Game-PadTester.com is a free, browser-based tool for checking whether a gaming controller’s buttons, sticks, triggers, and D-pad are being recognized correctly by your computer or phone. We built it because most controller problems start with the same question “is this the controller, or is it something else?” and that question is easier to answer when you can see exactly what your browser is receiving from the device.
What This Site Does
We run tools built on the standard Web Gamepad API, the same interface browsers use to expose controller input to any website. Our tester reads and displays:
- Button presses and releases
- Analog stick position and movement
- Trigger travel and resting values
- D-pad direction
- Connection status, controller identification, and mapping type
We also maintain specialized tests for stick drift, dead zones, circularity, vibration, and connection stability, so you can move from a general check to a focused diagnostic without repeating steps you’ve already done.
What This Site Does Not Do
We’re upfront about this because it matters: a browser-based test cannot open your controller, inspect its internal components, or certify a repair. It cannot confirm battery health, firmware condition, or whether a specific game has configured your controller correctly. What it can do is show you what your browser is actually receiving — which is often enough to tell you whether the problem is likely hardware, software, or a connection issue, and which of our other tools to try next.
We’d rather tell you what a test can’t prove than let you assume it proved more than it did.
How We Test and Maintain Compatibility
Controller support depends on the specific combination of controller model, connection type, operating system, driver, and browser version not just the brand name. Before we mark any combination as supported, we test it directly rather than assuming it works because a similar device does.
- Last compatibility review: September 17 2026
- Tested and maintained by: Team
- Testing environment: Browsers, operating systems, and controller models actually tested
Read our full [testing methodology] to see exactly how we verify each combination and what the result labels (Verified, Partially Verified, Not Available, Not Yet Tested) mean.
Why We Built This
One of us spent an evening trying to figure out whether a secondhand controller had drift or whether the game’s dead zone was just too tight. The existing tools we tried either didn’t explain what the numbers meant or overstated what a browser test could actually confirm. We built this to fix both problems.
Privacy
Standard controller input is processed within your browser tab. [Confirm and state precisely what, if anything, is collected via analytics or advertising before publishing this section — see our Privacy Policy for full details.]
Get in Touch
Found a controller that behaves differently than we describe, or a browser/OS combination we haven’t tested yet? Contact us with your controller model, connection type, operating system, and browser version reports like this directly improve our compatibility data.