Darkest Hours Controls

Darkest Hours is a cooperative Roblox survival horror experience built around four-round trials, entity evasion, and objective completion. Mastering the default keyboard and mouse layout is the fastest way to improve your survival rate, especially during Round 4 Escape when stamina management and quick revives decide whether your squad extracts or wipes. This guide reflects the pre-alpha control scheme as of July 2026 and covers every binding players use during a standard match.

WASD handles character movement. Forward, backward, and strafing are essential during chases—entities like Sprintbear and Coalcart punish players who only run in straight lines. Practice diagonal strafing around corners and through doorways on maps such as Corridor and Grocery Store before attempting harder layouts like 666 Mansion.

Your mouse controls the camera. Look around constantly to spot entities with sight detection—RED44, Angry Munci, and Renderman all react to where you are looking. Smooth, deliberate camera movement reduces accidental provocation compared to frantic spinning during panic chases.

Left Shift activates sprint. Sprint drains stamina, which is a core survival resource documented in our Stamina & Sound guide. Sprint only when you have a clear destination: breaking line of sight, reaching a teammate for revive, or closing distance during the Escape Trial. Walking and crouching regenerate stamina faster than standing still.

C toggles crouch. Crouching reduces footstep volume and is critical against sound-detection entities such as Eyeless, Trollge, and members of the Freddybear Band. On Fog and Blackout special trials, crouch-walking between objectives is often safer than sprinting into an unseen chase entity.

Space jumps. Jumping helps vault low obstacles and can reduce fall damage when dropping from tower sections on maps like Big Maze and High Tower. Combine jump with sprint sparingly—both consume stamina, and empty stamina during Round 4 leaves you unable to outrun S-tier threats like Defect or The Founder.

E revives downed teammates. Revival takes several seconds and leaves you vulnerable, so coordinate with defensive items. The Riot Shield blocks frontal entity hits while you revive, and the Metal Bat can stun a pursuer long enough to finish the interaction. See the full How to Revive guide for positioning tips during Last Prisoner Standing scenarios.

1, 2, and 3 are item hotkeys for your three equipped slots. Pre-alpha loadouts typically include one defensive tool, one utility item, and one healing consumable. Popular combinations pair the Radar (utility) with Speed Coil (mobility) and a healing item like Burger or Pizza. Visit the Items hub for tier lists and category breakdowns.

Left Mouse Button (LMB) uses your currently selected item or performs context actions depending on the objective. Swinging the Metal Bat, firing the Revolver, placing Camera Monitors, and interacting with trial objectives all flow through LMB. Right-click behavior varies by item; check individual item pages for details.

Roblox allows rebinding in Settings → Keyboard, but most squad callouts assume defaults. If you remap revive or item keys, communicate with your team before matchmaking. Controller support may expand in future updates; this page will be revised when official gamepad layouts ship.

Sound discipline matters as much as key presses. Avoid excessive mouse clicking near entities like Alex, Baldi, and Siren—click detection is independent of movement keys. Combine crouch movement with minimal UI interaction during high-threat rounds.

For trial-specific control habits, read How to Play, How to Escape, and Special Trials. Pair this reference with the interactive Stamina Calculator to plan sprint bursts before Round 4.