How to Calibrate a PS5, PS4 and Xbox Controller (and When It Won’t Help)
First, check what’s wrong with your controller
Before you try to calibrate a PS5 controller, see what it is actually doing. With our online controller test you connect it to your computer or phone and see each stick on screen: whether it returns to the centre, whether it moves on its own and whether it reaches its full range. It works with the PS5 DualSense, the PS4 DualShock 4 and Xbox controllers, with nothing to install.
- Resting value close to 0: the stick is fine; the problem is usually in the game settings.
- Slight drift: it does not fully return to the centre. A slightly larger deadzone can hide it.
- Clear drift: the stick moves on its own. This is wear, and no setting will fully fix it.
How to “calibrate” a PS5 controller (DualSense)
There is no stick calibration option in the PS5 settings. These are the steps that do help:
- Reset the controller. Turn off the console, find the small hole on the back of the DualSense and hold the button inside for about 5 seconds with a paperclip. Then connect it with a USB cable and press the PS button.
- Update its software. The PS5 updates the controller when you connect it; on a computer, Sony has an official app to update the DualSense.
- Check the game settings. Many games let you change the deadzone and sensitivity of each stick in their controls options.
- If you have a DualSense Edge: in its custom profiles you can adjust the sensitivity and deadzone of each stick.
How to “calibrate” a PS4 controller (DualShock 4)
Just like the PS5, the PS4 has no stick calibration. Reset the DualShock 4 using the hole on the back, next to the L2 trigger, and connect it again with a cable. If the problem continues, adjust the deadzone in the game options.
Xbox controller
The Xbox console does not calibrate the sticks of standard controllers either. You can update the controller from the Xbox Accessories app (on the console or on Windows), where the Elite Series 2 controller also lets you adjust stick sensitivity.
On PC: Windows and Steam
- Windows: in “Set up USB game controllers” (you can type
joy.cplin the search box) your controller appears and, on some models, so does a calibration option. It only affects PC games. - Steam: in the Steam controller settings you can adjust the deadzone of each stick for the games you launch from Steam.
Why calibrating won’t fix stick drift
The sticks on the DualSense, the DualShock 4 and most Xbox controllers use potentiometers: a contact that rubs against a track and wears down with use. When the track wears out, the controller reads a position that is not the centre even when you are not touching it. Calibration and deadzone only hide that error, at the cost of losing precision near the centre.
The solution is to replace the stick. We explain it in why Hall effect sticks do not suffer the wear that causes stick drift.
If your controller has stick drift
In our workshop in Alcobendas (Madrid) we offer PS5 controller stick drift repair or we replace the sticks with Hall effect sticks in your DualSense. For PS4 there are the Hall effect stick for the DualShock 4. You can bring it to the workshop or send it to us, and we confirm the quote before we start.
Frequently asked questions
Can you calibrate a PS5 controller?
Not the sticks. The PS5 controller settings let you change the vibration and the trigger intensity, but not calibrate the sticks.
Does resetting the controller fix stick drift?
Sometimes it corrects a one-off connection or software fault. If the stick is worn, the drift comes back.
What is the deadzone?
The margin around the centre of the stick that the game ignores. Raising it hides slight drift, but the game will take longer to react to small movements.
Can I test the controller without a console?
Yes. Connect it to your computer or phone and open the online controller test.
PlayStation, DualSense and DualShock are registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment; Xbox, of Microsoft Corporation; Steam, of Valve Corporation; Windows, of Microsoft Corporation. Tigernicks is not affiliated with or sponsored by them.
