HOTAS vs HOSAS for Star Citizen: Which to Choose?

It's THE question every Star Citizen pilot asks: HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick) or HOSAS (Hands On Stick And Stick — two joysticks)? There's no wrong answer, but there is an answer that fits YOUR way of playing.

HOTAS: the classic approach

Stick on the right, throttle on the left. It's the setup inherited from aviation, intuitive from the very first minutes. Its strengths: fine thrust management (ideal for atmospheric flight, mining, approaches), a quick learning curve and an abundance of buttons on the throttle. Its limit in Star Citizen: vertical/lateral strafe control is less natural, as it relies on hats or buttons.

HOSAS: built for space flight

Two sticks: the right one handles orientation (pitch, yaw, roll), the left one handles translation on all three axes. In a game where Newtonian flight and strafing are essential (decoupled mode, close combat), HOSAS offers full analogue control of all six degrees of freedom. It's the favourite of dogfight purists. The trade-off: a steeper learning curve and less intuitive throttle management for "plane-style" flying.

Our verdict

For a versatile profile (trading, mining, exploration, some combat): HOTAS remains the most comfortable choice. For a combat/PvP profile that wants to exploit decoupled mode fully: HOSAS takes the lead. Many veterans end up with HOSAS + pedals, or keep both setups depending on the activity.

Either way: gear up properly

Whichever side you pick, your peripherals deserve personalisation: our plates for the Thrustmaster Warthog and plates for the VIRPIL Panel 2 display in-game controls right on your hardware. And for every function that doesn't fit on your sticks, a USB control panel completes the rig perfectly. See you in the 'verse!