Gamepad Tester: Test Any Controller Online

People also call it a controller tester or a controller checker. It works with PS5, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch Pro and most PC gamepads.

What is a gamepad tester?

A gamepad tester is a free web page that shows you exactly what your controller is sending to your computer. When you press a button, it lights up. When you move a stick, a dot moves inside a circle. When you pull a trigger, a bar fills up.

Think of it like a health check for your controller. A game hides a lot of this from you. It adds a "deadzone" and other settings, so you can't tell if the problem is the game or the controller. A tester shows you the raw truth, with nothing in the way.

Why would you need to test your controller?

You test a controller when something feels wrong, or before you trust it. Here are the most common reasons people use this page:

• Your character moves on its own. This is usually stick drift. The tester shows you how bad it is.
• A button doesn't work, or works only sometimes. The tester shows if the press reaches your computer at all.
• You are buying a used controller. Test it before you pay, so you don't get stuck with a broken one.
• You just fixed or cleaned your controller. Test it again to make sure the fix worked.
• Your game says no controller is connected. The tester tells you if the computer can see it.
• The rumble feels weak or dead. You can test each vibration motor on its own.
• You want to set the right deadzone. Seeing your stick's resting values helps you pick the smallest deadzone that still stops drift.

How to use the gamepad tester (step by step)

Connect your controller, open this page, and press any button. That's it. Here is each step in more detail, so nothing catches you out.

1. Connect your controller to your computer.
   • With a cable: Plug it into a USB port. For testing, a cable is the most reliable choice. Use a data cable, not a charge-only cable. Some cheap cables only charge and carry no data.
   • With Bluetooth: Put the controller in pairing mode, then pair it in your computer's Bluetooth settings. On a PS5 DualSense, hold the PS and Create buttons until the light bar flashes. On an Xbox Wireless Controller, hold the small Pair button on top until the Xbox logo flashes fast.
2. Open this page in a modern browser. Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari and Opera all work. Chrome or Edge gives you the most features, including vibration.
3. Press any button on the controller. This step matters. For privacy, browsers don't show a controller to a website until you press a button while the page is open. Moving a stick alone may not wake it up.
4. Check that your controller appears. You will see its name, a connection number, and a picture of the buttons and sticks.
5. Press every button, one at a time. Each one should light up when pressed and go dark when you let go.
6. Move both sticks in slow, full circles. The dot should follow your thumb smoothly and reach the edge of the circle.
7. Let go of both sticks and wait a few seconds. This is the drift check. The dot should sit in the center and the numbers should stay close to 0.
8. Pull each trigger slowly, from 0 to all the way. The bar should fill smoothly from 0% to 100%, with no jumps.
9. Test vibration. Press the vibration buttons to run the left (strong) motor and the right (weak) motor. You should feel and hear each one. For presets and patterns, use the controller vibration test.

A full test takes about two minutes. If everything above looks right, your controller is working fine.

What does this controller tester check?

It checks every part of your controller that sends a signal: buttons, D-pad, sticks, triggers and vibration motors. Here is what each test looks like, and how to tell a good result from a bad one.

How to read the stick numbers

Each stick has two numbers. X is left and right. Y is up and down. They run from -1.00 to 1.00:

• X = -1.00 means full left. X = 1.00 means full right.
• Y = -1.00 means full up. Y = 1.00 means full down. (Yes, up is negative. That's just how the browser reports it.)
• 0.00, 0.00 means the stick is in the exact center.

A brand-new stick almost never sits at a perfect 0.00. Tiny numbers like 0.01 or 0.02 are normal. What matters is how far from zero it sits when you let go, and whether that number keeps creeping. The stick drift section below explains the cut-off points.

What the button numbers mean

You may see buttons named "B0", "B1" and so on. This is the standard layout that browsers use for every controller. It helps when a game asks you to "press button 3".

The Switch Pro row shows button position, not label. Nintendo swaps A/B and X/Y compared with Xbox, so the button in the "A" spot says B on a Switch controller. Some controllers only follow this layout in certain browsers. If your buttons show up in a strange order, that's a browser mapping issue, not a broken controller.

Which controllers can you test?

Almost any controller your computer can see. If Windows, macOS, Linux or ChromeOS recognizes it as a game controller, this tester can read it.

You can connect more than one controller at once. Each gets its own number, so you can test two pads side by side and compare them.

Which browsers work best?

Every modern browser can read a controller. The main difference is vibration. Only some browsers can make a controller rumble.

If the vibration test does nothing, try Chrome or Edge before you blame the controller. Browser support comes from MDN's Gamepad API compatibility data and Can I use.

USB or Bluetooth: which is better for testing?

Use a USB cable first. A cable removes battery and pairing problems from the picture, so you are testing only the controller.

Then test again over Bluetooth if that's how you play. If a problem shows up only on Bluetooth, the controller's buttons and sticks are fine. The cause is the wireless connection, a weak battery, or interference from other devices nearby.

Can you test a controller on a phone?

Yes. Open this page in Chrome on Android, or Safari on iPhone or iPad. Pair your controller with the phone over Bluetooth first, then press a button. Buttons and sticks show up the same way as on a computer. Vibration works on Android in many cases, but not on iPhone or iPad.

What is stick drift, and how do you check for it?

Stick drift is when your controller says the stick is moving even though nobody is touching it. In a game, your character walks by itself or the camera slowly turns. To check for it, let go of both sticks on this page and watch the dot and the numbers. For a 10-second measured check, use the stick drift test.

How to run a quick drift check

1. Put the controller flat on a table.
2. Take your thumbs off both sticks completely.
3. Watch the dot and the X and Y numbers for 10 seconds.
4. Flick each stick to the edge and let it snap back. Watch where it lands.
5. Do the same test for the left stick and the right stick. Drift often hits just one.

What your drift numbers mean

Use the bigger of the two numbers (X or Y) for each stick, ignoring the minus sign. This is a simple rule of thumb for most modern controllers:

Two warning signs matter more than any single number. The first is a value that keeps changing while you aren't touching the stick. The second is a stick that lands in a different spot every time it snaps back. Both point to a worn stick sensor.

What causes stick drift?

Most controllers measure stick position with small parts called potentiometers. Inside each one, a tiny metal contact rubs over a track every time you move the stick. After hundreds of hours, that track wears down. Dust, crumbs and skin oil can also get inside and confuse the reading. Weak springs can stop the stick from returning to the true center.

That's why drift is so common on heavily used controllers. It isn't usually something you did wrong. It is wear and tear.

How to fix stick drift (try these in order)

1. Update the controller. Install the latest firmware through your console, the Xbox Accessories app, or the PlayStation Accessories app on PC.
2. Clean around the stick. Push the stick to one side and blow short bursts of compressed air into the gap. Go all the way around, then retest here.
3. Recalibrate it. Some controllers and some PC tools let you reset the center point. See our controller calibration guide.
4. Raise the deadzone in your game. Set it just above your resting value from this test. If your stick rests at 0.06, a deadzone of about 0.08 to 0.10 usually hides the drift.
5. Use the warranty. If your controller is still under warranty, contact the maker. Drift is a common reason for a free repair or replacement.
6. Replace the stick module. A repair shop can swap in a new stick. Many replacement sticks now use Hall effect or TMR sensors. These read the stick with magnets, so nothing rubs and wears out. That makes them far less likely to drift.

For a deeper check, with a magnified view of the center and a clear verdict, use our dedicated stick drift test. Step-by-step repair help is in how to fix stick drift.

Controller not showing up? Try these fixes

In most cases the tester sees nothing because no button has been pressed yet. Press a face button, like A or Cross, while this page is open and in front. If that doesn't work, go down this list.

1. Click on the page, then press a button. The browser only reports a controller when the page is the active tab.
2. Check the cable. Try a different USB cable and a different USB port. Charge-only cables are the number one hidden cause.
3. Check that your computer sees it. On Windows, type "Set up USB game controllers" into the Start menu. If the controller isn't listed there, the problem is the connection or the driver, not this page.
4. Close apps that grab the controller. Steam, DS4Windows, DSX and game launchers can take over a controller. Close them and refresh this page.
5. Re-pair Bluetooth. Remove the controller from your Bluetooth list, then pair it again from the start.
6. Try another browser. If Firefox shows nothing, try Chrome or Edge.
7. Restart and update. Restart the computer and update the browser. Old browser versions sometimes miss newer controllers.

Still stuck? Our full guide covers every case: controller not detected.

The buttons show up in the wrong place

Your controller works. It just isn't using the standard layout in this browser. This happens a lot with older pads, generic USB controllers, and Switch or 8BitDo controllers in the wrong mode. Try a different connection mode, or another browser. As long as each button lights up once, every button works.

The tester shows drift, but my game doesn't

That's normal. Games add a deadzone, a small zone around the center that ignores tiny movements. The tester shows the raw signal with no deadzone at all. So light drift can show up here even when your game hides it. It's still worth watching, because drift tends to get worse over time.

Vibration doesn't work

First check your browser. Firefox and Safari on iPhone and iPad can't run vibration from a web page. Switch to Chrome or Edge and try again. If it still doesn't buzz, check that rumble is turned on in the controller's settings app (some Elite and third-party pads let you turn it off). A dead battery can also weaken rumble. If one side buzzes and the other doesn't, that motor is likely broken.

A button works in the tester but not in my game

Then the controller is fine and the problem is software. Check the game's control settings, Steam Input settings, or any remapping app you have installed. Reset the controls to default and test again.

More controller tests

The main tester above checks everything at once. When you want to look closer at one problem, use one of these focused tests.

• Stick Drift Test: measures how far each stick sits from center and gives you a clear verdict.
• Controller Vibration Test: runs the left and right rumble motors one at a time, at different strengths.
• Controller Button Test: finds dead, sticky or double-clicking buttons.
• Controller Input Test: shows the raw value of every input, which is handy for ghost presses.
• Joystick Tester: for flight sticks, HOTAS and fight sticks as well as gamepads.
• Controller Calibration: helps you reset the center of a stick that sits off-center.
• Deadzone Test: measures your deadzone, outer range and circularity.
• Polling Rate Test: checks how many times a second your controller reports (Hz).
• Gyro & Motion Test: shows the motion sensor, touchpad and battery of DualSense and DualShock 4 pads.

Test by controller

Each of these pages explains the setup, quirks and common problems for one controller family.

Stuck on a problem? Our controller testing guides cover fixes step by step. Newest guides: How to check for stick drift, How to fix stick drift and How to calibrate a PS4 controller.

How does an online gamepad tester work?

It uses a feature built into every modern browser, called the Gamepad API. The browser asks your computer, many times a second, "What is the controller doing right now?" The page then draws the answer on screen as lit buttons, moving dots and filling bars.

That's why nothing needs to be installed. Your browser already knows how to talk to controllers. This page simply shows you what it hears.

Is this gamepad tester safe?

Yes. The test runs entirely inside your browser. Nothing about your controller is uploaded, and you don't need an account. The page can only read button presses and stick positions, and it can only see them while the page is open. It can't see your files, your microphone, or anything else on your computer. Close the tab and it stops reading.

Words you might see (quick glossary)

Frequently asked questions

Test your controller now

Scroll back to the top, press any button, and our gamepad tester will show you exactly what your controller is doing. It takes two minutes, it's free, and you'll know for sure whether the problem is the controller or the game.

Back to the tester