Whenever it comes to playing a new game, trying to figure out the controls can be pretty difficult. Although, in my experience, many Survival Games utilize similar keybinds, the reality is that I struggled with Grounded quite a bit because there were a number of hidden menus I didn’t know I could access with a simple press of a button on my keyboard.
Admittedly, in my time streaming Grounded I rotated between playing on Mouse and Keyboard (my preferred method) and Controller depending on how bad my carpal tunnel was acting up, making the understanding of what to do a bit more confusing. Though this was the case, I feel like it was good for me as a gamer as I can now share my knowledge with you and let you know what the most important keybinds you will need to use are for both Controller and Mouse and Keyboard.
So, let’s get started on discussing what the hotkeys and controls you’re going to need in Grounded are.
Note: Of course, any of these keybinds can be changed at any point, so if you are unhappy with them, please change them. I will give you some alternatives though these will depend on what you’re more comfortable with at the end of the day.
TOGGLES
Before I start diving into the different things that are Hotkeyed in Grounded, I wanted to cover the toggles you have options for, just in case you want to turn these on or off based on your needs.
Admittedly, I have all of these turned off, but that’s because I’m not a huge fan of toggles in comparison to simple responsive actions, but every gamer is different.
The toggles are as follows:
INVERT HORIZONTAL LOOK
When Invert Horizontal Look is turned on players will look right when they move their mouse left and vice versa. I personally don’t like this form of Invert and if a game has invert on default, I commonly switch it off.
INVERT VERTICAL LOOK
When Invert Vertical Look is turned on players will look up when they move their mouse down and vice versa. I personally don’t like this form of Invert and if a game has invert on default, I commonly switch it off.
TOGGLE CROUCH
While Toggle Crouch can be very useful. I’m a wee bit of a himbo who doesn’t realize he’s started crouching and then questions what is happening. I personally choose to keep it off in case I do stupid things, but if you’re someone who actually knows when they’ve crouched and has no problems, I recommend having it on.
TOGGLE SPRINT
The Sprint Toggle is hit and miss for me as Sprint has to do with your Stamina. Admittedly, I tend to have this toggle off as I don’t mind holding down shift while running, given that most of the games I play require you to do this and do not have a toggle, but if you want to get rid of the stretch in your hand or are predominantly using your auto-run, this is very useful.
The only thing to keep in mind when you have Toggle Sprint turned on is the fact that your Sprint is directly connected to your Stamina. This comes at a player’s detriment if they are in battle as both Sprint and Attacks will consume Stamina. If you do not have any Stamina, you will not be able to attack enemies, thus leaving you very vulnerable.
This is the biggest reason I have Toggle Sprint off, because I see my himbo brain toggling Sprint in the middle of a battle and wasting all of my Stamina running instead of burst running and attacking in between. Again, if you are not like me, Toggle Sprint is awesome. If you are… keep it off, it will save you a lot of stress.
LEVEL CAMERA ON SPRINT
I have to say, this is actually a pretty useful if you’re someone who tends to get jolty with your mouse and keyboard as players may get into situations where they are looking up or down before they sprint. While this isn’t typically a problem, it can negatively impact a player if they are attempting to run away speedily or if a player tends to get motion sick from both running and waving their camera around.
Typically I have this off and don’t need it, but if you’re streaming this game or are prone to motion sickness, this may be a good idea to turn on.
This setting will force the camera to level with the horizon whenever players begin sprinting.
CHARACTER CONTROLS
Characters Controls in Grounded are quite simple and pretty standard for any Survival Game. I have to say, for most of the keybinds I didn’t end up switching them. There are a few that felt extremely unintuitive and quite frankly these were the ones I didn’t know existed until I had changed them.
MOVE FORWARD
By default the keybind to move forward is W, players can also use their Up Arrow Key, though I recommend rebinding this key. This is pretty standard for Survival Games and I wouldn’t change it.
MOVE BACKWARDS
By default the keybind to move backwards is S, players can also use their Down Arrow Key, though I recommend rebinding this. This is pretty standard for Survival Games and I wouldn’t change it.
STRAFE LEFT
By default the keybind to move to the left is A. While this is called strafe, this is the only way to move to your left, though your character will continue to look forward which is why it’s called a strafe. This is pretty standard for Survival Games and I wouldn’t change it.
STRAFE RIGHT
By default the keybind to move to the right is D. While this is called strafe, this is the only way to move to your left, though your character will continue to look forward which is why it’s called a strafe. This is pretty standard for Survival Games and I wouldn’t change it.
TURN LEFT
The turn left keybind is mostly important for players who do not want to use their Mouse as much. Essentially, this forces the character to actually look left versus moving left. Players can achieve this by using the Left Arrow Key, though I have to say, I prefer just moving my Mouse to the left.
Given the fact that this keybind exists, I’m curious how fluid playing only on your keyboard can be and if it’s actually manageable. So know that it exists if you want to use it.
TURN RIGHT
The turn right keybind is mostly important for players who do not want to use their Mouse as much. Essentially, this forces the character to actually look left versus moving left. Players can achieve this by using the Right Arrow Key, though I have to say, I prefer just moving my Mouse to the left.
Given the fact that this keybind exists, I’m curious how fluid playing only on your keyboard can be and if it’s actually manageable. So know that it exists if you want to use it.
LOOK UP
By Default the Look Up Hotkey is not bound to anything, though I would recommend binding it to the Top/Up Arrow Key as this makes the most sense and is by default bound to something that already has a keybind attached to it.
LOOK DOWN
By Default the Look Up Hotkey is not bound to anything, though I would recommend binding it to the Bottom/Down Arrow Key as this makes the most sense and is by default bound to something that already has a keybind attached to it.
AUTORUN
I have to say, it took me forever to find out that there was actually an Autorun key in the game. Funny enough, I remember very clearly calling out to my husband saying that Grounded should add an Autorun key into the game and he just sheepishly said… “there is, it’s ‘J‘”
I have to say, I hate that the hotkey is J because it feels so difficult to reach, so I’ve changed mine to “R.” Now, the only issue with this is that it will get rid of the default keybind for throwing your Weapon.
Admittedly for me this isn’t as much of an issue as I’m constantly throwing my weapons by mistake and I have bound the Middle Mouse Button as this makes more sense to me.
Alternatively, if players have a Gaming Mouse they can keybind N or any other button to their Mouse, which admittedly I should have done, but I’m admittedly a very lazy boy who doesn’t like changing his keybinds so he doesn’t mess up a run in FFXIV because I forgot to reset my Mouse’s buttons.
JUMP
Jump is going to be very important and is set to the most ideal button already by default. Players can simply jump by hitting their Spacebar.
INTERACT (USE)
To interact in Grounded players will have to use the traditional Survival hotkey of E. I personally would never change this keybind since it makes the most sense for me as a gamer, but if you’re not used to Survival games you can change this to something else.
INTERACT (CANCEL)
To cancel your interaction by default you will use the X button. While it’s a bit of a stretch to get to, I actually don’t mind it. The only other button I would ever really change it to is Escape, but this is only because there are some Survival Games where this is the default. The only issue for this is that you’ll have to change the option for entering the Main Menu.
ATTACK
To Attack players will have to use their Mouse Left Button. Although players will be able to spam attacks, players must be conscious of their Stamina as if a player has no Stamina they will not be able to attack at all. This also includes Bows. Players Unlike melee Weapons, players must hold their Mouse Left Button (unless it’s a crossbow), but it will consume Stamina period.
Players are going to want to make sure they balance how much stamina they consume versus how often they damage.
BLOCK
To Block players will need to hit their Mouse Right Button, however, players will either need a shield or a particular Weapon that allows a block.
THROW/HUCK
By Default players will be able to chuck a Tool, Weapon, Pebblet or anything else that is on their HotPouch with the R button. For me, I found this extremely problematic as in most other Survival Games this is my Run or Auto Run button.
That being said, sometimes when I was trying to reach for E I would hit R and mistakenly hit R, resulting in me throwing whatever was in my HotPouch. Yes, that is infact how clumsy I can be with my keyboard, so if you ever see me fail on stream… this may be what happened.
While you wouldn’t think that Throwing an item, especially a Weapon is a good idea, this is actually a mistake. The reality is that some Weapons are actually better when thrown and should never be used to outright hit an enemy as it will actually deal significantly less damage, one of the most obvious Weapons being the Spear.
Not only this, but in your early days you’re going to want to chuck things like Pebblets at Dew Drops in order to combat your thirst needs. While in the mid-game this becomes less of a problem as players can either cut down Grass to get to the Dew or can simply use an apparatus like the Dew Collector to get all the water they need.
Even if you’re not wielding a Weapon that requires you to throw it to maximize your damage, I would recommend rebinding this to your Middle Mouse Button, or if you like the R to chuck, I would rebind your Autorun to the Middle Mouse Button.
In my opinion, due to the use of both of these hotkeys, these are the most interchangeable.
UNLOAD
If players are carrying resources such as Grass they will be able to place a single strand down at a time using G. While players typically won’t be doing this as they will want to utilize the resources they collect immediately on a wall, they will want to use the Unload to fill up a pallet for safekeeping.
SPRINT
Sprinting is going to be extremely important for players, especially if they are attempting to collect resources or are in the middle of battle. As with Attacks, players will consume Stamina for Sprinting so they need to be conscious of how fast they Sprint and for how long as after a player runs for long enough they will become exhausted and resort to walking.
Players can Sprint by using their Left Shift and will need to hold it down by default unless they have the toggle on.
CROUCH
I’m not going to lie. I don’t understand the point of crouching in Grounded. Bugs can still see you pretty well and other than memeing about with friends, I haven’t really used it much.
If players wish to Crouch they can simply do so with their Left Control. Players will need to hold this button down to stay in a crouch unless they have the toggle on.
USE PEEP.R
The PEEP.R is essentially like a telescope in grounded and allows players to see a bit further than they typically are able to. I don’t use PEEP.R mode very often, though with the newest update in Grounded it has become a very useful thing to use as you can actually research Bugs.
To Enter PEEP.R Mode players can use the X button.
EXIT PEEP.R
When players have finished up with their Peeper they can hit the same button they used to open the PEEP.R, being X.
PEEP CREATURE
To PEEP a creature players will have to hold down E.
HOT DEPOSIT NEARBY STORAGE
One of my favourite things about Grounded is the fact that a player can easily deposit anything in their inventory quickly and efficiently. Players can do so by using N, but they will need to be close enough to the storage that has the items you need to deposit.
SWIM UP
When a player is underwater they can use the default keybind of Space to swim upwards. I would strongly recommend keeping this the same as it is the same keybind as jump and switching it to another hotkey may make it difficult to swim as efficiently.
SWIM DOWN
Swimming Down uses a keybind that is a bit more confusing for players who haven’t played too many survival games. Although I didn’t personally change it, players may want to if they find it uncomfortable to hit as it is Left Control. Players will have to hold down the Left Control in order to keep swimming down.
Admittedly this isn’t the biggest stretch with your hand, but it depends on… well… your hand.
GLIDE
Gliding is a skill that players will only gain access to if they have a Dandelion Tuft. When players have equipped this all they have to do is jump and hold Left Shift to Glide until the tuft has depleted.
Players will have to keep an eye on their Dandelion Tuft as if it is consumed before a player lands they will come crashing into the ground, risking taking fall damage. Players are able to Fall from high places and pull out their Glider right before they land in order to break Fall Damage completely, being one of the better strategies in the long run.
EQUIP PREVIOUS
Although I personally don’t use it often, the Equip Previous is such a useful keybind for players who are switching their Tools or Weapons regularly. Essentially this is most useful when players have a filled up HotPouch and have to reach for something way at the end for a second and then must switch back quickly.
Admittedly, I’m very used to switching Weapons and Tools quickly due to the other Survival Games I play which don’t have a hotkey like this, but if players would like to utilize this awesome keybind all they will have to do is hit Q.
Repeatedly hitting Q will switch between the last two Weapons or Tools you used.
CAMERA MODE TOGGLE
The Camera Mode Toggle may be confusing for players when players see it in their keybinds, but it’s actually something that’s great to keep in mind especially if you’re not a fan of playing video games in a first-person view.
Personally, I prefer playing in third-person for most video games, but I notice for Grounded I tend to alternate quite bit
In order to cycle between first and third-person mode in Grounded players will have to hit U.
TOGGLE MARKERS (BACKPACK, BUILD AND TRAIL)
Markers are going to be one of the easiest ways to travel around the World, especially because it can be a hassle to open up the map and use it to travel. Though I do typically use my map a good portion of the time.
There are three different Markers that will appear on the map, Build Markers, Trail Markers as well as dropped Backpack Markers.
Typically I always have Markers on, though if it feels overwhelming to always see them, you can simply turn them on or off using Y.
HOT KEYS FOR INVENTORY/HOTBAR (AKA “HOTPOUCH”)
For any of you survival heads, you’re not going to need me to explain how a Hotbar or HotPouch works as they all pretty much work in the same manner.
Players have one way to access anything they place on their HotPouch in Grounded, by clicking the corresponding button that has to do with the slot. Now, this isn’t very uncommon now that I have played more Survival Games, but I assumed that any Hotbar or HotPouch would work the same way as in Minecraft, by allowing you to use your Scroll Wheel to select the item they would like.
Unfortunately, no matter what a player does, they will not be able to use their Scroll Wheel to switch what item they are using. I wish there was a way to do this as this is my preferred method of selecting an item, but nope!
SLOT 1
By default Slot 1 is the 1 on your keyboard.
SLOT 2
By default Slot 2 is the 2 on your keyboard.
SLOT 3
By default Slot 3 is the 3 on your keyboard.
SLOT 4
By default Slot 4 is the 4 on your keyboard.
SLOT 5
By default Slot 5 is the 5 on your keyboard.
SLOT 6
By default Slot 6 is the 6 on your keyboard.
SLOT 7
By default Slot 7 is the 7 on your keyboard.
SLOT 8
By default Slot 8 is the 8 on your keyboard.
PHOTO MODE
For those of you who want to take pictures in the gorgeous world, you’re going to want to know all of the keybinds that are associated with the Photo Mode.
Admittedly, as much as I find Grounded to be a gorgeous game with a number of very beautiful areas and such great boca for photography, I’m really not a huge fan of the way that the Camera functions in Photo Mode.
Realistically, when players learn all the keybinds for Photo Mode, it will become a lot easier to navigate and take better photos, but let me tell you… it will still be a struggle.
ENTER PHOTO MODE
Of course, the first Keybind you’re going to need in regards to Photo Mode is how to enter Photo Mode. Players can quickly do this by hitting the P on their keyboard.
While players can access Photo Mode through the Radial, using P makes it a lot easier to catch quick moments with Bugs especially as they can be quite fast critters.
MOVE CAMERA UP
When in players are in Photo Mode players can use E to move their camera up.
MOVE CAMERA DOWN
When in players are in Photo Mode players can use Q to move their camera down.
PHOTO SETTINGS
To view all of your Photo Settings players will be able to access them using Tab while in Photo Mode.
SWITCH TO FREECAM/ORBITCAM
I personally prefer to use the Freecam/Orbitcam when taking photos in Grounded and it is easily accessible if players hit V.
TAKE PHOTO
To take a Photo in Photo Mode players need to hit the button T.
TOGGLE HUD
To toggle the HUD in Photo Mode players will simply need to use the F key.
PHOTO ARCHIVE
To access your photo archive, which opens up a file folder on your computer all you need to do is hit B in Photo Mode.
MENU/UI TOOLS
The following section covers how to get into every Menu available to players as well as the different keybinds you will use while you are in these Menus.
OPEN SCA.B MENU
To open the SCA.B Menu, which is purely cosmetic and will change the colour of your HUD as well as the colours that appear during the day and night cycle, players will need to use Tab.
OPEN INVENTORY MENU
To open a player’s inventory quickly players can use I.
OPEN CRAFTING MENU
To open your Crafting Menu quickly players can use the button C.
NEXT PAGE
When in any menu, players can go to the next page by hitting the E key.
PREVIOUS PAGE
When in any menu, players can go to the previous page by hitting the Q key.
NEXT TAB
To view the next tab in a menu players can use the D key.
PREVIOUS TAB
To view the previous tab in a menu players can use the A key.
EQUIP ITEM
To Equip an Item that you want to use, such as a piece of Armour, players can quickly do so by hitting F in a menu
SELECT
To select in a Menu players will need to hold down the Space button, this cannot be changed.
CANCEL
To cancel a selection in the Menu players will simply need to press Escape, this cannot be changed.
ACTION 1
Players will not need action keys often but when they do the first Action Key is W.
ACTION 2
Players will not need action keys often but when they do the second Action Key is S.
ACTION 3
Players will not need action keys often but when they do the third Action Key is E.
DROP ITEM
To drop an item on the floor quickly players can use the Z button.
ITEM ACTION
To use an item action players will have to use the Y button.
CONSUME ITEM
To consume an item players will simply need to press Enter.
ASSIGN HOTPOUCH SLOT
To enforce a slot in your HotPouch players will have to hit Enter on that slot.
UNASSIGN HOTPOUCH SLOT
To remove an item from your Hotpouch you can use X.
INSPECT ITEM
To inspect an item in your inventory you can use O.
REPAIR ITEM
To repair a tool from your inventory all you have to do is hover over it and hit R as long as you have enough of the resource required to repair the item.
TRANSFER ITEM
To Transfer an item quickly into a chest players need to hit the Q button.
TAKE ALL
To take all items out of a chest players must hit W.
OPEN MAP
To open your Map players can quickly hit the M button.
PLACE WAYPOINT
When players have their Map open they will be able to place a Waypoint with the Left Mouse Button.
REMOVE WAYPOINT
When players have their Map open they will be able to remove a Waypoint with the Right Mouse Button.
OPEN HOTPOUCH RADIAL
To open your HotPouch Radial players will need to use the V button. Admittedly, you won’t really need to use this as switching
OPEN AMMO RADIAL
To open the Ammo Radial players will need to use the L button. I personally would change this keybind to something closer to you as there will be moments where you will need to switch your Ammo quickly, especially if you are trying to use elemental Arrows to deal extra damage.
OPEN EXECUTABLES RADIAL
To open a Radial that shows all the actions a player can take players can hit Z.
NEXT RADIAL PAGE
To go to the next Radial Page players will have to hit E while the Radial is open. This works for all Radials.
PREVIOUS RADIAL PAGE
To go to the previous Radial Page players will have to hit Q while the Radial is open. This works for all Radials.
NARRATE MODE INFO
If players need extra accessibility by having things read to them they can hit / on the Number Pad.
CONSTRUCTION/BUILDING CONTROLS
If you’re someone who is going to spend any time building you’re going to want to get used to all of these keybinds.
OPEN CONSTRUCTION/BUILDING RADIAL
To view the Radial, which is essentially a circle on your screen that is quick to access and will allow you to quickly select what you would like to build, players can use the B button.
RELOCATE BUILDING
If players are unhappy with where they placed a specific building or item they can easily move it without having to disassemble it. Players can do this easily with F.
I would strongly recommend you do this whenever they are trying to move something unless you’re moving something really far away.
PICK BUILDING
The option to Pick Building may be a bit confusing for new players to Grounded, but if you’re going to be building you’re going to want to get used to using this. Players will first need to head into the Relocate Building Menu and then select the set piece they would like to move with their Middle Mouse Button.
While this might seem like an odd button to press, it makes a lot more sense when you get used to it… I promise!
PLACE BUILDING
To place a building players will have to be in their building screen and must have selected what set piece they want to build. Once this has been done players will see a faded version of the item they are trying to place and must use their Left Mouse Button to actually place it.
ROTATE BUILDING RIGHT/CLOCKWISE
To rotate your Building Clockwise you have a few options. Either players can use E to make it rotate by a small amount or they can scroll using their Mouse Wheel to rotate it more specifically.
ROTATE BUILDING LEFT/COUNTERCLOCKWISE
To rotate your Building Counterclockwise you have a few options. Either players can use Q to make it rotate by a small amount or they can scroll using their Mouse Wheel to rotate it more specifically.
CANCEL
To cancel building players will need to hit their Right Mouse Button.
SNAP TO GRID
At first I didn’t expect there to be a Grid in Grounded, but this is my preferred way of building as it leaves less room for things to mess up while building.
Players can turn on Grid snapping either by using Right Control or Left Control.
NEXT BUILDING MATERIAL
To switch what Building Material you are using players will need to use F.
FLIP BUILDING
In order to flip whatever you’re building by 180 degrees players can use the G button.
HOTKEYS USED IN MULTIPLAYER
Although these aren’t segregated as Multiplayer Hotkeys, I like to separate them as not everyone is going to spend their time playing Grounded with their friends. Admittedly, even when I’m in Multiplayer I don’t find myself using these hotkeys very often, but they’re still handy to know.
PUSH TO TALK
When players are in the multiplayer mode of Grounded and have activated Voice Chat they will be able to speak if they hold down Alt. It should be noted that players will have to physically hold down Alt in order to keep themselves being heard as the push to talk isn’t a toggle.
As I’m someone who tends to use Discord instead of the in-game audio, I would assume that binding this to your Mouse would be easier to access than using the physical Alt button. There is no was to leave your Microphone on at all times.
OPEN EMOTE RADIAL
If players would like to quickly emote to their friends they can easily use the H button to select what emotion they would like to use.
OPEN QUICKCHAT RADIAL
Quickchat is a really important method of letting other players know what’s up without having to type. Admittedly, as I’m using Discord the majority of the time that I’m playing Grounded or would be using the in-game voice chat. If you’re playing with others and are in the middle of battle and do not have access to a microphone I strongly recommend hitting T to use the Quickchat function.
CHAT
In order to open Chat in multiplayer players will have to hit Enter. Players will not be able to enter chat in single-player.
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