Trackmania Control Layouts for Keyboard, PlayStation, and Xbox

Trackmania lives and dies by reaction speed, but no amount of muscle memory will save a driver fighting their own keybinds. Whether you race on PC, PlayStation, or Xbox, spending five minutes inside the settings menu can shave whole seconds off a clean lap.

Why the Defaults Are Just a Starting Point

Every keybind in Trackmania can be reassigned. The defaults work fine for the first few hours, but anyone chasing serious leaderboard times eventually rearranges the layout to match their grip and reaction style.

Console players especially benefit from a pass through the settings. Many actions on PlayStation and Xbox controllers ship unbound, which means functions like a quick replay save or score toggle simply do nothing until you map them yourself.

The Square button on PlayStation and the X button on Xbox have nothing assigned by default. Both are sitting there waiting for a real job. Common picks include a secondary horn, a screenshot trigger, or moving the auto-spectator off a face button so you don't tap it by mistake during a tight finish.

Some existing bindings can also be reclaimed. Spectator controls, for example, matter very little during solo time-trial sessions, so feel free to repurpose those keys for something more useful.

PC: Keyboard and Mouse Defaults

The PC layout fills almost every reachable key. Driving controls live on the standard WASD cluster, with arrow keys mirrored for southpaw racers.

• Accelerate: W / Shift / Up
• Brake: S / Ctrl / Space / Down
• Steer Left: A / Left
• Steer Right: D / Right
• Horn: Num 0
• Give Up: Delete
• Respawn: Backspace
• Action Slot 1: 1
• Action Slot 2: 2
• Action Slot 3: 3
• Action Slot 4: 4
• Action Slot 5: 5
• Show/Hide Ghost: G
• Show/Hide Opponents: O
• Save Replay: R
• Save Previous Replay: P
• Menu: Esc
• Show/Hide Interface: *
• Show/Hide Names: '
• Show/Hide Scores: Tab
• Prev Score/Chat Page: Home
• Next Score/Chat Page: End
• Save Screenshot: F10
• Chat: Enter
• Chat to All: T
• Open/Close Chat: C
• Voice Push-to-Talk: X
• Analyser: -
• Spectate Previous Player: Page Up
• Spectate Next Player: Page Down
• Auto Spectator: Numpad Comma
• Camera 1: Num 1
• Camera 2: Num 2
• Camera 3: Num 3
• Camera 4: Num 4
• Camera 5: Num 5
• Camera 6: Num 6
• Camera Free: Num 7

PlayStation Controller Defaults

PlayStation drivers will recognize the standard racing template: triggers for throttle and brake, left stick for steering. A handful of utility actions sit on the face buttons and D-pad.

• Accelerate: R2
• Brake: L2
• Steer Left: Push Left Analog Stick left
• Steer Right: Push Left Analog Stick right
• Horn: L3
• Change Camera: R3
• Give Up: Circle
• Respawn: Triangle
• Menu: Options Button
• Show/Hide Scores: R1
• Prev Score/Chat Page: D-Pad Up
• Next Score/Chat Page: D-Pad Down
• Chat: Touchpad
• Spectate Previous Player: D-Pad Left
• Spectate Next Player: D-Pad Right
• Auto Spectator: Cross

Xbox Controller Defaults

The Xbox layout mirrors the PlayStation scheme, with the usual button name swap. If you have raced on either controller before, the transition is painless.

• Accelerate: RT
• Brake: LT
• Steer Left: Push Left Analog Stick left
• Steer Right: Push Left Analog Stick right
• Horn: L
• Change Camera: R
• Give Up: B
• Respawn: Y
• Menu: Menu Button
• Show/Hide Scores: RB
• Prev Score/Chat Page: D-Pad Up
• Next Score/Chat Page: D-Pad Down
• Chat: View Button
• Spectate Previous Player: D-Pad Left
• Spectate Next Player: D-Pad Right
• Auto Spectator: A

Tuning Your Layout

Before grinding for personal records, drop into the controls menu and walk through each bind one by one. Even minor changes, like moving Respawn closer to your driving hand, can pay off the second a corner goes wrong. Comfortable controls will not beat practice, but uncomfortable ones will absolutely cost you a podium.