Stick Drift Test

This stick drift test measures how far each stick on your controller sits from the center when nobody touches it, and in which direction it creeps. It reads both sticks for 3, 10 or 30 seconds, then gives the resting offset, the noise, the furthest reading and a suggested deadzone for each stick. It works as a controller drift test for PS5, PS4, Xbox, Switch Pro, Joy-Con and generic PC controllers in any browser. The Circularity tab then checks whether each stick can reach its edge in every direction, which finds the other half of stick wear.

How to run the stick drift test

1. Connect the controller by cable or Bluetooth and press any button so the page can see it.
2. Lay the controller flat on a table and take your hands off it. Fingers resting on a stick spoil the reading.
3. Choose the length: 3 s for a quick check, 30 s to catch drift that comes and goes.
4. Press Start drift test. The test waits 2 seconds for the controller to settle, then measures.
5. Read the result card for each stick. Turn on Zoom on center to see small offsets four times larger on the scopes, where an orange cross marks where each stick rests.
6. Open Circularity, press Start and turn each stick slowly around its edge two or three times.
7. Run the drift test two or three times. Press Copy results to keep the numbers.

Reading the result

The offset is a fraction of the stick's full travel, so 0.10 is 10 percent of the way to the edge. Noise at rest shows how much the reading wanders while the stick is still. Over 0.04 means a worn or dirty sensor even when the average looks fine. Furthest reading catches spikes: if it is much larger than the offset, the stick jumps now and then, which feels like a random flick in games. Suggested deadzone is the smallest setting that hides that stick's offset and noise with a little margin.

In the circularity check, the outline should be round and green. An orange dent means the stick cannot reach the edge in that direction, so you cannot walk or aim at full speed that way.

What stick drift is and why it happens

Most controllers measure stick position with two potentiometers, one for each axis. A small metal wiper slides along a carbon track, and the resistance tells the controller where the stick is. Heavy use wears a groove into the track near the center, dust gets in under the stick, and sweat and moisture corrode the contacts. The controller then reads a center position that is not the real center, and the game sees a stick pushed slightly in one direction. That is drift.

Worn centering springs add to it: the stick no longer returns fully to the middle. Hall effect and TMR sticks avoid the main cause, because a magnet and a sensor measure the position without touching, so nothing rubs and wears. Many third party controllers and replacement stick modules now use them.

Fix 1: raise the deadzone

A deadzone tells the game to ignore stick movement close to the center. Set it just above the suggested value from the test.

• In the game. Most shooters, including Call of Duty and Fortnite, have a separate deadzone slider for each stick in the controller settings.
• Steam. Open the game's controller layout, select the stick and raise its deadzone. This works in games you launch through Steam with Steam Input turned on for your controller.
• PS5. The standard DualSense has no system deadzone, so use the game's setting. The DualSense Edge has a deadzone for each stick in its custom profiles.
• Xbox and Windows. There is no system wide setting. Microsoft suggests game makers use about 24 percent for the left stick and 27 percent for the right, so games that follow it hide small drift.

Fix 2: clean the stick

1. Turn the controller off and unplug it.
2. Push the stick all the way to one side and blow short bursts of compressed air into the gap at its base. Repeat in every direction.
3. Put one drop of electronics contact cleaner or 99 percent isopropyl at the base of the stick, then roll the stick in full circles for 30 seconds.
4. Let it dry for 10 minutes and run the test again.

Avoid oil based sprays: they leave a film that collects more dust.

Fix 3: recalibrate

• Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Con: on the console, System Settings > Controllers and Sensors > Calibrate Control Sticks.
• Flight sticks and generic pads on Windows: press Windows key + R, type joy.cpl, choose the controller, then Properties > Settings > Calibrate. For a flight stick, check the result in the joystick tester, which also shows twist, throttle and the hat switch.
• Steam: the controller settings in Steam have a calibration screen for each connected controller.

Xbox and PlayStation controllers are calibrated at the factory, and Microsoft and Sony offer no stick calibration for them, so drift on them needs a deadzone, cleaning or a repair.

Fix 4: repair or replace

Check the warranty first and include your copied results in the claim. Out of warranty, the stick module can be replaced. On DualSense, DualShock 4 and Xbox controllers the modules are soldered to the board, so the job needs a soldering iron and desoldering braid or a repair shop. Joy-Con sticks connect with a ribbon cable and swap with a small screwdriver. The DualSense Edge has stick modules you can pull out and replace by hand. When you replace a stick yourself, a Hall effect module stops the same wear from coming back.

PS5, Xbox and Switch drift

A PS5 controller drift test and an Xbox controller drift test work the same way here, but each platform has its own repair steps. See how to fix stick drift ps5 for the DualSense reset button and stick replacement, xbox controller drift for Xbox warranty and cleaning, and joycon drift for Joy-Con calibration and the ribbon cable swap. The general how to fix stick drift guide covers every controller. To check the rest of the controller as well, use the gamepad tester online.

What the drift test cannot tell you

• Drift that only appears after play. Some sticks drift once the controller warms up or right after a hard push. Play for a while, then run the 30 second test.
• What a game does with the number. Games add their own deadzone and response curve, so the same offset feels different from game to game.
• A broken stick mechanism. A cracked stick cap or a loose spring feels wrong long before it shows as drift.

Stick drift questions