2026-07
Carnival Hunt Controls
Default PC controls for Carnival Hunt: movement, interact, wind-up, play dead, items, Monster abilities, and voice chat for Steam Early Access.
Bunny Controls and Interactions
As a Bunny, movement uses standard WASD locomotion with mouse look, sprint on Shift, crouch on Ctrl, and jump on Space where carnival geometry allows vertical shortcuts. Interaction key E handles winding teammates, activating carnival objects, collecting candy, purchasing from vendors, and using Jack's slot machine. The wind-up action is the heart of Bunny gameplay—hold or tap per tutorial prompts to transfer charge without overexposing your position to the Monster.
Play dead is mapped to a dedicated key (commonly Q or F) that toggles a feigned shutdown animation. Successful play dead freezes your wind-up drain temporarily and can bait Monster abilities if timed during Hat Trick reads. Release play dead before the hunter commits to a pickup animation; our play dead tactics page covers animation tells and audio deception in depth.
Item usage typically sits on number keys 1–4 or mouse wheel cycling depending on Early Access defaults at launch. Fireworks, Smoke Carrot, Radar, Rope, Unicycle, Balloon, Trampoline, and Oiler each have distinct cast times—practice in offline tutorials or low-pressure lobbies before floor three fights. Ping tools, often bound to middle mouse, mark Monster sightings for teammates without voice.
Monster Controls and Abilities
Monster movement mirrors Bunny baseline controls with higher base speed and stronger collision on certain abilities. Primary attack or grab sits on mouse left click; secondary ability on right click. The Magician's kit maps across number keys: Hat Trick deploys decoy zones, Imposters spawn fake Bunnies, Invisibility toggles stealth pursuit, Teleport blinks to targeted carnival nodes, and playing cards add ranged pressure or zone denial depending on patch notes at EA launch.
Ability cooldown management is manual—there is no auto-queue system. Experienced Magicians chain Teleport into Invisibility to close on winding Bunnies near slot machine alleys. Review Magician ability details and the video guide to learn optimal cancel windows. The second EA Monster uses a different binding layout documented on their dedicated page; swap keybind presets when switching hunters.
Monster players should bind ping or awareness tools to accessible keys for tracking scattered Bunnies across four floors. Audio cues from wounded or low-charge Bunnies are directional; headphones strongly recommended. Sensitivity tuning should allow 180-degree turns without overshooting narrow carnival walkways on floor two.
Voice Chat, Settings, and Rebinding
Push-to-talk defaults to V or T in many Steam asymmetric titles; confirm in-game on July 23 launch. Carnival Hunt highly recommends microphones—bind push-to-talk where your pinky naturally rests to avoid accidental open mic during play dead baiting. Separate Discord push-to-talk keys from in-game voice to prevent double-muted callouts.
Rebinding lives under Settings → Controls. Prioritize play dead, wind-up, and primary item keys within one-hand reach. Controller layouts, if supported at EA, appear as presets—check Steam Input community configs for dead zone recommendations. Accessibility remaps for hold-to-wind versus toggle-to-wind may appear in patches; watch patch notes.
Video and audio settings intersect with controls: reduce mouse smoothing, disable acceleration, and set FOV high enough to read Imposter silhouettes. Pair this page with system requirements for FPS targets and with Bunny basics to translate keybinds into winning habits.
Controller Support and Custom Lobbies
Beer Night Studio's pre-launch Steam updates highlighted active work on controller support, custom lobbies, player profiles, and lobby UI polish—systems that matter for learning Magician ability chains and configuring puppet gears before matchmaking. Early Access on July 23, 2026 is expected to ship usable controller layouts for Bunny movement, interact, play dead, and Monster abilities, with rebinding in the settings menu.
Custom lobbies let friend groups practice winding routes and gear loadouts without pub matchmaking chaos. Use them to test push-to-talk alongside controller bindings before committing to ranked-style queues. Steam Input community configs may appear at launch for niche gamepads—check the store page for official compatibility badges.
Keyboard-and-mouse remains the default competitive input for fine Hat Trick reads, but controller parity helps couch co-op planning and accessibility. Pair this page with system requirements and beta notes if you tested controls during the July 3–6 playtest.
Advanced Rebinding and Muscle Memory
Competitive-minded players should separate movement keys from ability keys by hand—keep WASD pure while clustering play dead, interact wind, and item slots on keys your thumb reaches without breaking strafe rhythm. Monster players often bind Teleport to thumb buttons on mice with side paddles; Bunnies benefit from similar setups for Smoke Carrot under pressure.
Spend ten minutes in an empty lobby or tutorial space testing double-tap versus hold inputs for winding. Accidental over-wind exposes both players; under-wind wastes animation time. Muscle memory here pays dividends on floor four when panic sets in.
Document your bindings in squad Discord pins so substitutes can cover roles in mixed friend groups. Consistency across four Bunnies matters less than each player knowing their own layout cold— but shared ping keys reduce confusion when strangers sub in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What key winds up other Bunnies?
Use the interact key (default E) while facing a teammate who needs charge. Exact hold duration is shown in the tutorial.
How do I play dead on PC?
Press the dedicated play dead key (often Q or F) to feign shutdown. Press again to resume movement.
Can I rebind Magician abilities?
Yes. All Monster abilities are rebindable in the controls menu at launch.
Is push-to-talk supported?
Yes. Push-to-talk is recommended for pub lobbies and is configurable in audio settings.
Do controllers work in Early Access?
Yes. Pre-launch updates confirmed controller support and lobby polish; rebind in settings and check Steam for layout presets at launch.