Star Citizen guide #08: playing with mouse and keyboard

You don’t need joysticks to play well: mouse and keyboard is precise, especially for aiming. It just needs a few settings and good habits.

How the mouse flies the ship

By default, the mouse acts as a virtual joystick: the farther you move the cursor from the center, the faster the ship turns. Bring the cursor back to the center to stop turning.
There’s also a relative mode, where the ship follows your mouse movements directly. Try both in the control options and keep the one that suits you.
Tune the mouse sensitivity and dead zone: a small dead zone prevents unwanted micro-movements.

Basic flight keys

W/S: forward, back. A/D: strafe left, right.
Space / Ctrl: up, down. Q/E: roll.
Left Shift: boost. X: space brake. Left Alt + C: decoupled mode.
Mouse wheel: speed limiter. Very handy for holding a precise speed in combat or when landing.
Hold Z: look around without moving the ship (“freelook”).

Exact keys depend on your keyboard layout: check them in Options › Keybindings.

Our advice

Side mouse buttons are perfect for boost, missiles or countermeasures.
Keep fights within 1 to 2 km: on a mouse you’re deadly at aiming, less so at dodging. Play the mid-range duel.
For big ships and atmospheric flight, lower the sensitivity a bit: your movements will be smoother.

💡 Beacon tip: a large mouse pad and a light mouse make a bigger difference in combat than any graphics setting.

Written for Star Citizen Alpha 4.10.2 (October 2026). The game changes with every patch: if something has moved, tell us in a reply and we’ll update the guide.