You can play Forza Horizon 6 on a keyboard. The default layout is sensible and the assists are good, so you do not need a pad to enjoy Japan.
Here are the default keys, what I would change, and the assists to use. For everything else about the game, start from my Forza Horizon 6 guide.
Forza Horizon 6 default keyboard controls
This is the default profile, the one that drives on W A S D.
Driving
| Action | Default key |
|---|---|
| Accelerate | W |
| Brake and reverse (hold) | S |
| Steer left | A |
| Steer right | D |
| E-brake | Space |
| Shift up | E |
| Shift down | Q |
| Clutch | Left Shift |
| Rewind | R |
| Activate (start an event, confirm) | Enter |
R does three jobs. It rewinds when you drive alone, it pings in multiplayer and it is the ChaseBreaker key. Left Shift is also the cinematic camera when AutoDrive is on.
Camera and view
| Action | Default key |
|---|---|
| Switch camera | Tab |
| Look left / right | Left / Right arrow |
| Look back | Down arrow |
| Look forward | Up arrow |
| Photo mode | P |
| Telemetry | T |
| Telemetry previous / next page | Page Down / Page Up |
| Mini leaderboard | L |
Car, radio and ANNA
| Action | Default key |
|---|---|
| Horn | H |
| Convertible roof | G |
| Map | M |
| Radio previous / next | - (minus) / = (equals) |
| Forza LINK | V |
| Activate ANNA | C |
| ANNA: drone mode | 1 |
| ANNA: enable AutoDrive | 2 |
| ANNA: what is next | 3 |
| ANNA: world builder | 4 |
I checked this list on 5 October 2026 against DefKey and against the launch key lists from Shacknews and Magic Game World. They agree on every key they share.
A patch can move a key, and you can move all of them. If something does not match, your own Controls screen is the one that is right.
How to change the keys
- Press Esc and open Settings.
- Go to Controls and select the keyboard.
- Select an action and press the new key.
- Bind every action that shows a warning mark, then save.
If the game does not let you edit the default profile, switch to a custom one first. That was the rule in Forza Horizon 5 and it catches a lot of people.
Do not leave an action with a warning mark. On the wheel side the profile is not saved until everything is bound, and I would expect the same here.
The layout I would use
I would keep W A S D. It is where your left hand sits in every other game.
The arrows are the problem. By default they are the look keys, and looking left and right is not something I would give four of the best keys to.
| Action | Key I would use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Steer, throttle, brake | W A S D (default) | One hand drives. Nothing to relearn |
| E-brake | Space (default) | Thumb. You can hold it and still steer |
| Shift up / down | Up / Down arrow | Only for manual. Gears go to the right hand, so the left only drives |
| Look back | Left Ctrl | The little finger is free, and you want it in races and on touge roads |
| Look left / right | Left / Right arrow (default) | Fine where they are for junctions in free roam |
| Clutch | Leave it | Manual with clutch on a keyboard is one key too many |
| Rewind | R (default) | Close to the driving hand. You will use it a lot |
| Telemetry | T (default) | Next to R. Handy when you tune |
One hand drives and does nothing else. The other hand does the gears and the menus.
What I would avoid is gears on E and Q while you steer on A and D. You use the same three fingers for both, and you will miss a shift in the middle of a corner.
The best assists for a keyboard
On a pad you can press the trigger 30%. On a keyboard you cannot. The key is off or it is on. The assists are the answer to that.
They are in Settings, Difficulty.
| Assist | Setting | Why on a keyboard |
|---|---|---|
| Braking | Anti-lock on | The brake key is 0% or 100%. Without ABS the fronts lock every time |
| Steering | Standard | Simulation is made for wheels. On a key it is too nervous |
| Traction control | On | The throttle key is 0% or 100% too. Without it a powerful rear wheel drive car just spins |
| Stability control | On | It catches the slide you cannot catch with two keys |
| Shifting | Automatic at first | Two fewer keys. Go to Manual when the rest is natural |
| Driving line | Braking only | It shows the braking point, the hardest thing to judge with a key |
Normally I tell people to take the assists off as soon as they can. On a keyboard I would keep ABS and traction control on. In a real car you learn the limit with your feet over years. A key gives you nothing to feel.
How to drive it on a keyboard
- Tap, do not hold. Steer with short, quick taps. A held key goes to full lock and the front tyres slide.
- Brake early and in a straight line. The mountain roads are narrow and the guard rail is close. Do the braking before you turn.
- Lift before you brake. For a medium corner, often lifting off W for a moment is enough.
- Tap the throttle on exit. Two or three taps out of a hairpin are smoother than one hard press.
- Pick all wheel drive. An AWD car takes a full throttle input much better than a rear wheel drive one. My picks are in the best cars in Forza Horizon 6.
- Keep the e-brake for hairpins. A short tap on Space to turn the car, then back on the throttle.
Drifting is the hard part. A drift needs a little steering and a little throttle held for a long time, and a keyboard only has all or nothing. It can be done with fast taps, but if you came for the drift zones, a pad is the tool. The cars are in my best drift cars in Forza Horizon 6.
Keyboard, controller or wheel
Honest answer: if you have a controller in the house, use it. The game is built around a pad. My Forza Horizon 6 controller settings are here.
A wheel is fun in this game but it is not faster than a pad. The values for each brand are in my Forza Horizon 6 wheel settings.
If the keyboard is what you have, it is fine for the wristbands, the stamps and free roam. Where you will suffer is drifting and racing online against good pad players.
A keyboard driver also feels every dropped frame, because the taps are so short. Get a stable frame rate first with my Forza Horizon 6 best settings.
Still on the last game? The keys are almost the same. See my Forza Horizon 5 keyboard controls.
FAQ
Can you play Forza Horizon 6 with a keyboard?
Yes. The PC version has a full keyboard profile with 31 default keys, and you can rebind them. With ABS, traction control and stability control on, it is very playable.
What are the default keyboard controls in Forza Horizon 6?
W to accelerate, S to brake and reverse, A and D to steer, Space for the e-brake, E and Q for the gears, Left Shift for the clutch, R to rewind, Tab for the camera and M for the map.
How do I change the keyboard controls in Forza Horizon 6?
Open Settings, then Controls, select the keyboard, pick an action and press the new key. If the default profile is locked, switch to a custom profile first.
How do I rewind in Forza Horizon 6 on a keyboard?
Press R. In multiplayer the same key is the ping.
What key is photo mode in Forza Horizon 6?
P by default.
How do I open telemetry on a keyboard in Forza Horizon 6?
Press T. Page Up and Page Down move between the telemetry pages.
How do I shift gears on a keyboard in Forza Horizon 6?
Set Shifting to Manual in Settings, Difficulty. Then E shifts up and Q shifts down. With Manual with clutch you also hold Left Shift on every change.
Are the Forza Horizon 6 keys the same as Forza Horizon 5?
The driving keys are the same: W A S D, Space, E, Q, Left Shift, R and Tab. The Forza Horizon 6 list I checked is longer, with shortcuts like V for Forza LINK and 1 to 4 for the ANNA actions, so check those on your own Controls screen.