Here you will find useful key combinations for controlling BeamNG, as well as information about which button is responsible for what.

The control settings can be found in Options → Controls. There you can assign other keys to specific actions if the standard options do not suit you.

For now, let's take a look at what the standard keyboard settings are.

Car controls

↑ (up arrow) — Presses the gas pedal. The car starts to accelerate.

↓ (down arrow) — Applies the brakes. Slows down the car or engages reverse when stopped.

← / → (left and right arrows) — Turns the steering wheel in the desired direction. Controls the direction of movement.

Space — Applies the handbrake. Instantly locks the rear wheels. Useful for drifting or sudden stops.

P — Activates the parking brake. The car stays in place even on a slope. Disengages by pressing again.

Z — Shifts down a gear. Useful for engine braking or on descents.

X — Shifts up a gear. Works with manual or semi-automatic transmission.

Q — Switches the transmission mode: automatic, manual, and others (if supported).

V — Turns the engine on or off. Useful if the engine stalls or you need to silence the car.

H — Turns on the horn. Just a horn to attract attention.

N — Turns on the low beam headlights. Needed when driving at night.

Alt + N — Turns on the fog lights, if available. Useful in fog or poor visibility.

Slash (/) — Turns on the hazard lights. All turn signals flash simultaneously.

M — Turns on the light panels. Found on vehicles with flashing lights, such as police cars.

Comma (,) — Turns on the left turn signal. Helps others understand where you are going to turn.

Period (.) — Turns on the right turn signal. Used in the same way as the left turn signal.

Left Shift — Activates “grabbing” objects. Works in free camera mode: you can lift, move, and rotate objects (e.g., a barrel or a car).

Camera and player control

F8 — Moves the camera to where the car or player is located. Useful if you get lost on the map.

F7 — Moves the car (or player) to the current camera position. You can teleport to a mountain or any point.

E — Enters or exits the car. Switches you between “driver mode” and free movement.

Switching between vehicles

• Tab — Switches control to the next car on the map.
• Ctrl + Tab — Switches to the previous car. Useful if you have several cars and need to quickly switch between them.

Reset, restore, and physics

Insert — Fully restores the vehicle. Removes all damage and puts the vehicle back on the road.

R or I — Resets the vehicle's physics. Often helps if the model is glitching or stuck.

Shift + R — Resets the physics of all vehicles at once. Useful in multi-scenarios.

Ctrl + Home — Sets the current position as the starting point. The car will appear here the next time it is loaded.

Home — Returns the car to the set starting point.

General actions

J — Pauses or restarts the game physics. The cars freeze, everything “freezes.”

Alt + U — Hides the entire interface. Very convenient for taking videos and screenshots.

Alt + Enter — Switches the game between windowed and full-screen modes.

Alt + F4 — Instantly closes the game. Be careful — no warnings.