PS5 and PS4 controller tester

How to test a PS5 or PS4 controller

1. Connect the controller to your computer or phone (see below), then open this page.
2. Press any button. Browsers reveal a controller only after a button press, so until then the page says "Connect your controller and press any button".
3. Read the info line: Name (often "DualSense Wireless Controller" or "Wireless Controller" for a DualShock 4), Mapping, Buttons and Axes.
4. Press every button and watch it light up on the drawing. Squeeze L2 and R2 slowly: each fills a bar from 0.000 to 1.000. A trigger that never reaches 1.000 doesn't reach full travel.
5. Move both sticks. The dot follows, and X and Y show three decimals.

For an Xbox or other brand of pad, use the main gamepad tester.

PlayStation button mapping in the browser

With the standard mapping, the browser gives PlayStation buttons fixed numbers, and the drawing names them by position:

• Cross = button 0 (bottom face button), Circle = 1, Square = 2, Triangle = 3
• L1 = 4, R1 = 5, L2 = 6, R2 = 7 (analog, 0 to 1)
• Create (PS5) or Share (PS4) = 8, Options = 9
• L3 and R3 (stick presses) = 10 and 11
• D-pad up, down, left, right = 12 to 15
• PS button = 16, touchpad click = 17

The touchpad box on the drawing only appears when the controller reports an 18th button. The browser sees a touchpad click, not finger movement on its surface. If Mapping says non-standard, open Raw values: every button and axis still has a number there, just without the drawing.

What a browser can't test: the light bar, the built-in speaker and mic, the motion sensors, and on the DualSense the adaptive trigger resistance and the mute button. They aren't part of the standard gamepad interface, so this page doesn't show them.

Connect by USB or Bluetooth

USB is the quickest: use a cable that carries data (some only charge). On Windows and Mac, a wired DualSense or DualShock 4 shows up as soon as you press a button.

Bluetooth: turn the controller off, unplug the cable, then put it into pairing mode. For a DualSense, hold Create and the PS button until the light bar blinks; for a DualShock 4, hold Share and PS until the light bar flashes. Then pick it in your device's Bluetooth settings:

• Windows: Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Add device.
• Mac, iPhone, iPad: Bluetooth settings. Apple supports both pads: connect a PlayStation controller to your Apple device.
• Android: Settings › Connected devices › Pair new device.

Sony's own steps for PC, Mac and phones are in how to use DualSense with PC, Mac and mobile devices. In Chrome and Edge on a computer the pads normally get the standard mapping. Other browsers and systems may show them as non-standard.

Stick drift, deadzone and vibration

Press Start drift test and put the controller down without touching the sticks for 3 seconds. Drift is the furthest either stick wandered from the centre, as a share of full tilt: up to 3 % the tester rates as "No drift you would notice in games". The Suggested deadzone is your drift plus 3 points, rounded up: 5.0 % drift gives 8 %.

The circularity test (Test left stick, Test right stick) shows the Average edge error. A stick that scores much worse than its twin is the worn one. The guide to reading test results explains both numbers.

A Vibrate button appears only when the browser can drive the motors (Chrome and Edge usually can for PlayStation pads); it runs both motors for one second. No button doesn't mean broken motors.

Controller acting up? Reset it

Both pads have a small reset button in a hole on the back: on the DualSense it's next to the Sony logo, on the DualShock 4 near the L2 button. Sony's DualSense troubleshooting page says to turn the console off, unplug the controller, press and hold the button with a pin for at least 5 seconds, then reconnect it by USB and press PS. A reset often helps when the pad won't connect or stops responding; it doesn't fix a worn stick.

If drift stays above a few percent after a reset and a firmware update, the stick module is worn: warranty, an official PlayStation repair or a new stick are the real fixes. Our controller drift guide goes through the cheap things first. Check your reflexes with the reaction time test or test a keyboard with the keyboard test. The tester runs in your browser; nothing is recorded or uploaded. More tools: device tests.