One of the unexpected surprises from PlayStation’s latest State of Play presentation was a tease of Sony’s first official fight stick controller, codenamed “Project Defiant.” While details are currently limited, we at least got a glimpse of the fight stick’s design, features, and confirmation that it will support both PS5 and PC when it launches in 2026.
The Project Defiant fight stick uses an eight-button layout and a joystick with a black and white color scheme that matches the look of the PS5 and other official peripherals. According to Sony, Project Defiant will feature a “sturdy, ergonomic design for a comfortable feel during intense fight sessions,” and support ultra-low latency wireless connections via PlayStation Link or wired connections on PC and PS5.
It’s unclear how moddable the Project Defiant will be, but so far, Sony has confirmed it will have three different movement gates for the joystick–square, circle, or octagon–that can be swapped out without needing tools. There will be a built-in compartment for storing the extra restrictor gates and the included PS Link USB adapter when not in use.
As for the rest of the inputs, the eight main face buttons (which map to Cross, Circle, Square, Triangle, R1, R2, L1, and L2) use mechanical switches. The rest of the standard inputs from the PS5’s DualSense controller are also present on the fight stick, including:
- PS Button
- Share Button
- PlayStation Link Button
- L3 Button
- R3 Button
- Touch Pad
- Options Button
There is also a Lever Mode Switch for changing how the stick operates and a Lock Button. You’ll be able to wake up the PS5 from sleep mode using the Project Defiant’s PS Button. Project Defiant will also include a sling carry case.
Sony says more details will be revealed over the coming months, so we expect to know the price and finalized release date soon. For now, it’s planned to launch sometime in 2026. This reveal is notable for several reasons–the most obvious being this is PlayStation’s first official fight stick peripheral. While the PS5 has plenty of excellent fight sticks to pick from–including PDP’s Victrix Pro FS and its leverless sibling, the Pro FS-12–we’re curious to see how a PS5-dedicated model made specifically by Sony will stack up to the third-party options.
The June 4, 2025 PlayStation State of Play had several other exciting fighting game announcements, including the reveal of Marvel Tokodon: Fighting Souls, a 4v4 team fighting game developed by Arc System Works and featuring a roster of Marvel characters, releasing on PS5 and PC in 2026. Digital Eclipse also announced the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, which compiles numerous classic Mortal Kombat titles–including arcade, home console, and handheld editions–plus exclusive behind-the-scenes content. The Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection launches on PS5 and PS4 later in 2025.
