Gamepad Tester

What this gamepad tester checks

A game is a poor way to find out whether a controller works. Games apply deadzones, remap buttons and smooth stick movement, so a failing input can hide for weeks. This gamepad tester reads the raw values the browser receives from the controller through the HTML5 Gamepad API and shows them without any filtering:

• Buttons: every face button, bumper, d-pad direction, stick click, menu button and the home button, with a press counter for each one.
• Triggers: analog value from 0.00 to 1.00, so you can see whether a trigger reaches full travel or sticks halfway.
• Joysticks: live X and Y position, a trail of recent movement and the distance from center when you let go.
• Vibration: strong motor, weak motor or both, where the browser allows it.
• Controller info: the device ID, button and axis count, mapping type and how many input updates per second arrive.

How to test a game controller

1. Connect the controller with a data USB cable or pair it over Bluetooth with your computer.
2. Open this page and press any button. The waiting banner disappears and the controller drawing lights up.
3. Press each button once. Its part of the drawing turns amber and its row in the button table counts one press. Every count should match what you did.
4. Squeeze each trigger slowly. The bar should rise smoothly to 1.00 and drop back to 0.00 when released.
5. Roll each stick around its edge a few times. The trail should trace a round shape that touches the outer ring.
6. Let go of both sticks and wait two seconds. Read the Off center value: it should be close to 0.000.
7. Press Rumble to check both vibration motors.

If every button lights up, the triggers reach 1.00 and both sticks return to center, the controller passes. If something fails, the sections below explain what the result means.

Reading the controller test results

A button never lights up

The browser gets nothing from that button. Try it in wired mode as well as Bluetooth. If it fails in both, the contact under the button is worn or dirty. If a button lights up but its counter jumps by two for one press, the contact is bouncing, which is the same wear seen from the other side.

A trigger stops below 1.00

Many controllers report 0.95 to 0.99 at full press and that is fine. A trigger that stops at 0.6 or never returns to 0.00 has a worn sensor or something blocking its travel. Games that need full trigger travel, such as racing games, will feel this first.

A stick does not return to center

This is stick drift. A reading under 0.05 at rest is normal sensor noise. Between 0.08 and 0.15 the drift is real but most games hide it with a deadzone. Above that, the camera or character moves on its own. Run the stick drift test for a timed reading of both sticks and the joystick deadzone test to find the deadzone that hides it.

The stick circle looks like a square or never reaches the ring

Some controllers report a square range, so diagonals go past the circle; that is a design choice. A trail that stays well inside the ring in one direction means the stick cannot reach full deflection, which usually means wear or a calibration problem.

Controller tester for PS5, Xbox, Switch and PC

The tester works with any controller the browser can see. It recognises the brand from the controller ID and switches the drawing: Cross, Circle, Square and Triangle with the d-pad on top for PlayStation; A, B, X and Y with the left stick on top for Xbox; and the Nintendo layout, where B is the bottom button and A is on the right, for the Switch Pro Controller. Generic PC gamepads use neutral labels.

Each controller family also has its own page with notes on pairing, known faults and the buttons the browser can and cannot see: the PS5 controller tester, Xbox controller tester, PS4 controller tester and Switch Pro controller tester.

You can connect several controllers at the same time. Each one gets its own chip above the tester; click a chip to switch between them. That makes it easy to compare a suspect controller with a good one.

HTML5 gamepad API tester: what the browser can and cannot see

This is an HTML5 gamepad tester: it uses the same Gamepad API that browser games use. In the standard mapping there are 17 buttons (18 on PlayStation controllers, where the touchpad click is button 17) and four axes for the two sticks. Triggers appear as analog buttons 6 and 7.

Some features are outside what the Gamepad API offers, so no web page can test them: the gyroscope and accelerometer, DualSense adaptive trigger resistance, the controller speaker and microphone, light bar colour and touchpad finger positions. The touchpad click itself is visible. If you need those, use the console's own controller settings or the manufacturer's app.

The browser also decides how often it reads the controller. The updates per second value in the info panel shows what reaches this page; the controller polling rate test measures it properly while you move a stick.

When the gamepad test shows nothing

• Press a button first. For privacy, browsers do not list a controller until it is used on the page.
• Check the operating system. If Windows or macOS does not list the controller, the browser cannot see it either.
• Close other controller software. Steam Input, DS4Windows and similar tools can grab a controller or present it as a different device.
• Try another cable. Many USB cables only charge and carry no data.
• Use Chrome or Edge. They have the widest controller support, including vibration.

Privacy

The gamepad tester needs no download, plugin or account. Everything happens in this page on your device; no button presses, stick positions or timings are sent anywhere, and nothing is kept after you close the tab.