What the drift result means
Stick drift is when a thumbstick reports movement while nobody is touching it. The test records both sticks for three seconds while the controller lies still and reports how far each one rests from the exact center, as a percentage of full travel:
| Stick reading at rest | What it means |
|---|---|
| under 5% | Healthy. Every analog stick has a little noise; you will never notice this in a game. |
| 5–10% | Small offset from normal wear. Usually hidden by the dead zone games apply. |
| 10–20% | Mild drift. Games with small or custom dead zones may register slow movement on their own. |
| over 20% | Strong drift. Likely to move a character or camera in most games — a hardware fault. |
The headline number is the 95th percentile of the distance from center — a value the stick stays under 95% of the time — so a single noisy reading cannot skew the result. The mean offset shows which direction the stick leans, and jitter shows how much the reading shakes around that point.
Suggested dead zone is the smallest in-game dead-zone setting that would hide the measured drift, with a small safety margin. Setting a game's dead zone to at least this value usually stops unwanted movement, at the cost of a slightly less responsive stick near the center.
How to run the stick drift test
- Connect the controller and press any button so the browser can see it.
- Put it on a table and take your hands off both sticks and triggers.
- Press Start drift test and wait three seconds.
- Read the verdict for each stick. Repeat a few times — drift often varies with temperature and how the stick was last moved.
- Roll each stick in full circles and use “Test circularity” to check the outer range too.
Why sticks drift
Most controllers measure stick position with two potentiometers — tiny resistive tracks with a wiper. Over time the tracks wear, dust gets in and the spring that centers the stick weakens, so the resting reading creeps away from zero. Controllers with Hall-effect or TMR sticks measure position magnetically without a rubbing contact, which is why they are far less prone to this kind of wear.
How to fix stick drift
- Recalibrate. On Windows use “Set up USB game controllers” (joy.cpl) or Steam's controller calibration; some consoles have their own calibration menu.
- Update the controller firmware through the maker's app or console.
- Clean it. Blow compressed air around the base of the stick and roll the stick in full circles. Retest after each step.
- Raise the dead zone in your games to at least the suggested value.
- Repair or replace. Persistent drift above about 10–20% usually needs a new stick module. Check your warranty first and attach the copied test result to your claim.
Method and limits
The page samples both sticks through the Gamepad API every display frame (about 180 readings at 60 Hz) and computes the mean position, the 95th-percentile distance from center and the jitter. If either stick moves more than 45% during the test, it is flagged as touched rather than drifting. Values come straight from the controller's own report; drivers or tools that apply their own dead zone (such as Steam Input) can hide drift, so close them for the most honest reading.
Browser support
| Browser | Buttons & sticks | Vibration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chrome / Edge (Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS) | Yes | Yes (dual rumble; trigger rumble for Xbox on Windows) | Most complete support, recommended. |
| Chrome (Android) | Yes, over Bluetooth or USB-OTG | Usually | Pair the controller in Android settings first. |
| Firefox | Yes | Not in most versions | Some controllers report triggers as axes — check the raw axes list. |
| Safari (macOS, iPhone, iPad) | Yes for Xbox, PlayStation and MFi controllers | Varies | Pair in Bluetooth settings first. |
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of stick drift is bad?
Under 5% at rest is healthy. 5–10% is normal wear that game dead zones hide. Above about 10% some games will register movement on their own, and above 20% it is a clear hardware fault.
Can stick drift fix itself?
Sometimes temporarily: dust can shift and the reading can return to normal after cleaning or recalibrating. Drift caused by worn potentiometers usually comes back and gets worse over time.
Does a bigger dead zone fix drift?
It hides it. A dead zone makes the game ignore stick movement near the center, so drift smaller than the dead zone stops moving your character. The trade-off is a less precise stick for small movements.
Do Hall-effect sticks drift?
Much less. Hall-effect and TMR sticks sense position magnetically without a rubbing contact, so they avoid the wear that causes most drift in standard potentiometer sticks.
Why does the test say my stick moved?
If either stick travels more than 45% from center during the measurement, it is treated as touched, not drifting. Put the controller down on a flat surface, let go completely and run it again.
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