Gamepad Tester — Check Buttons, Sticks & Drift Online
Connect a controller and press any button
Browsers hide gamepads until a button is pressed — that first press is what makes your pad appear here.
Buttons & triggers
Analog sticks
Let go of both sticks. If a value stays above 0.10 on its own, that axis is drifting.
This pad or browser does not expose vibration.
About the Gamepad Tester
This free Gamepad Tester shows everything your controller is sending to the computer, live in your browser. Connect an Xbox, PlayStation, Switch Pro, or generic PC pad by USB or Bluetooth, press any button, and the page lights up: all seventeen standard buttons with their analog values, both sticks drawn as a moving dot with exact X and Y numbers, and a vibration test where the pad supports it.
The most common reason to be here is stick drift — a stick that moves your game character while your thumbs are nowhere near it. Testing it takes ten seconds: let go of both sticks and watch the numbers. A healthy stick rests near 0.000; if an axis sits above 0.10 on its own, that is drift you will feel in games. The tester shows the raw values instead of a verdict, so you can also judge borderline sticks after cleaning or calibration.
Everything runs locally through the browser’s Gamepad API. Nothing is installed, nothing is uploaded, and the page works the same on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android.
How to test your controller
- Connect the controller by USB cable or Bluetooth pairing.
- Press any button once — browsers keep pads hidden until you do.
- Tap every button, and press each stick down too — that registers as its own button. Pull both triggers slowly and watch each value climb smoothly to 1.00.
- Release both sticks and read the axes: above 0.10 at rest means drift.
- Rotate each stick fully — the dot should draw a smooth full circle out to the edge. If it flattens on one side, that stick no longer reaches its full range.
- Press Test vibration to confirm both rumble motors respond. If the controller or the browser does not support it, the page says so right there.
Gamepad Tester FAQ
My controller is connected but nothing shows. Why?
Browsers hide gamepads from pages until you press a button on the pad — it is a privacy rule, not a fault. Press any button once and the tester will appear. If it still shows nothing, try another USB port or re-pair Bluetooth.
How much stick drift is too much?
A resting axis near 0.000 is healthy. Persistent values above about 0.10 land outside most game deadzones and will move your character. Between 0.05 and 0.10 is wear worth watching — many games hide it with their deadzone.
Can drift be fixed?
Sometimes. Compressed-air cleaning around the stick base or a controller-side calibration (PlayStation and many PC pads offer one) can help mild cases. Persistent drift usually means the analog module is worn and needs a repair shop or replacement part.
Why do my triggers show numbers between 0 and 1?
Triggers on modern pads are analog: 0.00 released, 1.00 fully pulled. Racing and shooting games read the whole range, so a trigger that jumps straight from 0 to 1 or never reaches 1.00 is faulty.
The vibration button does nothing. Is my pad broken?
Not necessarily. Vibration through the browser needs both a pad and a browser that expose the actuator — some combinations (notably certain Bluetooth modes and browsers) simply do not. Test rumble in a game before blaming the motors.
Does this work with PS5, Xbox, and Switch controllers?
Yes — DualSense, DualShock, Xbox One and Series pads, Switch Pro, and most generic USB pads follow the standard mapping this page displays. Special buttons beyond the standard seventeen may not appear, which is normal.
Is the Gamepad Tester free, and does it need drivers or a launcher?
Free, with no account and no install. It reads the controller through the browser's own gamepad support, so there is no driver to fetch and no game launcher to open — which is the quickest way to settle whether a problem belongs to the pad or to one particular game.
How long does a check take?
Under a minute for buttons and triggers. Give the sticks longer: drift shows up as a reading that will not return to center, and the honest way to see it is to let both sticks sit untouched for ten or fifteen seconds and watch whether the numbers settle or wander.