How to fix Cyberpunk 2077 controller stick drift

If you’ve noticed that your controller has been bugging out with stick drift, particularly while playing Cyberpunk 2077 after the 2.1 update, you’re not alone.

Especially in a high-intensity first-person shooter like Cyberpunk 2077, where a missed shot or window of opportunity to capitalize can quickly lead to V’s demise, you don’t want your peripherals ruining the action.

But, before you reach for your wallet to buy a new controller, it does seem that stick drift has become a common problem for many controller players roaming Night City in recent days. Here’s how to fix controller stick drift in Cyberpunk 2077.

Cyberpunk 2077 controller stick drift fix

As confirmed by CD PROJEKT RED both on Twitter and on its support pages, the dead zone settings in Cyberpunk 2077 were changed in the Dec. 5 update “to be more precise and allow better control over cursor sensitivity”—a move the studio also acknowledged would cause controller stick drift issues for some.

To fix the 2.1 update controller stick drift issue, players are urged to go into the Controls menu in Settings and change their Inner Dead Zone to one of the new default values manually, or by selecting Restore Defaults:

• PlayStation 5 – 0.15
• Xbox Series X|S – 0.35
• PC/Steam Deck – 0.35

In my case, as someone who uses a three-year-old, standard Xbox wireless controller on a PC, I immediately encountered stick drift issues when I entered Cyberpunk 2077 for the first time after the 2.1 update. Thankfully, I noticed that the issue was remedied right away when I changed my Inner Dead Zone from its existing 0.01 value to the PC-recommended 0.35. Interestingly enough, I also noticed that everything was still perfectly fine when I lowered it to the PS recommendation of 0.15, so you might find yourself with a lot of room to work with while finding the minimum number you need to prevent stick drift.

In the 2.1 patch notes, CD PROJEKT RED didn’t specifically mention the dead zone setting changes, but listed that it reduced the minimum stick tilt angle required to stay in sprint when playing on a controller, and slightly increased the sprinting area on controller sticks to prevent accidentally stopping sprint.

Unfortunately, if you are still finding that your cursor is severely sliding around while playing Cyberpunk 2077 on a controller after using the new default value, or even a higher number, it might be time to secure some new sticks.