The Controls
The best way to play DOOM Retro is to use mouse and keyboard together. You can also play using just the keyboard, or a controller. Most controls may be changed using the bind CCMD in DOOM Retro’s console.
Here’s a list of the default keyboard controls:
 |
 |
|---|---|
| ESC | Open the menu. |
| TAB | Open the automap. |
| ~ | Open the console. |
| F1 | Open the help screen. |
| F2 | Open the Save Game menu. |
| F3 | Open the Load Game menu. |
| F4 | Open the Sound Volume menu. |
| F5 | Toggle low/high graphic detail. |
| F6 | Quicksave the game. |
| F7 | End the game. |
| F8 | Toggle player messages. |
| F9 | Quickload a game. |
| F10 or ALT + F4 | Quit DOOM Retro. |
| F11 or SHIFT + F11 | Increase/decrease the gamma correction level. |
| PAUSE | Pause the game. |
| PRINTSCREEN | Take a screenshot. |
| ENTER | Show the previous player message. Hide the current player message. |
| ALT + ENTER | Toggle between fullscreen and a window. |
| – / + | Decrease/increase the screen size. Toggle widescreen mode with/without a status bar/heads up display. |
| 1 | Equip your fists/chainsaw.1 |
| 2 | Equip your pistol. |
| 3 | Equip your shotgun/super shotgun.2 |
| 4 | Equip your chaingun. |
| 5 | Equip your rocket launcher. |
| 6 | Equip your plasma rifle.3 |
| 7 | Equip your BFG-9000.3 |
| ↑ or W | Move forward. |
| ↓ or D | Move back. |
| ← | Turn to your left. |
| → | Turn to your right. |
| SHIFT + ↑ / ↓ / ← / → | Run. |
| CAPSLOCK | Toggle always run. |
| ALT + ←, A or , | Strafe to your left. |
| ALT + →, D or . | Strafe to your right. |
| CTRL | Fire your currently equipped weapon. |
| SPACE or E | Use a switch or door. |
You turn by moving the mouse left or right, and while also holding down the ALT key, you strafe. There is no forward or back mouse movement by default. The left mouse button is used to fire, and the mouse wheel is used to equip the next/previous weapon.
The mouse may also be used to look up and down by enabling the freelook CVAR in the console.
DOOM Retro supports all modern controllers such as the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 and Sony PlayStation DualSense Edge Wireless Controller. They can be connected at any time, even once a game has started. Here are the default controls on a controller:
Controllers rumble whenever you are injured, you fire your weapon, you pick something up, or a nearby barrel explodes. Controllers may also be used to look up and down by enabling the freelook CVAR in the console.
1The chainsaw replaces your fists once you pick one up. Only once you have also picked up a berserk power-up, and only until the end of the map, are you able to switch between your fists and the chainsaw.
2You can only equip a super shotgun in DOOM II.
3You can’t equip a plasma rifle or BFG-9000 in the shareware version of DOOM.
