Flight sim controller brands:Which are most popular?

Name: Flight sim controller brands: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, WINWING was the most searched flight sim controller brand worldwide, accounting for 29.4% of all searches among the eight brands we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Thrustmaster and Logitech showed up in every answer. Thrustmaster was recommended most often, coming first in three out of five responses.

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Top flight sim controller brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Thrustmaster and Logitech appeared every time. Thrustmaster was recommended most often, coming first in three out of five answers. Logitech was second, and VKB was third. Moza, which ranked sixth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Thrustmaster	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
Logitech	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
VKB	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Turtle Beach	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
WINWING	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Virpil	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Honeycomb	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Moza	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

Thrustmaster5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Logitech5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
VKB2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Turtle Beach2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
WINWING1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Virpil1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Honeycomb1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Moza0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about flight sim controller brands

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best HOTAS for flight sims?”
1. 1VKB
2. 2Thrustmaster
3. 3Logitech
Asked ChatGPT
“Which joystick should I buy for Microsoft Flight Simulator?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best flight sim controller brands?”
1. 1VKB
2. 2Virpil
3. 3Thrustmaster
4. 4Honeycomb
5. 5Logitech
6. 6WINWING
7. 7Turtle Beach
Searched Google, AI Overview
“hotas”
1. 1Thrustmaster
2. 2Logitech
Searched Google, AI Overview
“flight stick”
1. 1Thrustmaster
2. 2Logitech

Not named in any answer:

Moza

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 27, 2026.

Which flight sim controller brands do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each flight sim controller brand by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight flight sim controller brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, by month

Month	WINWING	Thrustmaster	VKB	Virpil	Logitech	Moza	Honeycomb	Turtle Beach
Oct 2025	59.5%	9.5%	6.2%	11.9%	5.5%	2.9%	4%	0.44%
Nov 2025	59.4%	9.5%	6.4%	11.9%	4.9%	3.6%	4%	0.36%
Dec 2025	57.9%	11.9%	7.2%	9.5%	5.8%	3.5%	3.9%	0.46%
Jan 2026	55.4%	11.3%	7.1%	11.1%	5.5%	5%	4.2%	0.41%
Feb 2026	50.8%	12.4%	9.6%	12.4%	5.7%	4.5%	4.1%	0.4%
Mar 2026	48.2%	13.8%	11.2%	11.8%	5.9%	4.3%	4.3%	0.47%
Apr 2026	44.1%	15.4%	9%	13.2%	6.6%	5.9%	5.3%	0.53%
May 2026	36.3%	15.5%	10.6%	16.3%	6.6%	8.9%	5.3%	0.53%
Jun 2026	41.4%	14.8%	9.9%	15.2%	7%	6.8%	4.4%	0.49%
Jul 2026	38.6%	16.5%	9.2%	14.1%	7.6%	7.7%	5.7%	0.56%
Aug 2026	34.6%	18.1%	10.1%	15.5%	8.4%	6.9%	5.6%	0.62%
Sep 2026	29.4%	19.4%	18.2%	13.2%	9.1%	5.9%	4.3%	0.52%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	WINWING	29.4%	49.5K	0%	-5.3 points
2, held 2nd	Thrustmaster	19.4%	32.7K	+26.3%	+1.3 points
3, moved from 4th to 3rd	VKB	18.2%	30.7K	+111.7%	+8.1 pointsmoved from 4th to 3rd
4, moved from 3rd to 4th	Virpil	13.2%	22.2K	0%	-2.4 pointsmoved from 3rd to 4th
5, held 5th	Logitech	9.1%	15.3K	+27.5%	+0.7 points
6, held 6th	Moza	5.9%	9.9K	0%	-1.1 points
7, held 7th	Honeycomb	4.3%	7.3K	-8.8%	-1.3 points
8, held 8th	Turtle Beach	0.52%	880	0%	-0.1 points

1.WINWING
29.4%
Held 1st. 49.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -5.3 points.
2.Thrustmaster
19.4%
Held 2nd. 32.7K estimated branded searches, +26.3% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.
3.VKB
18.2%
Moved from 4th to 3rd. 30.7K estimated branded searches, +111.7% vs prior month. Share +8.1 points.
4.Virpil
13.2%
Moved from 3rd to 4th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -2.4 points.
5.Logitech
9.1%
Held 5th. 15.3K estimated branded searches, +27.5% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.
6.Moza
5.9%
Held 6th. 9.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.
7.Honeycomb
4.3%
Held 7th. 7.3K estimated branded searches, -8.8% vs prior month. Share -1.3 points.
8.Turtle Beach
0.52%
Held 8th. 880 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Logitech and Turtle Beach sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “logitech x56”.

Which brand is most popular in search among flight sim controller brands worldwide?

8 brands

In September 2026, WINWING was the most searched among flight sim controller brands worldwide, with an estimated 49.5K branded searches, 29.4% of all searches for the eight we track. Thrustmaster is in 2nd place, 10 percentage points behind at 19.4%.

Global flight sim controller brands, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
WINWING	59.5% → 29.4%	59.5%Oct 2025	29.4%Sep 2026	1st
Thrustmaster	9.5% → 19.4%	19.4%Sep 2026	9.5%Nov 2025	3rd → 2nd
VKB	6.2% → 18.2%	18.2%Sep 2026	6.2%Oct 2025	4th → 3rd
Virpil	11.9% → 13.2%	16.3%May 2026	9.5%Dec 2025	2nd → 4th
Logitech	5.5% → 9.1%	9.1%Sep 2026	4.9%Nov 2025	5th
Moza	2.9% → 5.9%	8.9%May 2026	2.9%Oct 2025	7th → 6th
Honeycomb	4% → 4.3%	5.7%Jul 2026	3.9%Dec 2025	6th → 7th
Turtle Beach	0.44% → 0.52%	0.62%Aug 2026	0.36%Nov 2025	8th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, WINWING’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide decreased from 59.5% to 29.4%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrustmaster’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide increased from 9.5% to 19.4%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, VKB’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide increased from 6.2% to 18.2%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virpil’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide increased from 11.9% to 13.2%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Logitech’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide increased from 5.5% to 9.1%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Moza’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide increased from 2.9% to 5.9%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrustmaster’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide peaked at 19.4% in September 2026 and was lowest at 9.5% in November 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virpil’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide peaked at 16.3% in May 2026 and was lowest at 9.5% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Logitech’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide peaked at 9.1% in September 2026 and was lowest at 4.9% in November 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Moza’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide peaked at 8.9% in May 2026 and was lowest at 2.9% in October 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Honeycomb’s share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide peaked at 5.7% in July 2026 and was lowest at 3.9% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Thrustmaster rose from 3rd to 2nd among flight sim controller brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, VKB rose from 4th to 3rd among flight sim controller brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Virpil fell from 2nd to 4th among flight sim controller brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Moza rose from 7th to 6th among flight sim controller brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Honeycomb fell from 6th to 7th among flight sim controller brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Turtle Beach held steady: its share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for flight sim controller brands worldwide in September 2026?

8 changes

In September 2026, VKB overtook Virpil to rank 3rd among flight sim controller brands worldwide, with 18.2% of the searches.
In September 2026, Thrustmaster gained share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 18.1% to 19.4%.
In September 2026, Logitech gained share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 8.4% to 9.1%.
In September 2026, WINWING lost share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 34.6% to 29.4%.
In September 2026, Virpil lost share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 15.5% to 13.2%.
In September 2026, Honeycomb lost share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 5.6% to 4.3%.
In September 2026, Moza lost share of searches among flight sim controller brands worldwide, from 6.9% to 5.9%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Turtle Beach worldwide fell 12% over 12 measured months, from 1K to 880 in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted for flight sim controller brands?

13 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among flight sim controller brands comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.