PS5 controller drift: why it happens and how to fix it

Your character walks on its own, the camera turns without you touching anything, the cursor slides around the menus? Your controller has "drift". It's a very common fault that affects PS5 controllers as well as Joy-Cons and Xbox controllers.

What exactly is drift?

Drift is when a joystick sends a movement even though you're not touching it. The console thinks the stick is slightly tilted, so your character or the camera keeps moving.

Why does it happen?

Under each joystick sits a small module that measures the stick's position using contact tracks. With hours of play, several things happen:

• Wear: the contacts rub with every movement and eventually wear out. This is the most common cause, especially after hundreds of hours of play.
• Dust and dirt: crumbs, dust or hair get in around the stick and throw off the reading.
• A knock or a drop: the module can get slightly bent.

How to check that it really is drift

Put the controller down on a table without touching the sticks, and watch:

• in a game, does the camera or the character move on its own?
• in the console menus, does the cursor move for no reason?

You can also plug the controller into a computer over USB and use a controller test website: it shows the exact position of each stick. At rest, it should be in the centre.

Temporary fixes

They can help, but they won't fix a worn module:

• Update the controller: the PS5 offers controller software updates in its settings.
• Blow around the stick with a can of compressed air while rotating the joystick, to dislodge dust.
• Increase the "dead zone" in the game options, where available: small unwanted movements are then ignored.

The real repair: replacing the joystick module

The lasting fix is to replace the faulty joystick module. The controller has to be opened, the old module desoldered, the new one soldered in, and everything reassembled. It's delicate work that takes a soldering iron and some experience: done badly, the soldering can damage the circuit board.

The good news: repairing a controller usually costs far less than buying a new one, and the sticks are as precise as on day one.