Combat inputs
| Action | Keyboard | Xbox | PlayStation | Steam Deck | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light attack (on-beat) | Left Mouse | X | Square | Y | Triggers your equipped combo string. |
| Heavy attack | Right Mouse | Y | Triangle | X | AOE on hit. Slow start-up — use on Off-beat windows. |
| Parry | F | LB | L1 | L1 | Best counter to single telegraphed strikes. Perfect parry refunds 1 Special segment. |
| Dodge | Spacebar | B | Circle | B | I-frames for ~12 frames on Normal. Use on Beat Wave / Spotlight Spin. |
| Special | Q | RB | R1 | R1 | Full-meter burst. Mash for the on-beat finisher. |
| Lock-on / target swap | Tab / Mouse Wheel | RS click / RS flick | R3 / R3 flick | RS click / RS flick | Auto-lock prefers the nearest beat-armed enemy. |
| Taunt (build special) | T | D-pad ↓ | D-pad ↓ | D-pad ↓ | Charges Special 25% faster while held — risky against fast Idols. |
Movement & camera
| Action | Keyboard | Xbox | PlayStation | Steam Deck | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | WASD | Left Stick | Left Stick | Left Stick | Movement still respects the beat — running off-beat costs 5% Combo Meter. |
| Camera | Mouse | Right Stick | Right Stick | Right Stick | Right-stick sensitivity scales with FOV; bump to 1.2x on Steam Deck. |
| Sprint | Left Shift | LS click | L3 | L3 | Toggle option in Settings → Controls. Recommend Toggle. |
| Jump | Spacebar (alt-bind) | A (alt) | X (alt) | A (alt) | Off by default — Dead as Disco has no platforming, but some Free Play stages use it. |
UI & system
| Action | Keyboard | Xbox | PlayStation | Steam Deck | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pause | Esc | Menu | Options | Start | In Story Mode, exposes the mid-fight difficulty switch. |
| Photo Mode | F11 | View + Y | Share + Triangle | View + Y | Pauses physics; soundtrack continues. |
| Toggle HUD | H | D-pad ← | D-pad ← | D-pad ← | Hides combo counter for streaming overlays. |
| Restart song | R (hold) | View (hold) | Share (hold) | View (hold) | Instant restart, no penalty on Practice Mode. |
| Open My Music folder | Ctrl + M (from My Music menu) | LT + RT | L2 + R2 | L2 + R2 | Opens the local folder where you drop MP3/FLAC files. |
Preset layouts
- Default Pad — Combat on face buttons, Parry/Special on shoulders. Best for new players.
- Claw Layout — Parry on RB, Dodge on R3. The setup most Infinite Disco top-100 leaderboard players use.
- Southpaw Hand-mirror — Swaps sticks. Useful for left-dominant pad users.
- Keyboard Stencil — WASD movement, F (parry), Spacebar (dodge), Q (special), 1/2/3 to swap equipped combos.
- Steam Deck Touch — Right trackpad as gyro aim toggle; Parry on L1, Dodge on B, Special on R1. Built-in profile available on Community.
- One-Handed — Left or right-only layout from Settings → Controls → Layout. Pair with Hold-to-Parry and Hold-to-Dodge.
Recommended rebind suggestions
- Move Parry to a shoulder button — F (keyboard) → Mouse Side Button 1, or LB → RB on pad. Parry timing tightens when your thumb stays on the attack face buttons.
- Sprint to Toggle — eliminates the sustained-press fatigue in Infinite Disco runs.
- Right Stick click → Lock target swap — much faster than scrolling the wheel during crowded waves (Hemlock P1).
- D-pad ↓ → Taunt — keep Taunt accessible for Special-charge mind games against Prophet.
Calibration before you play
Run Settings → Audio → Calibration once per device. Bluetooth audio adds 90–120 ms of latency; wired headphones land around -40 ms. The wizard is a two-pass test (audio first, then visual). Re-run it after any audio output change.
FAQ
What are the default Dead as Disco keyboard controls?
WASD to move, mouse to aim, Left Mouse for Light attack, Right Mouse for Heavy, F to Parry, Spacebar to Dodge, Q for Special. Full table above.
Does Dead as Disco support PlayStation controllers natively?
Yes. DualShock 4 and DualSense both register without Steam Input, with proper button prompts. DualSense haptics pulse on every quarter note when the Visual Beat Pulse setting is on.
Can I remap controls in Dead as Disco?
Every action is rebindable from Settings → Controls. No locked keys. There are also five preset layouts (Default, Claw, Southpaw, One-Handed, Keyboard Stencil).
Is there mouse input on PC?
Yes — Left Mouse is Light, Right Mouse is Heavy, scroll wheel cycles lock-on targets. You can also set Mouse Side Button 1 to Parry; many keyboard players prefer it over F.
What controls do top Infinite Disco players use?
The Claw Layout — Parry on RB instead of LB, Dodge on R3 — frees the right thumb to stay on combos. Worth practicing if you plan to push leaderboards.
Does Dead as Disco support Steam Deck?
Yes — Brain Jar has published an official input profile. Steam Deck Verified is a stated Q3 2026 target, but the game is fully playable in handheld mode today.
How do I open the My Music folder?
From the My Music menu press Ctrl + M (keyboard) or LT + RT (Xbox) / L2 + R2 (PS/Deck). The folder location is %LOCALAPPDATA%/DeadAsDisco/MyMusic on Windows.
See also: accessibility settings · combo list · Steam Deck guide.
Captured against Dead as Disco v0.1.x EA build, May 2026.