Gamepad Tester

How it works

Your browser reads connected controllers through the Gamepad API about 60 times a second: each button as a value from 0 to 1, and each stick as two axes from -1 to 1. The test draws what it reads, remembers which buttons have worked, and runs in your browser. Nothing is recorded or sent anywhere.

Browsers only show a controller to a page after you press one of its buttons, so the page stays empty until you do. If you connect several controllers, pick the one to test above the result.

A button counts once its value reaches 0.5, so a half pull on a trigger counts. Controllers your browser knows get the standard diagram with their own button names. Others show numbered buttons and axes instead, which still tells you whether each one works.

Stick drift test (controller drift)

Stick drift is when a stick reports movement while nobody touches it. Let go of both sticks and click Check for stick drift: the test waits half a second, reads both sticks for 3 seconds and takes the farthest point from the center.

These are the test’s own limits, not an official standard. The suggested dead zone is the smallest one that hides the drift, rounded up to 0.05. Games set dead zones as a percentage, so 0.15 is 15%.

Fixing stick drift

1. Update the controller. Xbox controllers update in the Xbox Accessories app on Windows or on the console. PS5 controllers update on the console or with Sony’s firmware updater for Windows.
2. Clean it. With the controller off, blow compressed air around the base of the stick and roll it in full circles.
3. Raise the dead zone in the game’s controller settings to the value the test suggests.
4. Repair or replace it. Drift that keeps growing, or stays above 0.15 after cleaning, means a worn stick sensor. Check the warranty first; otherwise the stick module can be replaced.

Run the check again after each step to see whether it helped.

When the controller doesn’t show up

• Press a button. Moving a stick isn’t always enough.
• USB: try another cable and port. Some cables only charge and carry no data.
• Bluetooth: pair the controller in your computer’s Bluetooth settings. A controller still paired with a console may connect to the console instead, so turn the console off.
• Other apps: DS4Windows, Steam and controller remappers can hide or change the controller. Close them and reload the page.
• Check Windows itself: press Windows key + R and type joy.cpl. If your controller isn’t listed there either, the problem is the connection or the driver, not the browser.

Button names by controller

The test names each button for your controller. The Gamepad API numbers buttons by position, so Nintendo’s B is the bottom button, where Xbox has A.

Some controllers report extra buttons, such as the PlayStation touchpad click. They appear as Button 18 and up under Raw values and don’t count toward the total.

Vibration

Vibrate for 1 second runs both rumble motors at full strength. Chrome and Edge support it, mostly for Xbox and PlayStation controllers; on Xbox controllers that have trigger motors, Trigger vibration tests those too. Firefox and some other browsers can’t make a controller vibrate, so a missing button there doesn’t mean your controller is broken.