Gamepad Tester

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Gamepad Tester — a free gamepad tester for Windows 10 / 11. Check every button, stick and trigger on your controller in seconds, and test the vibration motors — without installing anything.

Use it to find out why your controller is not working, to check a used gamepad before buying, to spot stick drift, a dead trigger or a stuck button, and to confirm that vibration still works.

Features

• 🎮 Works with any XInput controller — Xbox, PlayStation via driver, Switch Pro, generic pads
• 🔘 Live button map — every press lights up on screen instantly
• 🕹️ Stick readout — raw X/Y values, so stick drift is obvious
• 🎚️ Trigger bars — analog value from 0 to 255, catches a dead or half-stuck trigger
• 📳 Vibration test — drive both motors with a slider
• 📋 Activity log — timestamped list of every press, useful for a stuck button
• 🔌 Auto-detects the controller and the slot it sits in, USB or Bluetooth
• 🪶 Portable — single file, no installer, no admin rights, no drivers
• 🔒 Read-only — the app never emulates input, it only reads the pad
• 🆓 Free & open — MIT licensed, zero ads, zero telemetry

How to use

1. Download GamepadTester.zip from Releases and unzip it.
2. Connect your controller by USB or Bluetooth.
3. Run GamepadTester.exe — it finds the pad automatically.
4. Press buttons, move the sticks, pull the triggers — everything lights up on screen.
5. Drag the vibration slider to test both motors.

How to check for stick drift

Put the controller down and do not touch it. If the LEFT STICK or RIGHT STICK values are not close to zero — or the dot on screen keeps moving on its own — that stick is drifting.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit)
• No .NET runtime to install, no drivers, no admin rights

The binary is not code-signed, so SmartScreen may warn on first run: More info → Run anyway.

FAQ

Which controllers are supported? Anything Windows exposes through XInput: Xbox pads, most third-party gamepads, PlayStation controllers with a driver like DS4Windows, Switch Pro in XInput mode.

Does it change anything on my PC? No. It only reads the controller state and can drive the vibration motors. Nothing is installed.

Will it work over Bluetooth? Yes, as long as Windows already sees the controller.

My controller is not detected. Check that it appears in Windows Game Controllers. If it uses DirectInput only, a wrapper like DS4Windows will expose it as XInput.

Keywords: gamepad tester, controller tester windows, xbox controller test, joystick test, stick drift test, gamepad button test, vibration test, controller diagnostics.

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Not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo.