Controller Stick Drift Test
Put the controller down, leave the sticks alone, and let the page measure how far they move on their own. Drift is a resting problem, so a resting measurement is the honest way to find it.
Controller status
No Controller Detected
Connect your controller using USB or Bluetooth and press any button.
- Browsers only reveal a pad after it sends its first input — press a face button or move a stick.
- Both USB and Bluetooth work. If nothing appears at all, reconnect the controller and press a button with this page focused.
- Some remapping tools claim the pad before the browser sees it. If nothing shows up, try closing them and reloading.
- Chrome or Edge expose the most controller features, including vibration.
Stick drift test
Timed resting measurement of both analog sticks
Connect a controller and press any button to enable this test.
Troubleshooting
Controller not detected? Work through this checklist
Nine checks covering focus, cables, Bluetooth pairing, background software, DS4Windows virtual controllers and browser support — open it only if your controller is not showing up.
What stick drift actually is
Stick drift is movement your controller reports while nobody is touching it. In a game it shows up as the camera sliding, a character walking on its own, or menus scrolling by themselves.
It is usually caused by wear in the potentiometers inside the stick module, or by dust and debris under the stick. Neither can be repaired by a web page — but measuring it accurately tells you whether it is worth cleaning, adjusting your deadzone, or replacing the pad.
How to read your result
The 95th percentile is the most useful single number: it ignores the occasional spike and shows the offset your stick genuinely holds most of the time.
A steady offset in one direction is the classic drift signature. Jitter that jumps around the centre without leaning anywhere is usually just sensor noise, and a game's deadzone will absorb it.
Frequently asked questions
- How much stick drift is normal?
- Readings under about 0.01 at rest are ordinary for a healthy pad. Between 0.01 and 0.04 is a small but real offset, and anything past that tends to be noticeable while playing.
- Can this test fix my stick drift?
- No. A browser can only read what your controller reports. It can tell you which stick is affected and how severe the movement is, which is what you need before cleaning, recalibrating or replacing it.
- Should I test wired or wireless?
- Test both if you can. A wired connection usually gives more frequent updates, which makes the sample cleaner, but drift itself shows on either connection.
- Why does my result change between runs?
- Temperature, how recently the stick was moved and the surface the pad rests on all shift the reading slightly. Run the test two or three times and compare the 95th percentile values.
Continue testing
- Controller Deadzone TestInteractive deadzone visualizer for analog sticks. Adjust the radius, see which movement gets ignored, and get a recommended minimum deadzone from your own measured resting noise.
- PS5 DualSense Controller TestTest a PS5 DualSense controller in your browser. Check stick drift, Cross, Circle, Square, Triangle, L1, R1, L2, R2 travel, D-pad, L3, R3, Create and Options.
- Xbox Controller TestTest an Xbox Series X, Series S or Xbox One controller online. Check A, B, X, Y, LB, RB, LT, RT, View, Menu, stick drift and analog range.
- how much stick drift is normal
GamePadTestLab reports what your browser can see. It cannot repair stick drift, certify hardware, or read a controller's firmware. Read the testing methodology for exactly how each figure is calculated and where it stops being reliable.