GTA Vice City Controls: PC, Gamepad & Mobile

GTA Vice City uses separate control schemes for on-foot movement, driving, flying, and boating. On PC, the default keyboard layout uses WASD for movement, the mouse for camera and aiming, and various keys for actions like sprinting, shooting, and entering vehicles. Here is every default binding, which also applies when playing at gtavicecity.lol.

On-Foot Controls (PC Keyboard)

These are the default controls when Tommy Vercetti is walking or running.

Action	Key
Move Forward	W
Move Backward	S
Strafe Left	A
Strafe Right	D
Sprint	Shift (hold)
Jump	Spacebar
Crouch	C
Enter/Exit Vehicle	F
Attack / Fire Weapon	Left Mouse Button
Aim / Lock On	Right Mouse Button
Next Weapon	Scroll Wheel Up
Previous Weapon	Scroll Wheel Down
Look Behind	Numpad 0 or Middle Mouse
Answer Phone	Tab

Sprinting is essential for getting around quickly on foot. Hold Shift while moving forward to run. Tommy's sprint has a stamina limit in the original version, though it recharges quickly.

Driving Controls (PC Keyboard)

When inside any car, truck, or motorcycle, the controls switch to this layout.

Action	Key
Accelerate	W
Brake / Reverse	S
Steer Left	A
Steer Right	D
Handbrake	Spacebar
Exit Vehicle	F
Horn	H
Radio Station Next	R
Drive-By (Left)	Q + Left Mouse
Drive-By (Right)	E + Left Mouse
Look Behind	C
Sub-Mission (Taxi, Ambulance, etc.)	Caps Lock

Motorcycles use the same controls. Leaning forward or backward on a bike is controlled with Numpad 6 and Numpad 9 respectively. Holding the handbrake while turning allows for sharp drifting turns, which is useful during chase missions.

Helicopter Controls (PC Keyboard)

Helicopter controls are the most complex in Vice City and take practice to master.

Action	Key
Ascend (Throttle Up)	W
Descend (Throttle Down)	S
Rotate Left (Yaw)	A
Rotate Right (Yaw)	D
Tilt Forward (Pitch)	Numpad 8
Tilt Backward (Pitch)	Numpad 2
Tilt Left (Roll)	Numpad 4
Tilt Right (Roll)	Numpad 6
Fire (Hunter/Sea Sparrow)	Left Mouse Button
Exit Helicopter	F

The vice city helicopter controls are notoriously difficult for new players. The key is understanding that W and S control altitude, A and D rotate the helicopter, and the Numpad keys tilt it directionally. Tilting forward with Numpad 8 while holding W is how you fly forward. Practice in free roam before attempting helicopter missions like Demolition Man.

For the Demolition Man mission specifically, you control an RC helicopter that uses the same layout. The small RC helicopter is harder to maneuver due to its light weight and high sensitivity.

Boat Controls (PC Keyboard)

Action	Key
Accelerate	W
Brake / Reverse	S
Steer Left	A
Steer Right	D
Exit Boat	F
Drive-By	Q/E + Left Mouse

Boat controls are straightforward. The handling varies by boat type. Speedboats are fast but slide on turns. The larger boats are slower but more stable.

Gamepad Controls

GTA Vice City supports gamepad controllers on PC through either native DirectInput or XInput wrappers. The default gamepad layout mirrors the PlayStation 2 original.

Action	Xbox Controller	PlayStation Controller
Move / Steer	Left Stick	Left Stick
Camera	Right Stick	Right Stick
Accelerate / Sprint	Right Trigger	R2
Brake / Reverse	Left Trigger	L2
Fire Weapon	Right Bumper	R1
Aim / Target	Left Bumper	L1
Enter Vehicle	Y	Triangle
Jump	X	Square
Attack (Melee)	B	Circle
Sprint (On Foot)	A	X

If your gamepad is not detected, check that your game settings have the controller enabled. Some players prefer using a tool like x360ce to map non-standard controllers to XInput. When playing in the browser at /play, the Gamepad API handles detection automatically for most modern controllers.

Mobile Controls (Definitive Edition)

The mobile version of GTA Vice City, available on iOS and Android, uses touchscreen controls with virtual buttons.

• Left virtual stick – Movement and steering
• Right side of screen – Camera control (swipe)
• Fire button – On-screen button, right side
• Jump button – On-screen button
• Enter vehicle – On-screen button (appears near vehicles)
• Sprint – Double-tap the movement stick forward

Mobile controls can be customized in the settings menu. You can resize and reposition all virtual buttons. Connecting a Bluetooth controller to your phone also works and provides a much better experience for driving and combat.

Customizing Your Controls

The PC version allows full key remapping through the Options menu under Controller Setup. This is especially useful for helicopter controls, which many players find uncomfortable on the default Numpad layout. Popular remaps include moving helicopter pitch and roll to the arrow keys or to additional mouse buttons.

If you want to see all the cheat codes that work alongside these controls, check our cheats reference. And if you are ready to start playing, visit /play to launch Vice City directly in your browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I fly a helicopter in GTA Vice City on PC?

Use W to ascend and S to descend. A and D rotate the helicopter left and right. The Numpad keys control tilt: Numpad 8 tilts forward, Numpad 2 tilts backward, Numpad 4 tilts left, and Numpad 6 tilts right. To fly forward, hold W for altitude and Numpad 8 to tilt the nose down. It takes practice but becomes intuitive after a few minutes of free-roam flying.

Can I use an Xbox or PlayStation controller with GTA Vice City on PC?

Yes. The PC version supports DirectInput controllers natively, and most modern Xbox and PlayStation controllers work through XInput. Plug in your controller via USB or connect via Bluetooth, then enable it in the game's Controller Setup menu under Options. If the game does not detect your controller, try using an XInput wrapper like x360ce.

What are the default driving controls in GTA Vice City?

W accelerates, S brakes or reverses, A and D steer left and right, and Spacebar is the handbrake. Press F to exit the vehicle. To perform drive-by shootings, hold Q to aim left or E to aim right, then fire with the left mouse button. Press R to cycle through radio stations. These are the default PC bindings and can be remapped in the Options menu.