Turn-based RPG · PC · PlayStation · Xbox

Baldur's Gate 3 controls & keybinds

Baldur's Gate 3 is a mouse-driven game on PC: click to move, click to act, with hotkeys for the character bar, jumping, sneaking and camera. Consoles use a radial-menu layout that is entirely different, so both are listed.

The keys people look up first

Baldur's Gate 3 controls at a glance

Default bindings for the actions searched for most. The full lists, the settings that change how they feel and the printable layout are below.

Action	PC	PlayStation	Xbox
Crouch	`C`	`Triangle`	`Y`
Grenade	`O`	`R3 (press)`	`RS (press)`
Interact	`Mouse 1`	`Cross`	`A`
Inventory	`I`	`Options`	`Menu`
Map	`M`	`Touchpad`	`View`

LMBMove / interactRMBCancel actionMMBRotate cameraM4unboundM5unboundScroll ↑ZoomScroll ↓Zoom

Highlighted keys carry a default action; hover or tap a key for every action bound to it.

Action	Default key
Exploration
Move / interactClick the ground to move, click objects to use them.	`Mouse 1`
Move with keys (optional)Character movement with WASD is a toggle in Options › Controls; by default WASD moves the camera.	`W / A / S / D`
Jump	`Z`
Sneak / stealth	`C`
Highlight objects	`Left Alt (hold)`
Group / ungroup party	`G`
Select character 1–4	`F1 / F2 / F3 / F4`
Select all	`F5`
Camera
Camera	`W / A / S / D`
Rotate camera	`Mouse 3 (hold) or Delete / End`
Zoom	`Scroll Up / Scroll Down`
Center camera on character	`Home`
Tactical view	`O`
Combat
Hotbar slots	`1 – 0, then Shift + 1 – 0`
End turn	`Space`
Toggle turn-based mode	`Left Shift + Space`
Cancel action	`Escape / Mouse 2`
Interface
Inventory	`I`
Character sheet	`N`
Spellbook	`K`
Journal	`L`
Map	`M`
Rest / camp	`R`
Quick save / loadF5 quick-saves outside combat; check for a conflict with Select All in your keybind list.	`F5 / F8`

Show

Action	PlayStation	Xbox	Switch
Exploration
Move	`L3`	`LS`	`L3`
Camera	`R3`	`RS`	`R3`
Interact / confirm	`Cross`	`A`	`B`
Cancel / back	`Circle`	`B`	`A`
JumpOpens the jump targeting; confirm with Cross/A.	`Square`	`X`	`Y`
Sneak	`Triangle`	`Y`	`X`
Switch character	`D-pad Left / Right`	`D-pad Left / Right`	`D-pad Left / Right`
Highlight objects	`L3 (press)`	`LS (press)`	`L3 (press)`
Combat
Radial action menuHold to open; flick the stick to choose; multiple radials on L1/R1.	`R2`	`RT`	`ZR`
Switch radial	`L1 / R1`	`LB / RB`	`L / R`
End turn	`Triangle (hold)`	`Y (hold)`	`X (hold)`
Camera
Tactical view	`R3 (press)`	`RS (press)`	`R3 (press)`
Interface
Inventory / menus	`Options`	`Menu`	`+`
Map / journal	`Touchpad`	`View`	`Touchpad`

Switch labels are derived from the PlayStation and Xbox layouts where the game uses the standard mapping; games without a Switch release show the equivalent position only.

Settings that change how the bindings feel

Recommended starting settings

Baldur's Gate 3 puts its camera on keys most people never find, and puts the four most-used ones on a row a compact keyboard does not have. The settings below are mostly about getting the camera and the party back under your left hand.

Keybindings

Tactical Camera Learn it, then rebind it

Defaults to O. The top-down view is the only way to read a fight on uneven ground, and it is on a key nobody presses by accident — which is why half the players who struggle with positioning have never opened it. PC

Character select 1–4 Move off the F-row

F1 to F4 pick a party member and F5 selects everyone. On a 60% board none of those keys exist — measured, this is the game that loses the most bindings to a compact keyboard. Moving them to the number row costs nothing and makes a four-character fight one hand instead of two. PC

Centre camera on character Rebind from Home

Home is in the navigation cluster, which a 60% and a 65% board both leave out. It is the key you press after every camera drift, so it belongs somewhere your hand already is. PC

Camera rotation Q and E, or middle mouse

Both work and they suit different hands: Q and E keep the mouse free for targeting, the middle-mouse drag is faster for a big sweep. The default also offers Delete and End, which is the third option and the one to abandon. PC

Gameplay

Karmic Dice Off OnOff

Not a control, but the setting people most often do not know is on. It quietly nudges rolls towards a fairer-feeling distribution; turning it off gives you the maths the rulebook describes.

Reach check · your keyboard, this game

Can your board actually play Baldur's Gate 3?

Every default bind, re-scored against the keyboard you own. Distance is measured from the left hand resting on WASD, because that is where it stays while you play.

On a 60% board Baldur's Gate 3 loses 9 keys. Delete, End, Home, F1, F2, F3, F4, F5 and F8 are not on that board at all — so rotate camera, center camera on character, select character 1–4, select all and 1 more have nowhere to live until you rebind them. Do that before the first match rather than during it. How that compares with every other game.

Mouse 1 Move / interact
W / A / S / D Move with keys (optional)
W / A / S / D Camera
Mouse 3 (hold) or Delete / End Rotate camera
Scroll Up / Scroll Down Zoom
Home Center camera on character
O Tactical view
Z Jump
C Sneak / stealth
Left Alt (hold) Highlight objects
G Group / ungroup party
F1 / F2 / F3 / F4 Select character 1–4
F5 Select all
1 – 0, then Shift + 1 – 0 Hotbar slots
Space End turn
Left Shift + Space Toggle turn-based mode
Escape / Mouse 2 Cancel action
I Inventory
N Character sheet
K Spellbook
L Journal
M Map
R Rest / camp
F5 / F8 Quick save / load

On the keys: your hand is already there
Comfortable: a finger moves, the hand does not
Stretch: the hand lifts, movement wobbles
Off movement: you let go of A and D to press it
Not on this board: the key does not physically exist

Reach uses the same key geometry as BindIQ, which can rebuild the whole layout for you once you know what is out of reach. Mouse buttons always count as reachable — your right hand is already there.

How that compares

9 keys missing 60%9 gone65%7 gonetenkeylessall there 60% keyboard check 25 of the 70 games we score lose a key on a 60%, and this is one of them.

One line per question

How to do the things people search for in Baldur's Gate 3

Generated from the default bindings above, so an action and its key can never disagree.

How to crouch in Baldur's Gate 3 on PC and controller?

To crouch in Baldur's Gate 3, press C on PC, Triangle on PlayStation and Y on Xbox.

How to throw a grenade in Baldur's Gate 3 on PC and controller?

To throw a grenade in Baldur's Gate 3, press O on PC, R3 (press) on PlayStation and RS (press) on Xbox.

How to interact or pick things up in Baldur's Gate 3 on PC and controller?

To interact or pick things up in Baldur's Gate 3, press Mouse 1 on PC, Cross on PlayStation and A on Xbox. Click the ground to move, click objects to use them.

How to open the inventory in Baldur's Gate 3 on PC and controller?

To open the inventory in Baldur's Gate 3, press I on PC, Options on PlayStation and Menu on Xbox.

How to open the map in Baldur's Gate 3 on PC and controller?

To open the map in Baldur's Gate 3, press M on PC, Touchpad on PlayStation and View on Xbox.

Quick answers

Can I move with WASD in Baldur's Gate 3?

Yes since Patch 3: turn on Character Movement in Options › Controls (or rebind) and WASD moves the selected character instead of the camera. Many players keep camera on WASD and click to move.

How do I jump?

Press Z (Square/X on controller), pick the landing spot and confirm. Jump distance depends on Strength; characters follow only if the group is linked.

How do I enter turn-based mode outside combat?

Left Shift + Space toggles turn-based mode for stealth or timing puzzles. On controller open the radial and choose Turn-Based Mode.

How do I split the party?

Drag a portrait away from the group or press G with a character selected to ungroup; press G again to regroup. Split characters can sneak and position separately.

Why are console controls so different?

The console version is built around radial menus (R2/RT) instead of hotbars, so actions, spells and items live in wheels you flick through with the bumpers.

Similar games

Controls for similar games

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Where to go from here

Next steps for Baldur's Gate 3

Mouse DPI analyzerMeasure the DPI your mouse really delivers before you change anything in game.Gamepad testerSee every button, trigger and stick of your controller live, before blaming the game.Controller deadzone tunerFind the smallest deadzone that hides drift without swallowing slow aim in BG3.Stick drift testFive-second resting sample, so a wandering camera is not blamed on the game.Keyboard ghosting testCheck the combinations BG3 holds down at once actually reach the game.