and Virpil versions might be more to your taste. You can customize your setup to the nth degree with either of those manufacturers, but you will have to pay a premium for it. For some more straightforward flying, here's a list of our favorite PC joysticks. We've personally tested each of these over the years, and these are the ones we think will make a real difference to the flying experience of most PC gamers.