This gamepad tester shows everything your controller sends to the computer: every button with its pressure value, both sticks as live positions with a trail, and both triggers as bars from 0 to 100 percent. It works in any current browser with Xbox, PlayStation, Switch Pro, Joy-Con and generic USB or Bluetooth gamepads, on Windows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS and Android. The page picks a drawing that matches your controller, and the tabs under it run the deeper checks: stick drift at rest, stick circularity, both vibration motors and how often the controller sends new readings.
How to test a gamepad online
- Connect the controller with a cable, by Bluetooth or with its wireless receiver.
- Press any button. Browsers only reveal a controller after it sends a button press, so the page waits for one.
- Press every button once. Each one turns green when it works. Yellow means it is held down right now.
- Move both sticks in full circles. The scopes draw the path, and the dotted yellow ring shows the deadzone you set under All inputs.
- Squeeze both triggers slowly. The bars should rise smoothly from 0 to 100 percent.
- Open Stick drift, put the controller down and press Start drift test.
- Open Vibration and run the motor check to confirm each rumble motor.
- Press Copy results to paste a summary into a support ticket, a warranty claim or a sale listing.
Buying a used controller? Run the drift test and the motor check before you pay. Together they catch the two faults sellers most often miss.
What the results mean
| Readout | What it shows | Normal result |
|---|---|---|
| Buttons tested | Buttons that pressed and released | All of them, apart from buttons your system keeps |
| Stick distance from center | How far each stick sits from the middle, 0 to 1 | 0.00 to 0.05 when you let go |
| Stick drift | Average resting offset during the drift test | Under 0.05 |
| Circularity | Average gap between the stick's edge and a circle | A smooth outline with no orange dent |
| Updates per second | New readings per second while a stick moves | Steady, often 60 to 250 in a browser |
| Trigger bars | Analog trigger travel | 0% at rest, 100% fully pressed |
The values are raw, with no deadzone applied, so small numbers such as 0.008 at rest are normal. Games hide them with a deadzone.
A button does not light up
- Press it firmly in the middle, then at each edge. A button that works only at one edge has a worn or dirty contact underneath.
- Try a cable instead of Bluetooth. If the button works on the cable, the wireless link or the controller's firmware is the problem, not the button.
- Some buttons never reach a browser. On Windows the Xbox button is usually kept by the Game Bar, the PS button can open Steam while Steam is running, and the Share or Capture button may not be passed on. That is not a fault.
- If a whole group fails together, such as all four d-pad directions, suspect the ribbon cable or the board under them rather than the buttons.
A button presses twice
A button marked orange with ×2 sent a second press within 25 milliseconds of letting go. A finger cannot do that, so the contact is bouncing. In games it shows up as double jumps or menus skipping two items. Clean around the button with electronics contact cleaner or 99 percent isopropyl on a cotton swab while pressing it a few times, and let it dry. If the bounce comes back, the rubber pad or switch under the button is worn out. Keep the copied results as proof if the controller is under warranty.
A stick moves when you are not touching it
That is stick drift. Let go of both sticks and watch the dots: if one sits away from the center or wanders, run the drift test. The controller drift test page explains how to read the number, which deadzone hides it and when only a new stick will fix it. For repairs on each console, see how to fix stick drift.
A trigger stops short of 100 percent
Squeeze the trigger slowly while you watch its bar. A trigger that tops out at 80 or 90 percent still works in most games, but racing games and shooters that read partial presses will feel off. Check for a trigger stop first: Xbox Elite controllers, the DualSense Edge and many third party pads have switches that shorten the travel. With no stop fitted, the sensor or the spring inside the trigger is worn. A bar that jumps instead of rising smoothly points to dirt on the sensor.
The controller does not vibrate
Open the Vibration tab and run the motor check. It plays the strong motor in the left grip and the weak motor in the right grip one at a time, plus the trigger motors on Xbox controllers in Chrome and Edge on Windows and Mac. If your browser offers no vibration for the controller, the panel says so: Firefox cannot vibrate game controllers at all. The controller vibration tester covers a dead or weak motor.
Testing a PlayStation, Xbox or Switch controller
The page detects the model and changes the drawing, but each brand has quirks. The dualsense tester also reads the battery, touchpad, motion sensors and light bar of PlayStation controllers in Chrome and Edge. The xbox controller tester online covers impulse triggers and Windows quirks, and the switch controller tester deals with Nintendo's swapped face buttons. Flight sticks and racing wheels report many more axes, so they have their own pages: the joystick tester and the racing wheel test.
What a browser cannot test
- The headset jack, speaker and microphone on the controller. Plug a headset in and use a headset mic test instead.
- Back paddles on Xbox Elite controllers, unless you map them to standard buttons in the Xbox Accessories app.
- True input lag. The update rate tab counts how often readings arrive, but the delay you feel also includes the game and the screen. The controller latency test explains what can be measured.
- Battery health. PlayStation and Nintendo controllers show their battery level in the extras panel in Chrome and Edge. Other controllers do not report it to the browser.
Gamepad tester questions
Is this gamepad tester safe to use?
Yes. The page reads the buttons, sticks and triggers your browser reports while the tab is open, and nothing else. Nothing is installed, recorded or sent anywhere, and closing the tab ends the test.
Why is my gamepad not detected?
Press a button on it. Browsers hide controllers until they send a button press, so a connected pad stays invisible until then. If it still does not appear, try another cable or pair it again, close apps that take over controllers, and work through why is my controller not working on my pc.
Can I use the gamepad tester on Android or iPhone?
Yes. Pair the controller with the phone by Bluetooth, or plug it in with a USB OTG adapter on Android, then open this page in Chrome on Android or Safari on iPhone and press a button. Chrome on Android can vibrate the controller, Safari on iPhone cannot. The PlayStation and Nintendo extras need Chrome or Edge on a computer.
Can I test two controllers at once?
Yes. Every connected controller gets its own numbered key above the drawing, and its light flashes when you touch it. Press a button on any controller and the page switches to it, which also tells you which pad is player one.
What does the circularity error mean?
It is the average gap, in percent, between the edge each stick reaches and a perfect circle. Lower is rounder. The useful part is an orange dent in one direction: the stick cannot reach the edge that way, which usually comes from wear or dirt inside the stick.
How do I check my gamepad for stick drift?
Open the Stick drift tab, put the controller on a table and press Start. The test reads both sticks at rest for 3 seconds. A resting offset under 0.05 is normal, and from 0.10 up the stick will move on its own in games with small deadzones. The stick drift tester explains every fix.