PS5 Controller Stick Drift | How To Fix (And Avoid!) This PlayStation 5 DualSense Issue

How To Fix PlayStation 5 Controller Stick Drift. In today's episode, I share how to fix, clean, and avoid the stick drift issue that's already appearing on some PS5 DualSense controller joysticks. I explain how to determine if it is a first-party PS5 controller hardware, firmware, or software issue, and the methods to check and fix each one.
How To Adjust PS5 Controller Adaptive Triggers & Haptic Feedback: • PS5 Controller Adaptiv...

[@Chris-ng6og]

I never had problem with stick drift until I got the ps5🤦‍♂️

[@CyborgFranky8]

Same it's so annoying

[@realouttasight]

on god

[@ignaciorivas8216]

Same here dude not even a week after I got it

[@Backside_Wacky]

Me too 😣

[@antecd]

@@ignaciorivas8216 same ps5 controller fucked up i got 2 they both fucked

[@Kusazo]

It’s my left stick so I can hardly even pick the game I want to play because it’s just going to the left at all times

[@radudomsa]

Have the same exact problem

[@oreosnmilkw4075]

same

[@MrFreeman516]

same

[@cxrti_m7795]

Even happened to me on PS4

[@DeeRollaxk]

same for me but my right stick

[@dezmond1219]

They focus so much on vibration and triggers for immersion I don’t care about immersion if my stick drifting to the left the entire time

[@Xalocin]

This ! Haptic feedback is the most useless thing ever . I’d rather have a working analog stick for once

[@thiccsnickerrz7388]

I wouldn’t say Haptic Feedback is useless, it’s actually really cool. But I mean it’s near the end of the importance heirarchy

[@Pedro_214]

They made the sticks bad in porpoise so people would get sick of it then “save” people from the stick drift with the ps5 edge controller

[@Gyfrctgtdbhf]

6.5 years of heavy use of my PS4 controller and zero problems with drift; 2.5 months on the PS5 controller and now my cars are twitching severely to the left in GT 7. 🤬

[@Mar-ud1ds]

Pshhh I can’t even pick a game with mine 😂

[@toddmicky4078]

they make them faulty so they can make you buy more controllers and spend more money

[@little_hunt3r]

Never had stick drift till I got a ps5. For how much it costs you think they'd make the damn controller work

[@mrluistito2529]

How do you think they make money. Most people don’t even know about warranty

[@treywar25]

Xbox has this issue too it's bs. I'm mostly very careful with the controllers too and very clean

[@heavenhill6883]

fr

[@treywar25]

@@mrluistito2529 warranty for controllers are only 3 months bub. Should be able to get a year of use minimum. Unless you meant extended warranty which you got to pay extra for and send the controller in.

[@DEKIIIII1]

@@treywar25 nintendo has it too :/, they all use the same company in china I think

[@chickenlegg]

Be careful when using canned duster like that in the video. The air comes out of the can colder than the ambient air around you and creates condensation really fast as a result. You can end up inadvertently blowing that condensation into your electronics and ruin them. Always hold the nozzle (straw) a good 6 inches or so away from the electronics you are cleaning and use short bursts, don't blow air continuously as the condensation builds up very quickly.

[@SlikzYT]

Great, I decided to read the comments after I already used the air duster. Hopefully all will be good

[@sureitsjon7803]

Just don't shake the can and only spray in short burst.. it won't get cold

[@riley9577]

Good man good man . Never heard one person mention this in the 947 stick drift fix vids I've watched. Appreciate it sir

[@budtoo2636]

Lightly dust with soft compressed air. Got it...... 100psi shots off my air compressor worked alot better

[@jack8_bit358]

In all seriousness, while it didn’t fix it, this made it 100x more useable. This video is actually useful and I’m actually thankful for this dude

[@jorgemandez210]

Was looking for this comment to thanks

[@TAMFC512]

Bullshit you have to clean the Controller inside

[@jack8_bit358]

@@TAMFC512 read it

[@Akeso_ppp]

it didnt help??

[@ernimen]

Bullshit nothing helps I tried everything

[@yordyortega584]

My controller got fixed after the first tip 😭 you’re a real life saver my guy subbed

[@rafaelviolante8840]

I don't usually like youtube videos but your "joysticks 360 rotation and clicking" procedure worked for me. You da man!

[@garyhindmarch8164]

I’ve had huge problems with my controller. Tried everything online but nothing worked. Watched your video and was able to fix is issue. You are a life saver

[@sulmansj3610]

You work miracles man, your first step immediately fixed my problem. Thanks so much!

[@GRodPericles]

I was looking for a quick video, but you went over and beyond. Greatly appreciated

[@UnknownUser6598]

It's not often I comment on videos but this guy legit needs more recognition. The first solution fixed my stick drift instantly. My right analog sitck would twitch straight up which made Cold War almost unplayable. Big thanks🤙🤙🤙

[@tall_midget]

Just some confirmation. When you say twitch up was it very fast flicks up and in little bursts? Because mine does that right now but only when im giving the stick input, not if i leave it alone.

[@Spenwrath-]

@@tall_midget me too

[@hfcxhf3]

Ayyy I'm having the same problem on cold war. I'll try it today. Hope for the best

[@eugenestoner7468]

Mine did the same thing

[@xdemon7684]

What did u do to fix this? I’ve been having issues since they first came out

[@DrizzYTvR]

Your actually amazing, the 360 step worked fine with me, thank you so much

[@Binney_001]

Lifesaver! Did the full movement and clicking then dusted and it’s like new. Thank you 🙏

[@thetexan1011]

I've been dealing with this for a week, grabbed an air can, and it bloody worked. I was really mad thinking I was gonna have to shell out $70 Edit: only worked for about 10 minutes, had to shell out $70 Edit: second one is now drifting, found out they're made to do this. Edit: i got both fixed for $57 and they work almost perfectly, although the white one still has some issues, but that's because it's needs to be cleaned, but otherwise it was worth spending no even half the price of two controllers Edit: the white one works perfectly, but the black one still have major issues. Edit: 2 years later, don't really play console anymore, I have 3 controllers 2 work, 1 I use for.spare parts, I've learned how to fix small things like this myself (Sony sucks), probably won't update this post again

[@prxdigyzz3715]

Damn

[@Katzelle3]

WD 40 contact cleaner

[@nickabbott319]

Lol

[@LunaWaves]

haha

[@King_Eliot04]

😂😂😂

[@Messier_-82]

Man, you're legend. I was experiencing a drift in the left joystick. I've performed full 360 joystick cycle a few dozen times, then I pointed it to a direction in which I was experiencing drift, while in this position I gave pressure to a ball and clicked L3 a few times. Thanks!

[@JohnHammer]

You're welcome! I'm so happy to hear this helped you

[@IbrahimKhan-vz9zf]

Thank you legend

[@MohammedAlomrani]

Unbelievable it actually worked

[@Solo16x]

Thanks from me too!

[@wesamsaif3364]

THANKS LEGEND

[@zzz-bu3zh]

worked like a charm!!! Thank you good Sir!

[@ecnalremlig1644]

I sincerely appreciate this video! I think I’ve fixed my upwards-drifting right stick thanks to your advice. Cheers. 🎉

[@MHresvelg]

Dude, man thanks! I did not have a air can handy so I just blew really hard into the analog slot and slowly spun the stick...it worked! Saved me a lot of heartache. Thank you again.

[@amyast43]

My analog drift was just awful on my right analog, and twisting the stick to recenter actually fixed it for now. Thank you!

[@amyast43]

I take this back. Months later, and the drift on my controller is still awful. Had to buy a new one...

[@fyou7305]

This helped me more than the video. Its a very short 1 min fix but PS hassnt send me mailing instructions yet. So ty!!

[@ankushbhaduri1997]

Bro you are a legend. I was so sad when the left stick on my dualsense was drifting towards the left side. Your first trick worked like a charm.. ❤️❤️❤️. Thank you again.

[@gustavokidninja9357]

I had that same problem

[@MissDahliaGames]

Mine is currently drifting up REALLY bad! 😩 I have to hold it down slightly in order for it to not drift up on its own constantly! 😂 Hopefully these methods work! 🤞

[@AppleGuy256]

Thank you so much! My scuf started experiencing stick drift, you saved me from having to pay for repairs and wait weeks to use it again

[@bnjmo]

I can't believe that the simlpe rotation and click fixed my issue. You're a life saver!! ❤️

[@futuredeath]

I can't even find a PS5 yet I'm having stick drift and watching videos.

[@FighterChamp.]

Time to buy a new controller

[@immortal3921]

You are a LIFESAVER! deadass bro thank you.. I was 37 seconds away from just breaking the controller out of frustration

[@doombga]

I was furious about having to send this controller back and/or replace it. I just did the first technique for 15 seconds and now it's fixed. Subscribe earned.

[@Rawzix]

I had drift on the left joystick making characters walk/look left in games did the first step and it fixed it. Didn’t actually think just pushing in the joystick and putting pressure on it would fix it, thanks so much!

[@ActNasty5]

Mine arent really having issues but nice video man. Awesome to see there are solutions without taking it apart

[@thunderborn3231]

most of these 'solutions' are half baked, the best choice is to take it apart

[@gpetty91]

I did not expect this problem to be fixed without opening up the dualsense. I got leftward drift from fighting a difficult boss in hollow knight and I just assumed that I was maybe too rough with the left stick. All I did was the fix in the bluetooth accessories menu and now there's no sign of drift. I'm so happy I found this video.

[@Akeso_ppp]

so u just restart it?

[@sagakun06]

just disconnect and reconnect, worked for me

[@themasterflo98]

Nice it also worked for me

[@mouiz5682]

me currently playing hollowknight and experiencing stick drift

[@dinghat5551]

Same here, I got drift on my left stick from playing hollow knight on both my PS4 and PS5 controllers, and I got pretty heated when I kept dying to the same moves.

[@ajwlr]

thank you so much dude. you just saved me a lot of time. after cycling my analog sticks and resetting my controller like you said, it worked again.

[@sydiousx]

This helped immediately! Thank you so much!

[@night_san03]

Thx, the test you gave was enough to fix it. My controller was acting wonky, but only in Demon's Souls, so I did the drift hardware test and that instantly fixed it.

[@amberwamber8329]

Honestly, thank you so much! I was having huge issues with my character in elden ring just veering off to the left and it was really bothering me, but the first method worked straight away. Legend!

[@alexandervelez2989]

Same here bro

[@christianbale2832]

same

[@maxconrad17]

.... Same

[@apa21]

First started experiencing it during the hagiltree 😑

[@Noxstel]

The first one fixed it for me, thank you so much! Earned a sub!

[@conormurray6122]

Thanks i thought i needed a new one great vid

[@chulocree15]

Bruh my right stick today was messing up my aim in watch dogs legion.. it took me extra time to take out a enemy just cuz I had to adapt to the crazy drif.. Smh

[@youlittlerocket]

Did you fix it?

[@zankisfine3816]

Thankfully it hasn’t happened to me, but now I know how to avoid it. Thanks

[@JohnHammer]

You're welcome!

[@fallingrain881]

It always gonna happen lol had to replace my PS4 about 4 to 5 times. Imagine this one.

[@DanielMurray-mi7zr]

Rotating the sticks didn’t completely fix this but elevated the aggressive pulling I had by a surprising amount, thanks

[@carsonboonzaayer3618]

The rotating the left stick worked for me thankyou so much for the video

[@kadin244]

6 months later, still keeping mine working haha, thanks man

[@Cognazzo95]

Hard enough to get the PS5. Now, only three weeks later I’m having stick drift issues. It started today when I was playing Dark Souls 3. I’ve treated this controller very well too. I don’t even eat when handling it. The worst thing is Sony won’t fix it. People buying more controllers is more money for them. They couldn’t care less about the customer.

[@anguyen2808]

So they said they won't fix it you called? Even under warranty? I'm curious because I was gonna call them and asked to get it fixed

[@abdurehman]

@@anguyen2808 They do get it replaced if it's still under warranty. I got mine replaced in just a day

[@treywar25]

@@anguyen2808 warranty is only a few months for controllers which blows since a lot of them do start to malfunction just within a year

[@ErikMikulka]

Bruh I am applying such a small pressure on l3 like I'm playing with a twat and guess what l3 is fucked up :)

[@Kojiroe]

This actually worked. Great vid and info, THANKS!

[@hpcartier1596]

thanks bro this helped so much

[@kellyjbowman1]

I needed this

[@sweden137]

@Matthew Harrup No? IT WORKED...

[@josezeroninja]

This just started happening to me. It’s on my right stick and it goes down by itself whenever I try to move it.

[@NqtiveWarrior]

same bro it’s annoying asf

[@harrysmith4947]

exactly same

[@lmao_sizzle9540]

Yea same but it'll go left

[@jordanpotts7558]

@@lmao_sizzle9540 same I be doing 360’s all the time

[@Syafiqizy]

It's happening to me but it's the left stick

[@Thehansello]

Thanks. Right stick was drifting. Clicking in different directions with rotation solved it for me. Great tips.

[@idosports26_83]

Factory reset helped me. Will give a like. TYSM

[@CrazyWizza]

You sir are a holy man. You're doing God's work and have fixed my controller. My eternal gratitude.

[@andrew2012able]

Thank you. This video helped me fix my drifting issue with the left stick. You just saved me $70+. I was so ready to go to the store and get another controller.

[@EcuaBlackOps212]

You could call Sony and they might get you a replacement or something

[@hykeeba-9254]

Same. legend!

[@MissDahliaGames]

Sheesh, I'm about to give this a try on ALL of my controllers laying around that became susceptible to stick drift if it works the first time! 😅 I mean... Why not right?! 😂

[@MissDahliaGames]

@@EcuaBlackOps212 what if you purchased it from Amazon? Can they refund you? Sadly mine are too old to be refunded though probably... 😅

[@EcuaBlackOps212]

@@MissDahliaGames it depends on which seller you bought it from. If you bought it from playstation, then they could give you a refund or replacement. I bought my playstation from GameStop and I called playstation because one of my controller had stick drift so they sent me a replacement.

[@andytom91]

this actually solved the problem for me. Thank you so much!!

[@arox2962]

Didn't fix it 100% but after following your methods my controller is working MUCH BETTER than before. Really good video !! Very helpful

[@higguma]

The new models have the same issue, only 2 months and it's worse than the first one. The worst part is you have to pay for repair shipping. If you only have 1, you'll end up delaying the repair because whose gonna go 3 weeks without a controller for gaming. Catch 22.

[@fridgefraser7905]

Bruh my ps5 controller makes me look straight up in games it’s that bad 😂

[@looneyloonatic]

Me too, did you find a fix?

[@psc1311]

Same

[@Ghost4PF-]

Same

[@joe8903]

Same

[@babayaga9805]

Why sony why are we not paying you enough already?

[@Ghost-xb8pl]

I love you so much I’ve been looking for a fix for days and I finally fixed it

[@cvanausdalsss]

Legend, this immediately fixed the stick drift🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@r.t.hannah9575]

Great video!I had a PS4 for like 5 years, same controllers, and had no issues. Within 6 months of owning a PS5 the controller is drifting and jerking to the left sporadically. Lost a little faith in Sony.

[@kevinbuffington4008]

Rotating and clicking seems to have fixed it for me as well. Thanks!

[@Footy_on_top61]

Omg bro tysm this helped so much

[@joshuaknowles5095]

Thanks man big help

[@1996okan]

i had this issue where holding up on the left stick only registered as if i were slightly holding up and the joystick exercises you showed seemed to have worked! really not confident in these joysticks though, hopefully sony makes a dualsense revision and uses better quality parts.

[@OMGpandemic]

Thanks for the tips man. It's kind of ridiculous that this is even a problem. I've only had my PS5 since August of 2022, and I take pretty good care of my belongings, but still am having this problem. Other than this, I really like the hardware.

[@symbiotezilla12345]

Same. Had drift hardly 4-5 months in. And then had them send me a new controller since it was under warranty and now the other controller developed drift within 3-4 months. Did the tricks he said with rotating it and it ended up fixing it for some time

[@Blacklungs-Sanji]

I’ve only had mine since like maybe February of this year and I have terrible stick drift already… tried everything to fix so I’m just gonna have to trade it in or something 🙄 literally a perfect controller besides the right stick

[@maxyboy52]

Thanks this really did help

[@AAAshield]

Thank you so much the first one helped me

[@audioinjectedsoul1986]

Thank you! I was furious when it started drifting. Only had it for 2 months and for this to happen at the price I paid for it.....man its infuriating. Thank you though, this seems to have fixed the issue. Liked and subscribed!

[@DWN-024ShadowMan]

We all should be complaining directly to Sony on their PS web page or on twitter or something. They need to start making better cuality controllers man.

[@LGLTripz]

@@DWN-024ShadowMan yea you seem like someone who would sit on Twitter all day, "cuality"

[@duplicpapers8753]

@@LGLTripz 🤓

[@_heffe_]

Yup.. same here. I got the red and black controllers.. mainly because the white one it came with started drifting. It’s been sitting in my drawer ever since.. gonna give this a shot tonight when I get off work.

[@gavinderulo12]

@@DWN-024ShadowMan or just use your warranty and get a new controller.

[@allanallen1835]

How to give your controller a happy ending 😂

[@JohnHammer]

😂

[@allanallen1835]

@@JohnHammer I'm just happy someone actually got it lol.

[@gageshippy2256]

I got it

[@PavelNiculescu]

Thanks so much I tought I had to change it you just got a new sub from me

[@dangrant5244]

Nice 1, thanks, this was very helpful

[@Kio-_-203]

I’m gonna try this for PS4 controller

[@XerxesBreakSama]

The controller is expensive AF and it won't last a year without having this problem. Freaking awful. I hope fake controllers will come out soon.

[@metaroar1959]

Wow the first tip actually worked for me thank you so much bro!! I really didn’t want to open my new controller especially since my ps5 is fairly new, I got it in April.

[@calebwalker6345]

Thanks again it this really helped!

[@thatpoggersguy1541]

Honestly most of these types of videos don't help much but this one really did. The quickest fix that I have ever tried, the stick drift was gone instantly and was really easy to fix. Thanks man!

[@Simbolico2024]

Did the drift go away for real, or it came back?

[@TheRealDVO]

My R2 trigger lost its tension and character run is cancels all the time. I'm gonna try this. Thanks

[@ActNasty5]

My run gets canceled if im running up and to the right. I dont notice any drift though. Only certain games too. Seems like a dead zone thing

[@TheRealDVO]

@@ActNasty5 I think its the same for me. L3 up and to the right, run gets canceled. I bought a warranty through gamestop and just had mine replaced.

[@ActNasty5]

@@TheRealDVO yup same for me itll cancel the sprint haha

[@Optimism211]

Thank you for your detailed help!!!

[@TonyGotti-wn7sw]

Great video thank you Tony

[@tozzy4084]

Worked like a charm thanks my man!

[@buttafoe6706]

Same lol

[@senorburrito4259]

Bro gave us like 20 fixes in a 6 min video. You’re a legend

[@aronicerda520]

Lmao that’s why he da 🐐

[@user-gk8wr6gm1v]

I had issues with my left stick. The tip to use alcohol worked just fine with mine. I used 95degrees alcohol and fixed my left analog drift immediately. This guy is the best!

[@postjoker3k137]

Alcohol made mine worse

[@zyairemccray643]

You the first video I ever commented on it actually worked

[@NoelPitoy]

Thanks for the video, it helped fix my drift problem. Also would like to add, when massaging both joy❤️sticks do it inverted, repeating between clockwise and counter-clockwise, slowly then faster, also intermittently holding on and off the L3 and R3, remember all those while inverted. Voilla 👍

[@the2401]

thanks so much you helped a lot

[@yat6382]

Man I couldn't even move along the tiles in the home menu with the left joystick because of the constant drifting to the left. Let alone playing a game like Demon Souls remake. Thanks for the top video man, life saver! Blowing off the dust from left joystick, the full 360° rotate, plus central L3 click done the job well! Cool tips on the Bluetooth settings.

[@hyenna1996]

Thank u 😊 for the help

[@m3ntal596]

Thanks for the tip man it really helped me

[@gwebblez]

1 week of having my PS5, Modern Warfare gave me stick drift 😂🤦🏽‍♂️ my right stick starts moving right on its own. Noticed today (UPDATE) My right stick only drifts when I’m touching my left stick, which is weird. But now my left stick.... whenever I run forward, it struggles to run

[@Vonweakass]

Had it since it came out and BOTH of my controllers just started doing this last week 😂

[@llnavall423]

bro same here

[@abdullahi23_63]

Same

[@krisrich157]

At least were fuked together

[@Mentque]

Same bro, had the ps5 now for a month, already drifting a lot on cold war

[@Shadow_WXZ]

Thank you so much! Rotating and clicking was the solution for me!

[@ender1502]

Has the problem ever returned?

[@Shadow_WXZ]

@@ender1502 3 months later, no

[@morganspitsonu]

@@Shadow_WXZ how about now?

[@SlotterYT]

Holy sh*t thank you, I was just experiencing massive stick drift on my left stick, and I found this video, the first or second way that you said worked luckily. I’m giving it a like.

[@user-ee1ey8ut5e]

It worked like a charm dude thanks

[@keventhebest6271]

We’re do I find that to clean the dust for my controller

[@panda-pdx9578]

Best Buy or any other technology store

[@finndecember584]

I had this weird drift on right stick. its try to go up only when i turn left of right but sometimes it works fine. So i have no idea whats happening with it.

[@AUDIST1997]

Same exact thing happening for me and I’ve only had my PS5 for a month

[@finndecember584]

@@AUDIST1997 mine just 2 weeks :(

[@prodByM4R]

We have the same exact problem thats insane

[@malcom2923]

thankkkkkk you soo much the first method worked nicely, but it didn't at first but after reseting the controller it then worked BIG THANKS MAN

[@immortalraider440]

Bro this actually worked for me. Thank you!

[@dabeestingshard4346]

Thank you so much I’ve been trying to play games with my friends like warzone and I couldn’t pick my class because it would just keep going up

[@amtyoutube9371]

Controler price 130$ Why is the quality is poor??!!!

[@Okanehira]

You know what the first thing you showed actually fixed mine - thank you.

[@LEESZN]

It’ll work for a few seconds

[@jaspercampbell4120]

This worked so well! Thank you, first method that I’ve tried that worked!

[@adammarcolini1744]

My controller drift was straight from the box on both brand new controllers

[@FH-id6xi]

I just got the cosmic red controller and its got very minor drift on the left stick

[@brentbones6723]

@@FH-id6xi same a little bit

[@FH-id6xi]

@@brentbones6723 I factory reset it and its gone now!

[@lejond1270]

@@FH-id6xi wym factory reset?

[@fin_6305]

Mines in the right stick it just goes down by itself at least it helps with recoil 😩😂😂

[@undeadironmaiden]

Same...

[@saiyanxd._8943]

Mine goes up

[@optic_greenland4765]

Mine goes left!!!!!

[@mienchaos5344]

😂😂😂

[@smryad]

same

[@OgRaiZo]

This actually help my controller thanks 😊 🙏

[@KillTheKinderPS3]

Dude you saved me money for a controller. You’re a beast!!! Subbed!