What is stick drift, and how much is normal?

How much drift is normal?

Drift is measured as how far a stick rests from center when you let go, as a share of its full travel: 0% is dead center and 100% is pushed all the way to the edge.

These are our rules of thumb, not an official standard. We based them on the dead zones games ship with, which are usually between 5% and 10%.

How to measure yours

1. Open the stick drift test and connect the controller by USB or Bluetooth.
2. Let go of both sticks for three seconds. The test shows how far each one rests from center.
3. Run it two or three times, flicking the sticks a different way before you let go each time. Go by the highest number.

Why more than once: a worn stick doesn't spring back to the same spot every time. It stops a little short on the side it came from. On a DualSense we tested, the left stick stopped anywhere from 1.7% to 5.5% off center depending on which way it was let go. Drift from dirt also comes and goes from day to day.

What causes stick drift

Most controllers, including the PS5 DualSense, PS4 DualShock 4, Xbox controllers and Switch Joy-Con, use the same kind of stick. Under the cap are two small sensors, one for left and right and one for up and down. In each, a metal contact slides along a track as the stick moves, and the controller works out the position from where the contact sits.

• Wear. The contact rubs the track every time you move the stick. Over months the track wears, and the reading at rest shifts or jitters. This is the most common cause, and it gets worse with use.
• Dirt. Dust, skin oil and crumbs work their way in around the base of the stick and onto the track.
• Tired springs. Springs pull the stick back to the middle. As they weaken, it stops short of center, on the side you let go from.
• An out-of-date center. The controller remembers where center is. If the stick now rests somewhere else, the controller reads the difference as a push.

Less often it's a drop, a spill or a software fault. Sticks with Hall effect or TMR sensors read a magnet instead, with nothing rubbing, so they don't wear this way.

Can stick drift be fixed?

Often, yes, and the first fixes cost nothing. What works depends on what you see:

A dead zone never fixes drift. It tells the game to ignore the stick near the middle, so the drift stops showing. Set it just above your resting number: a 6% dead zone hides a stick that rests 5% off center.

What to try, in order

1. Measure it with the drift test, and test again after each step so you know what worked.
2. Reconnect, and try a cable. If the drift only shows on one connection, the stick is fine.
3. Update and reset the controller. It rarely cures drift, but it rules out software.
4. Recalibrate. For a PS5 DualSense, use our PS5 controller calibration in Chrome or Edge. On a Switch, go to System Settings › Controllers and Sensors › Calibrate Control Sticks. Xbox controllers have no calibration, so skip to the next step.
5. Clean around the stick. With the controller off, push the stick to one side, blow compressed air into the gap at its base, and roll it in circles. Still drifting? Run a cotton swab with a little 90% or stronger isopropyl alcohol around the gap and let it dry.
6. Set a dead zone in the game, one point above your resting number.
7. Use the warranty before you open anything: who covers what.
8. Replace the stick, or the controller. On PS5, PS4 and Xbox controllers the sticks are soldered to the board, so this is a repair-shop job unless you can solder. Joy-Con sticks unplug, so you can swap one with small screwdrivers. A Hall effect replacement won't wear out this way again.

Step-by-step versions with the exact menus: PS5 and PS4, Xbox.

Warranty and free repairs

• PlayStation: in the US, Sony covers controllers for one year. Terms vary by country.
• Xbox: in the US and Canada, Microsoft covers controllers sold on their own for 90 days, and the Elite Series 2 for one year. In the EU and UK, consumer law gives you longer.
• Nintendo: in the EU, UK and Switzerland, Nintendo repairs drifting Joy-Con for free, even after the warranty ends. In the US and Canada, you can request a repair online.

Opening the controller usually voids the warranty, so ask for the repair first.

How to make sticks last longer

• Play with clean, dry hands, and keep food away from the controller.
• Store it where dust can't settle on the sticks, such as a drawer or a case.
• Blow out the gap around each stick every few months, before drift starts.

No habit stops wear completely. If you're buying a new controller, one with Hall effect or TMR sticks avoids it: see controllers with Hall effect sticks.