Free tool
Gamepad Tester
Test your controller right in the browser. Press buttons, pull triggers, and move the sticks to see every input light up live — with press counters, stick-drift detection, and a rumble test.
Browsers only expose the Gamepad API on HTTPS pages or localhost. This page isn’t on a secure connection, so no controller can be detected here.
Status
Plug in your controller (USB) or pair it over Bluetooth, then press any button on it — browsers only reveal gamepads after they receive input.
This tester needs a secure page (HTTPS or localhost) and a connected controller. Best in Chrome or Edge; nothing you press ever leaves your device.
Buttons (standard mapping — counters show presses)
Extra buttons
Analog sticks
Release the sticks — if a stick doesn’t return to Centered with your thumbs off, it has drift. A small dead zone (0.08) filters normal sensor noise.
Extra axes
Rumble test
The standard button mapping
| Buttons | Indices |
|---|---|
| A, B, X, Y (face buttons) | 0 – 3 |
| LB, RB (bumpers) | 4 – 5 |
| LT, RT (triggers, analog) | 6 – 7 |
| Back / Select, Start | 8 – 9 |
| L3, R3 (stick clicks) | 10 – 11 |
| D-pad up / down / left / right | 12 – 15 |
| Home / Guide | 16 |
Most controllers (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch Pro, standard PC gamepads) follow this numbering. Buttons beyond 16 appear under “Extra buttons” — handy for flight sticks and arcade boards with non-standard layouts.
How it works
This page polls your controller many times per second using the browser’s built-in Gamepad API (navigator.getGamepads()) and redraws the display on every animation frame, so what you see matches what your fingers do with no perceptible delay.
Analog sticks and stick drift
Each stick reports an X value (left −1 to right +1) and a Y value (up −1 to down +1). Classic stick-drift symptoms are easy to spot here: the dot sits off-center at rest, the values jitter without input, or the dot can’t reach the circle’s edge in some direction. If you see that, your controller — not your aim — is the problem.
Troubleshooting
- Not detected? Try a different USB port or cable, re-pair Bluetooth, and press several buttons firmly.
- Only some buttons work? Non-standard controllers use their own mappings — the raw numbers still light up, just with different labels.
- Nothing at all? The page must be served over HTTPS (or opened from localhost) for the API to work — this is a browser security rule, not a bug.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. DualSense, DualShock 4, Xbox One/Series, Switch Pro, and most generic USB/Bluetooth PC controllers all work through the Gamepad API in a modern browser.
The three usual causes: the page isn’t on HTTPS (browsers block the API on insecure pages), you haven’t pressed a button yet (browsers hide idle gamepads), or the OS hasn’t claimed the controller (check Bluetooth pairing or try another cable/port).
Stick drift is when a worn stick sensor reports movement at rest. On the tester, a drifting stick shows a non-zero X/Y reading and an off-center dot with your thumbs off the sticks — the badge above the stick will stay on “Deflected” instead of “Centered”.
No — rumble needs a controller with vibration motors and a browser that exposes the vibration actuator. Xbox and many PC controllers support it; if yours doesn’t, the tester says so explicitly.
No. Polling happens entirely inside your browser via the Gamepad API; nothing is uploaded, recorded, or tracked.
Yes — connect them all, press a button on each so the browser sees them, then switch between them with the controller dropdown.
Keep testing
Free Online Gamepad Tester: Check Every Button, Trigger, and Stick
Is that missed jump your fault — or is your controller’s A button dying? Is your aim drifting because of you, or because your left stick has developed drift? This free gamepad tester answers those questions in seconds: connect any controller, and every button press, trigger pull, and stick movement lights up live on screen, with per-button press counters, stick-drift detection, and a vibration test for the rumble motors too.
It works with Xbox, PlayStation, Switch Pro, and generic USB/Bluetooth PC controllers through your browser’s built-in Gamepad API. No drivers to install, no software to download, no sign-up — and everything happens locally, so no input data ever leaves your device.
Important: the Gamepad API only works on secure pages, so this tester needs HTTPS or localhost plus a connected controller. If nothing is detected on a plain HTTP page, that is the reason.
What the Tester Checks
- All 17 standard buttons — face buttons, bumpers, triggers, Back/Start, stick clicks, D-pad, and Home — each lighting up the instant it’s pressed, with a running press counter per button.
- Analog triggers (LT/RT) — shown as live fill bars, so you can see a half-pull register as 50%, not just on/off.
- Both analog sticks — visual position dots plus exact X/Y values, with a small dead zone so a healthy stick reads 0.00 at rest, and a Centered/Deflected badge per stick for instant drift checks.
- Extra buttons and axes — non-standard controllers get their raw inputs shown too.
- Rumble motors — a one-tap vibration test for controllers that support it, plus a copyable controller report.
How to Use It
- Connect your controller — plug it in via USB or pair it over Bluetooth.
- Press any button on the controller. Browsers only reveal gamepads after they receive input, so wiggle a stick or tap A/B/X/Y.
- Watch the status turn green and your controller’s name appear. If you have several controllers connected, pick one from the dropdown.
- Press every button and confirm each cell lights up and its counter increments. Pull the triggers slowly and watch the analog bars fill.
- Move both sticks through their full range — the dots should track smoothly to every edge and snap back to center when released. The badge should read “Centered” with your thumbs off.
- Hit Test vibration to check the rumble motors, or Copy controller report for a text summary.
The Standard Button Mapping
Most modern controllers follow the same numbering, which the tester labels for you:
| Buttons | Indices |
|---|---|
| A, B, X, Y (face buttons) | 0–3 |
| LB, RB (bumpers) | 4–5 |
| LT, RT (triggers, analog) | 6–7 |
| Back/Select, Start | 8–9 |
| L3, R3 (stick clicks) | 10–11 |
| D-pad up/down/left/right | 12–15 |
| Home/Guide | 16 |
Anything beyond button 16 appears under “Extra buttons” with its raw number — handy for flight sticks and arcade boards with non-standard layouts.
Analog Sticks, Dead Zones, and Stick Drift
Each stick reports X (−1 left to +1 right) and Y (−1 up to +1 down). The tester applies a small dead zone (0.08) around the center to filter the tiny electrical noise every stick produces at rest — a healthy stick reads 0.00/0.00 when untouched. Classic stick-drift symptoms are easy to spot here: the dot sits off-center at rest, the values jitter without input, the badge stays on “Deflected” with your thumbs off, or the dot can’t reach the circle’s edge in some direction. If you see that, your controller — not your aim — is the problem, and it’s time for cleaning, recalibration, or a replacement.
The Rumble Test
The vibration button sends a standard dual-rumble effect (both motors, full strength, well under a second) using the Gamepad API’s vibration actuator. Some controllers and browsers don’t support rumble — you’ll get a clear message saying so rather than confusing silence.
Worked Example: Diagnosing Stick Drift
Your character keeps drifting left in menus. You open the tester, press a button to wake the controller, and watch the left-stick visualizer: at rest, the dot sits left of center, the readout shows x: −0.18 instead of 0.00, and the badge reads “Deflected”. That’s stick drift — the stick’s sensor is reporting movement that isn’t happening. You’ve confirmed in 30 seconds what hours of gameplay couldn’t prove, and you know to clean or replace the stick module instead of blaming your thumbs.
Troubleshooting
- Not detected? Try a different USB port or cable, re-pair Bluetooth, press several buttons firmly, and make sure no other app has exclusive control of the controller.
- Nothing works on plain HTTP? The Gamepad API requires a secure context — the page must be served over HTTPS (or opened from localhost). This is a browser security rule, not a bug.
- Only some buttons respond? Non-standard controllers use their own mappings; the raw button numbers still light up, just under different labels.
- Best in Chrome or Edge, which have the widest controller support; Firefox works well too, and Safari support is newer.