VALORANT Controls & Best Keybinds for Your Keyboard (2026)

The keys people look up first

VALORANT 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	`Left Ctrl`	`R3 (press)`	`RS (press)`
Jump	`Space`	`Cross`	`A`
Melee	`3`
Reload	`R`	`Square`	`X`
Aim / ADS	`Mouse 2`	`L2`	`LT`
Switch weapon		`Triangle`	`Y`
Interact	`F`	`Square (hold)`	`X (hold)`
Map	`M`	`Touchpad`	`View`

LMBFireRMBAlternate fire / scopeMMBunboundM4unboundM5unboundScroll ↑Cycle weaponsScroll ↓Cycle weapons

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

Action	Default key
Movement
Move	`W / A / S / D`
Walk (quiet)Hold; footsteps become silent.	`Left Shift`
CrouchHold by default.	`Left Ctrl`
Jump	`Space`
Combat
Fire	`Mouse 1`
Alternate fire / scope	`Mouse 2`
Reload	`R`
Primary weapon	`1`
Secondary weapon	`2`
Melee	`3`
SpikeEquip, then hold Mouse 1 on a site to plant; hold F on an enemy spike to defuse.	`4`
Cycle weapons	`Scroll Up / Scroll Down`
Drop weapon	`G`
Inspect weapon	`Y`
Abilities
Ability 1	`C`
Ability 2	`Q`
Signature ability (3)	`E`
Ultimate	`X`
Interface
Use object / interactDefuse, pick up orbs, open doors.	`F`
PingHold for the ping wheel.	`Z`
Map	`M`
Scoreboard	`Tab`
Shop	`B`
Team voice (push to talk)	`V`
Party voice	`U`
Chat	`Enter`

Show

Action	PlayStation	Xbox	Switch
Movement
Move	`L3`	`LS`	`L3`
Look	`R3`	`RS`	`R3`
Walk	`L3 (press)`	`LS (press)`	`L3 (press)`
Crouch	`R3 (press)`	`RS (press)`	`R3 (press)`
Jump	`Cross`	`A`	`B`
Combat
Fire	`R2`	`RT`	`ZR`
Scope / alternate fire	`L2`	`LT`	`ZL`
Reload	`Square`	`X`	`Y`
Switch weapon	`Triangle`	`Y`	`X`
Abilities
Ability 1 / 2	`L1 / R1`	`LB / RB`	`L1 / R1`
Signature ability	`Circle`	`B`	`A`
Ultimate	`L1 + R1`	`LB + RB`	`L + R`
Interface
Interact / defuse	`Square (hold)`	`X (hold)`	`Square (hold)`
Ping	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`	`D-pad Up`
Map	`Touchpad`	`View`	`Touchpad`
Shop	`Options`	`Menu`	`+`

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.

Reach check · your keyboard, this game

Can your board actually play VALORANT?

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.

W / A / S / D Move
Left Shift Walk (quiet)
Left Ctrl Crouch
Space Jump
Mouse 1 Fire
Mouse 2 Alternate fire / scope
R Reload
1 Primary weapon
2 Secondary weapon
3 Melee
4 Spike
Scroll Up / Scroll Down Cycle weapons
G Drop weapon
Y Inspect weapon
C Ability 1
Q Ability 2
E Signature ability (3)
X Ultimate
F Use object / interact
Z Ping
M Map
Tab Scoreboard
B Shop
V Team voice (push to talk)
U Party voice
Enter Chat

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.

One line per question

How to do the things people search for in VALORANT

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

How to crouch in VALORANT on PC and controller?

To crouch in VALORANT, press Left Ctrl on PC, R3 (press) on PlayStation and RS (press) on Xbox. Hold by default.

How to jump in VALORANT on PC and controller?

To jump in VALORANT, press Space on PC, Cross on PlayStation and A on Xbox.

How to melee in VALORANT on PC?

To melee in VALORANT, press 3 on PC.

How to reload in VALORANT on PC and controller?

To reload in VALORANT, press R on PC, Square on PlayStation and X on Xbox.

How to aim down sights in VALORANT on PC and controller?

To aim down sights in VALORANT, press Mouse 2 on PC, L2 on PlayStation and LT on Xbox.

How to switch weapons in VALORANT on controller?

To switch weapons in VALORANT, press Triangle on PlayStation and Y on Xbox.

How to interact or pick things up in VALORANT on PC and controller?

To interact or pick things up in VALORANT, press F on PC, Square (hold) on PlayStation and X (hold) on Xbox. Defuse, pick up orbs, open doors.

How to open the map in VALORANT on PC and controller?

To open the map in VALORANT, press M on PC, Touchpad on PlayStation and View on Xbox.

How to open chat in VALORANT on PC?

To open chat in VALORANT, press V on PC.

Quick answers

What are the default ability keys in VALORANT?

C for Ability 1, Q for Ability 2, E for the Signature ability and X for the Ultimate. They sit around WASD so every ability is one finger away.

How do I plant and defuse the spike?

Press 4 to equip the spike and hold Mouse 1 while standing inside the site marker. To defuse, look at the planted spike and hold F; releasing early keeps the progress at the halfway point only.

How do I walk silently?

Hold Left Shift while moving. Walking removes footstep audio and stops the minimap from showing you; it is slower, so release it before you need to reposition fast.

Is there a ping key?

Yes: tap Z to place a marker where you look, or hold Z for the wheel with enemy, caution and watching-here pings. Teammates hear and see it.

What is the VALORANT console layout?

Fire and scope on the triggers, abilities on the bumpers and Circle/B, ultimate on both bumpers together, with Focus mode on the right stick for slower precise aiming.

Where to go from here

Next steps for VALORANT

Sensitivity converterBring the cm/360 you already trust into VAL instead of guessing a number.eDPI calculatorWork out where your VAL sensitivity sits and what it becomes if you change DPI.Controller deadzone tunerFind the smallest deadzone that hides drift without swallowing slow aim in VAL.Stick drift testFive-second resting sample, so a wandering camera is not blamed on the game.Input latency testReaction time, event-to-frame delay and controller update rate in one pass.