Open world action · PC · PlayStation · Xbox

Grand Theft Auto V controls & keybinds

GTA V has separate layouts on foot, in vehicles and on the phone, and the same key often does different jobs in each. The defaults below are the on-foot and driving keys most searched for.

The keys people look up first

Grand Theft Auto V 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
Sprint / run	`Left Shift`	`Cross (tap)`	`A (tap)`
Jump	`Space`	`Square`	`X`
Melee	`R`
Reload	`R`
Aim / ADS	`Mouse 2`	`L2`	`LT`
Interact	`E`
Map	`Escape`
Mount / vehicle	`F`	`Triangle`	`Y`

The rest of this game, drawn

Six pages and they are not interchangeable: two measure the pad in your hands, two are the reference you look a binding up in, one is the launch record and one checks your storage. Every figure below is counted from what the page holds.

35 cheats tasks58hunts5/10groups5 GTA V input lab Does squeezing the throttle move the thumb that steers? Measured on your own pad. 4 layers days16facts21changed2 GTA VI input lab VI drops the auto-lock. Four benches for the skills that suddenly matter. 45 bindings pad18keys27groups3 GTA V controls You are here 18 shown rockstar12preview9unknown5 GTA VI controls Only what has been demonstrated — Triangle gentle, Circle forceful — dated and sourced. 16 days left platforms2expected8editions2 GTA VI release The launch record: 19 November 2026, platforms, editions, and what has moved. 210 GB, reported consoles5days9platforms2 GTA VI file size No disc, so every copy downloads. Will it fit on your console before pre-load?

Artwork via Steam and Rockstar Games .

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

Action	Default key
On foot
Move	`W / A / S / D`
SprintTap repeatedly to sprint faster on older builds; hold on current.	`Left Shift`
Jump / climb	`Space`
Take cover	`Q`
Fire	`Mouse 1`
Aim	`Mouse 2`
Reload	`R`
Weapon wheelHold to open, scroll to pick.	`Tab`
MeleeWith no weapon or a melee weapon equipped.	`R`
Interact / talk	`E`
Enter / exit vehicle	`F`
Special ability	`Caps Lock`
Switch characterHold for the character wheel.	`Left Alt`
Interface
Phone	`Up arrow`
Change camera	`V`
Interaction menu (Online)	`M`
Pause / mapZ shows the expanded minimap briefly.	`Escape`
Push to talk	`N`
Driving
Accelerate	`W`
Brake / reverse	`S`
Steer	`A / D`
Handbrake	`Space`
Horn	`E`
Look behind	`C`
Headlights	`H`
Radio (cycle)Hold Q for the radio wheel.	`Q`
Cinematic camera	`R`

Show

Action	PlayStation	Xbox	Switch
On foot
Move	`L3`	`LS`	`L3`
Sprint	`Cross (tap)`	`A (tap)`	`B (tap)`
Jump / climb	`Square`	`X`	`Y`
Take cover	`R1`	`RB`	`R`
Fire	`R2`	`RT`	`ZR`
Aim	`L2`	`LT`	`ZL`
Weapon wheel	`L1 (hold)`	`LB (hold)`	`L (hold)`
Enter / exit vehicle	`Triangle`	`Y`	`X`
Special ability	`L3 + R3`	`LS + RS`	`L3 + R3`
Character wheel	`D-pad Down (hold)`	`D-pad Down (hold)`	`D-pad Down (hold)`
Driving
Accelerate / brake	`R2 / L2`	`RT / LT`	`ZR / ZL`
Handbrake	`R1`	`RB`	`R`
Horn	`L3 (press)`	`LS (press)`	`L3 (press)`
Look behind	`R3 (press)`	`RS (press)`	`R3 (press)`
Radio	`D-pad Left / Right`	`D-pad Left / Right`	`D-pad Left / Right`
Interface
Phone	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`
Change camera	`Touchpad`	`View`	`Touchpad`
Interaction menu (Online)	`Touchpad (hold)`	`View (hold)`	`Touchpad (hold)`

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

One control setting in GTA decides who you play against. Targeting Mode splits Online into free-aim lobbies and assisted lobbies, so it is a matchmaking choice as much as an aiming one — and the deadzone sliders under it ship high enough to feel like input lag.

Settings → Controls

Targeting Mode Free Aim Assisted Aim - FullAssisted Aim - PartialFree Aim - AssistedFree Aim

The only control setting in this library that decides who you play against. Online puts free-aim players in free-aim lobbies and assisted players in assisted ones, so this is a matchmaking choice wearing an aiming setting's clothes — and switching it after you have learned one is starting over.

Aim Assist Strength Maximum, on assisted only 0 – 10

Preset locks this Greyed out entirely on the free-aim modes, which is the clearest sign the game treats the two as separate games. On assisted there is no argument for a middle value: you are already in an assisted lobby with people running it at full. Controller

Third Person Aim Deadzone 0 – 2 0 – 10

Stick travel the game throws away before aiming starts. Rockstar ships it high enough to feel like input lag, and dropping it is the change most console players notice immediately. Go as low as your sticks allow without drifting on their own. Controller

Find your stick's real floor

Third Person Aim Acceleration 0 – 2 0 – 10

How much the camera speeds up the longer you hold the stick over. At the default the same stick push turns a different amount depending on how long you have held it, which is exactly the thing that stops aim from becoming muscle memory. Controller

First Person Look Sensitivity Match the third-person value 0 – 14

GTA keeps four separate sliders — look and aim, first and third person — and ships them at different values. Setting them to match is what makes switching camera mid-chase stop feeling like a different game.

Mouse Driving Control Off OnOff

Steers the car with the mouse. It sounds like it should be better than A and D and it is not, because a car's steering is an axis with a return spring and a mouse has neither. Worth trying once in a slow vehicle so you stop wondering. PC

Vibration Off OnOff

Rumble moves the stick you are aiming with, and GTA rumbles for road surface as well as for gunfire. Off is a shooting setting here, not a comfort one. Controller

Settings → Camera

First Person Vehicle Auto-Center Off OnOff

On, the in-car view snaps back to the windscreen whenever you stop looking around. That is a fight with every mirror check and every shot out of a side window, which is most of what first-person driving is for.

Reach check · your keyboard, this game

Can your board actually play Grand Theft Auto V?

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 Grand Theft Auto V loses a key. Up arrow is not on that board at all — so phone has nowhere to live until you rebind it. How that compares with every other game.

W / A / S / D Move
Left Shift Sprint
Space Jump / climb
Q Take cover
Mouse 1 Fire
Mouse 2 Aim
R Reload
Tab Weapon wheel
R Melee
E Interact / talk
F Enter / exit vehicle
Caps Lock Special ability
Left Alt Switch character
Up arrow Phone
W Accelerate
S Brake / reverse
A / D Steer
Space Handbrake
E Horn
C Look behind
H Headlights
Q Radio (cycle)
R Cinematic camera
V Change camera
M Interaction menu (Online)
Escape Pause / map
N Push to talk

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

1 key missing 60%1 gone65%all theretenkeylessall there 60% keyboard check 25 of the 70 games we score lose a key on a 60%, and this is one of them.

Grand Theft Auto V control lab

A controller layout, translated key by key

GTA V's PC controls read strangely because they are not a PC design. Each console input was mapped to whatever keyboard key was free at the time, so a two-stick click became Caps Lock and a d-pad direction became an arrow key. Once you see the pairing, the odd binds stop looking arbitrary — and it becomes obvious which three are worth moving.

Action	Controller	Keyboard	What it costs you
Special ability	`L3 + R3`	`Caps Lock`	Clicking both sticks had no keyboard equivalent, so it landed on the one key nobody else uses — and the one push-to-talk software often claims
Phone	`D-pad Up`	`Up arrow`	A thumb direction became an arrow key at the far right, so answering a call means letting go of movement
Character wheel	`D-pad Down, held`	`Left Alt, held`	A held key that Windows also wants; releasing it over the wrong slice switches you to Trevor mid-mission
Weapon wheel	`L1, held`	`Tab, held`	A bumper your finger rests on became a key your left hand must hold while still steering with WASD
Melee and reload	`Circle and R2 — two separate buttons`	`R for both`	Two console buttons collapsed into one PC key, decided by whether a gun is equipped
Horn	`L3 press`	`E`	Shares interact and talk, which is why you sound the horn when you meant to speak to someone
Handbrake	`R1`	`Space`	Jump and handbrake on one key, separated only by whether you are in a car

Three are worth changing and the rest are fine once you know the pairing. Special ability off Caps Lock, because voice software steals it and because it is a long reach in a firefight. Phone off the arrow keys, onto something your left hand owns. Melee off R, if you play on foot often — sharing a key with reload means an empty magazine turns a punch into a reload at exactly the wrong moment. Leave the wheels on Tab and Alt; they are held, not tapped, and moving them tends to create new conflicts.

One line per question

How to do the things people search for in Grand Theft Auto V

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

How to sprint in Grand Theft Auto V on PC and controller?

To sprint in Grand Theft Auto V, press Left Shift on PC, Cross (tap) on PlayStation and A (tap) on Xbox. Tap repeatedly to sprint faster on older builds; hold on current.

How to jump in Grand Theft Auto V on PC and controller?

To jump in Grand Theft Auto V, press Space on PC, Square on PlayStation and X on Xbox.

How to melee in Grand Theft Auto V on PC?

To melee in Grand Theft Auto V, press R on PC. With no weapon or a melee weapon equipped.

How to reload in Grand Theft Auto V on PC?

To reload in Grand Theft Auto V, press R on PC.

How to aim in Grand Theft Auto V on PC and controller?

To aim in Grand Theft Auto V, press Mouse 2 on PC, L2 on PlayStation and LT on Xbox.

How to interact or pick things up in Grand Theft Auto V on PC?

To interact or pick things up in Grand Theft Auto V, press E on PC.

How to open the map in Grand Theft Auto V on PC?

To open the map in Grand Theft Auto V, press Escape on PC. Z shows the expanded minimap briefly.

How to get on a mount or into a vehicle in Grand Theft Auto V on PC and controller?

To get on a mount or into a vehicle in Grand Theft Auto V, press F on PC, Triangle on PlayStation and Y on Xbox.

How to open chat in Grand Theft Auto V on PC?

To open chat in Grand Theft Auto V, press N on PC.

Quick answers

How do I switch characters in GTA V on PC?

Hold Left Alt to open the character wheel, move the mouse to Michael, Franklin or Trevor and release. In Online the same wheel opens the player and settings shortcuts.

What key opens the Interaction Menu in GTA Online?

M on keyboard; on controller hold the touchpad or View button. It holds outfits, vehicle access and organisation options.

How do I use the special ability?

Press Caps Lock on PC or push both sticks in on controller when the ability bar is charged. Each character has a different one.

How do I open the weapon wheel?

Hold Tab (PC) or LB/L1 (controller); the game slows while the wheel is open, scroll or move the stick to choose, release to equip.

Why is my radio key also the cover key?

Q is context sensitive: cover on foot, radio in a vehicle. Most on-foot keys change meaning when you are driving, which is why the table separates the two.

Does Targeting Mode change GTA Online matchmaking?

Yes, and it is the reason to choose it carefully. Free-aim players are put in free-aim lobbies and assisted players in assisted ones, so the two never meet — this is a lobby choice as much as an aiming one.

Why does aiming in GTA V feel delayed on a controller?

The deadzone ships high. Settings › Controls › Third Person Aim Deadzone throws away stick travel before aiming begins, and dropping it to the floor your sticks allow removes most of what feels like input lag.

Where to go from here

Next steps for Grand Theft Auto V

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 GTA V.Stick drift testFive-second resting sample, so a wandering camera is not blamed on the game.Keyboard ghosting testCheck the combinations GTA V holds down at once actually reach the game.