The four-player mayhem you get tossed into when playing Gang Beasts is second to none — but if you’re new and don’t know the controls, you may be in for a pretty rough time.
This guide is for anyone who’s died one too many times and wants to pound their friends into the dirt.
We’re going to separate these by control method (PS4 controller, Xbox One controller, keyboard + mouse). For many, the PS4 and Xbox One controllers are most comfortable, but playing with mouse and keyboard is plenty comfortable and even offers some benefits over using a controller.
PS4 controller
- Jump: X
- Run: X (Hold while pressing a direction)
- Sit: X (Hold while staying still)
- Kick: Square
- Lie down: Square (Hold)
- Duck: Circle
- Crawl: Circle (Hold)
- Headbutt: Circle
- Lift: Triangle
- Taunt: Triangle
- Left punch/grab: L1
- Right punch/grab: R1
You can also use the D-pad to change camera angles and R2 to switch your focus when spectating.
Xbox One controller
- Jump: A
- Run: A (Hold while pressing a direction)
- Sit: A (Hold while staying still)
- Kick: X
- Lie down: X (Hold)
- Duck: B
- Crawl: B (Hold)
- Headbutt: B
- Lift: Y
- Taunt: Y
- Left punch/grab: LB
- Right punch/grab: RB
- Rotate between spectating players: < and >
You can also use the D-pad to change camera angles and RT to switch your focus when spectating.
PC Keyboard
One thing to be aware of when using a keyboard is that if you are not using a mechanical keyboard, you will not be able to press three keys at a time. This is a general hardware limitation, and it’s something to be aware of in Gang Beasts in particular because of how often you need to press several keys at a time.
Aside from the above, the keyboard does have some advantages (particularly when playing alone) that we’ll go over.
- Movement: WASD
- Jump: Space bar
- Run: Space bar (Hold while pressing a direction)
- Sit: Space bar (Hold while staying still)
- Kick: M
- Lie down: M (Hold)
- Duck: Ctrl
- Crawl: Ctrl (Hold)
- Headbutt: Ctrl
- Lift: Shift
- Taunt: Shift
- Left punch/grab: , key or left mouse button
- Right punch/grab: . key or right mouse button
- Rotate between spectating players: < and >
Here are the PC/keyboard-exclusive bindings:
- Next camera angle: Right arrow key
- Previous camera angle: Left arrow key
- Speed up game: + key (can be pressed repeatedly)
- Slow down game: – key (can be pressed repeatedly)
- Revert to standard speed: 0
- Spawn pushing or pulling force: 1~2 keys
- Spawn props: 3~7 keys
- Spawn opponents: Shift or Ctrl with numbers 1~8
- Toggle day and night: F1
Combos
There are quite a few combos in Gang Beasts. We’re not going to go over all of them in this guide, but we are going to go over a few to get you started.
- Dropkick: Press jump, then tap kick
- Climb: Grab using both arms, then press jump
- Backflip: Press jump, then hold kick
- Powerslide: Hold kick and crawl while holding a direction
These are only a few of the moves you can pull off in Gang Beasts to make use of the terrain and to throw your opponents off-guard. There are many more, but most will come to you as you play and come to grips with the controls on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox One.
