Arctic Drive controls and settings: what is confirmed

The full Arctic Drive keybind list has not been published. The game is pre-launch, the demo has its own settings menu, and the developer has changed controls during playtests. This page only lists inputs we can confirm from patch notes or official screenshots — no invented bindings.

If you are playing the demo, the in-game settings menu is the authority. If a binding here does not match your build, trust the game and let us know so we can correct the page.

Confirmed inputs at a glance

Cargo and item controls

The closed-beta recap is the clearest public source on item interaction:

• Aim and press G to place an item into cargo.
• Press G to drop an item.
• Hold G to charge a throw, then release to throw.
• Improved tooltips were added in the same update; use them. They show more than the item name.

Because every object is physical, the cargo interaction is not cosmetic. A wrongly placed item can fall out, block a seat or become a projectile in a crash. If an item will not go into cargo, check the angle and the container; the game may be telling you it does not fit.

Driving controls

The confirmed driving-related inputs are limited:

• Right mouse — zoom while driving or riding as a passenger (added in v0.13.3).
• Third-person camera — added in v0.13.3 and improved later. A useful toggle for trailer work.
• Horn — the pickup truck has one; the developer’s patch note is “Meep meep!”
• Imperial units toggle — added in v0.13.3 for players who prefer miles.

The screenshots also show a dashboard with speed, fuel and temperature. The exact key for the handbrake, lights, wipers and horn is not published in a single official table. The demo’s control settings are the best place to confirm them.

Voice chat

Proximity voice chat was added in the closed beta. Voice activation is enabled by default, and push-to-talk is available. The developer says voice can be disabled in settings.

Because it is proximity voice, distance matters. A teammate on the other side of a building may not hear you. Agree on a fallback (text chat, a flare, a meeting point) before you split up.

Confirmed settings

• Imperial units toggle — miles instead of kilometers.
• Crouch toggle — added in v0.13.3.
• Third-person camera controls — added in v0.13.3.
• Voice activation / push-to-talk — voice settings.
• Exposed atmosphere graphics settings — added in demo v0.19.2.
• Texture streaming, GPU instancing and optimized assets — performance work, not a user-facing toggle list.
• Refresh-rate consistency fixes — demo v0.19.2.

We do not have a full graphics-menu screenshot, so we cannot list every quality option. If your machine is near the minimum spec, start with the atmosphere settings and texture streaming, then adjust resolution and shadows.

Controller and wheel support

Steam currently lists partial controller support. The developer added and improved controller support during the open beta, but “partial” means you should not assume every menu and interaction works from a pad.

Wheel support is listed for the Early Access milestone on the official roadmap. No supported wheel list, force-feedback details or configuration guide has been published. Do not buy a wheel for Arctic Drive until the developer confirms support for your model.

Full keybind status

We will publish a complete keybind table after launch, built from the live settings menu and tested for conflicts. Until then:

• Use the in-game settings menu in the demo.
• Check the tooltip for the action you are trying to perform.
• If a binding is missing from this page, it is because we could not verify it — not because we forgot.