Gamepad and controller tester

Test every button, trigger and joystick on your PlayStation, Xbox or PC controller, and find out if a stick is drifting.

What is stick drift?

Stick drift happens when a joystick reports movement even though you're not touching it. In games, your character walks slowly or the camera turns by itself. It's caused by wear or dirt inside the stick sensor and is very common on older controllers.

How to read the drift check

These numbers are rough guides, not a standard. What counts as drift depends on the controller model and on each game's dead zone.

• Below about 0.05: very small drift, usually not noticeable.
• About 0.05 to 0.12: normal. Most games ignore this with a built-in dead zone.
• Above about 0.12: likely drift. Raise the dead zone in the game settings, or rotate the stick in full circles a few times. If you use compressed air, give only short, gentle bursts from a distance — a strong close blast can push dirt or moisture further in. Check the manufacturer's instructions before using any cleaner or opening the controller, and use the warranty if you can.

Controller not detected?

Browsers only show a controller after you press a button on it. Use a data USB cable (some cables only charge), and on Bluetooth make sure the controller is paired in your system settings first. PlayStation controllers work best in Chrome and Edge.

Noise, dead zone and calibration

A stick at rest almost never reads exactly 0.000 — tiny values like 0.01–0.03 are normal sensor noise. What matters is whether the resting value stays outside the dead zone, the small area a game ignores. Set the dead zone to match your game (many use 0.10–0.20), let go of the sticks and run the drift check. "Calibrate rest position" subtracts the current resting offset, which helps you see whether the stick returns to the same place after you move it; it does not change anything in the controller itself.

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