Red Dead Redemption 2 Controls – Xbox and Playstation

Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the most successful and beloved gaming titles ever. With stunning graphics, breathtaking environments, and a storyline filled with adventurous missions, RDR2 is possibly the best wild-west simulator we've played. However, playing the game on controllers can be cumbersome in the long run, often due to janky and unintuitive controls. Thankfully, most of these issues can be solved by tinkering with the in-depth control settings, which allow you to play the game as your brain would like to. This guide will cover the controller layout and some essential Control settings in Red Dead Redemption 2 for PlayStation, Xbox, and controller players.

Xbox & PlayStation Controls in Red Dead Redemption 2

Standard Controls (Xbox)

• View: Toggle camera view (Tap) / Trigger cinematic view (Hold)
• Select: Pause game (Tap) / Open map (Hold)
• Left Analog Stick: Move
• Left Analog Stick (While in Cover): Peek
• Left Analog + A: Run (Hold) / Sprint (Tap)
• Left Analog + X: Jump / Vault / Climb
• Right Analog Stick: Look / Aim
• LS: Crouch
• RS (Weapon Wheel) – Maintain weapon (Tap) / Look behind (Hold)
• LS + RS: Eagle Eye
• X: Jump, climb, or vault over obstacles (Tap) / Pick up items or search objects (Hold) / While hunting, get the attention of animals (Hold)
• X (While Aiming): Dive (Tap) / Block melee attacks (Tap)
• X (While in Cover): Move to the adjacent cover spot (Left Analog Stick)
• Y: Interact with the environment, loot bodies, skin animals (Tap) / Rest (Hold) / Grapple opponent (During Melee Combat)
• B: Reload Weapon / Melee combat
• LB: Draw or holster weapon (Tap) / Wheel Menu (Hold) / Pick up weapons or objects (Tap) / Select weapon with Right Analog Stick, then release to equip a weapon
• RB: Take or Exit Cover (Tap) / Study animal (Hold) / Show or hide animal information (Tap)
• LT: Aim equipped weapon (Hold) / Lock on to nearby characters or animals (Hold)
• LT (hold) + RT: Aim / Shoot
• LT (hold) + RS: Activate Dead Eye
• LT (hold) + X: Combat dive
• RT: Draw weapon (Tap) / Fire weapon / Cock weapon between shots (when applicable) / Shoot from the hip (Rapid Tap)
• D-Pad Right: Open satchel or horse cargo (Hold)
• D-Pad Left: Display log (Tap) / Check journal (Hold)
• D-Pad Left + LT: Toggle shoulder view (while aiming)
• D-Pad Up: Whistle / Call Horse
• D-Pad Up (while aiming): Raise your gun to fire a warning shot
• D-Pad Down: While on a mission, view current objective (Tap) / Expand radar (Hold) / Display Honor Rating and environmental information (Hold) / While in camp, Show status of camp supplies and savings (Tap) / Change radar type (Hold)

Horse Controls (Xbox)

• Left Analog Stick: Steer
• A: Change speed (Tap) / Match speed to companion (Hold) / Move up in formation (Double Tap)
• X: Jump (while riding) / Jump onto the vehicle (while at the same speed) / Command horse to stay (while locked onto the horse) / Pat horse (while locked onto the horse)
• Right Analog Stick: Look / Aim
• LS: Calm Horse
• Y: Mount or Dismount while stationary (Tap) / Hitch horse (Hold) / While on foot, command to follow or lead horse (Tap)
• B: Kick on either side / Stop leading the horse
• LB: View weapons stored on the mount (Hold)
• RB: Slow down (Tap) / Move down formation (Double Tap)
• LT: Lock on to nearby targets (Hold)
• RT: Draw weapon (Tap) / Fire weapon / Cock weapon between shots (when applicable)
• D-Pad Right: Check horse cargo (Hold) / Feed horse (while locked onto horse)
• D-Pad Left: Brush Horse (while locked onto horse)
• D-Pad Left + LT: Toggle shoulder view (while aiming)
• D-Pad Up: Whistle or Call Horse / Remove saddle (while locked onto horse) / Raise your gun to the sky to fire a warning shot (while aiming)

Related: How to get the Stone Hatchet in Red Dead Redemption 2

Standard Controls (PlayStation)

• Trackpad: Toggle camera view (Tap) / Trigger cinematic view (Hold)
• Options: Pause game / Open the map (Hold)
• Left Analog Stick: Move
• Left Analog Stick (While in Cover): Peek
• Left Analog + X: Run (Hold) / Sprint (Tap)
• Right Analog Stick: Look / Aim
• Square: Jump, Vault, Climb (Tap) / Pick Up Objects (Hold) / While Hunting, call to draw animal attention (Hold)
• Right Analog Stick: Look / Aim
• L3: Crouch
• R3 (Weapon Wheel): Maintain weapon (Tap) / Look behind (Hold)
• L3 + R3: Eagle Eye
• Square: Jump, climb, or vault over obstacles (Tap) / Pick up items or search objects (Hold) / While hunting, get the attention of animals (Hold)
• Square (While Aiming): Dive (Tap) / Block melee attacks (Tap)
• Square (While in Cover): Move to the adjacent cover spot (Left Analog Stick)
• Triangle: Interact with the environment, loot bodies, skin animals (Tap) / Rest (Hold) / Grapple opponent (During Melee Combat)
• Circle: Reload Weapon / Melee combat
• L1: Draw or holster weapon (Tap) / Wheel Menu (Hold) / Pick up weapons or objects (Tap) / Select weapon with Right Analog Stick, then release to equip the weapon
• R1: Take or Exit Cover (Tap) / Study animal (Hold) / Show or hide animal information (Tap)
• L2: Aim equipped weapon (Hold) / Lock on to nearby characters or animals (Hold)
• L2 (Hold) + R2: Aim / Shoot
• L2 (Hold) + R3: Activate Dead Eye
• L2 (Hold) + Square: Combat dive
• R2: Draw weapon (Tap) / Fire weapon / Cock weapon between shots (when applicable) / Shoot from the hip (Rapid Tap)
• D-Pad Right: Open satchel and horse cargo (Hold)
• D-Pad Left: Display log (Tap) / Check journal (Hold)
• D-Pad Left + L2: Toggle shoulder view (while aiming)
• D-Pad Up: Whistle / Call Horse
• D-Pad Up (While Aiming): Raise your gun to fire a warning shot
• D-Pad Down: While on a mission, view current objective (Tap) / Expand radar (Hold) / Display Honor Rating and environmental information (Hold) / While in camp, Show status of camp supplies and savings (Tap) / Change radar type (Hold)

Horse Controls (PlayStation)

• Left Analog Stick: Steer
• X: Change speed (Tap) / Match speed to companion (Hold) / Move up in formation (Double Tap)
• L3: Calm Horse
• Square: Jump (while riding) / Jump onto the vehicle (while at the same speed) / Command horse to stay (while locked onto the horse) / Pat horse (while locked onto the horse)
• Triangle: Mount or Dismount while stationary (Tap) / Hitch horse (Hold) / While on foot, command to follow or lead horse (Tap)
• Circle: Kick on either side / Stop leading the horse
• L1: View weapons stored on the mount (Hold)
• L2: Lock on to nearby targets (Hold)
• R1: Slow down (Tap) / Move down formation (Double Tap)
• R2: Draw weapon (Tap) / Fire weapon / Cock weapon between shots (when applicable)
• D-Pad Right: Check horse cargo (Hold) / Feed horse (while locked onto a horse)
• D-Pad Left: Brush Horse (while locked onto the horse)
• D-Pad Left + L2: Toggle shoulder view (while aiming)
• D-Pad Up: Whistle or Call Horse / Remove saddle (while locked onto a horse) / Raise your gun to the sky to fire a warning shot (while aiming)

Related: Red Dead Redemption 2 Cheats and Codes

The best Control Settings for Xbox and PlayStation in RDR 2

• Invert Look: OFF
• Vibration: OFF
• Use 'Cycle Camera' control for Photo Mode: OFF

Targeting and Weapons

The Lock-On Mode in RDR2 is an aim assist system which automatically locks your crosshair onto nearby enemies while aiming down sights. Wide automatically locks onto enemies no matter which direction you face, while Narrow requires your crosshair to be placed close to a potential target for it to lock-on. Notably, while Free Aim removes Lock-On, you still gain some aim assist via the Aim Assist Strength setting.

• Lock-On Mode (On Foot): NORMAL
  • The target Lock-On Mode in RDR2 has four different settings: Normal, Narrow, Wide, and Free Aim. We suggest keeping this setting on Normal, as it strikes the perfect balance between Narrow, and Wide. If you wish to disable target Lock-On, change this setting to Free Aim instead.
• Aim Assist Strength (On Foot): MAX
  • Unlike Lock-On, Aim Assist Strength does not lock onto targets, but merely reduces your aim drift momentarily while hovering over a target. Keeping this at max setting will allow for a much more intuitive aiming experience in-game.
• Lock-On Mode (Mount / Vehicle): NORMAL
  • Similar to Lock-On Mode on foot, this setting allows you to lock-on to targets when aiming while on horseback. We suggest keeping this at Normal, as shooting while riding a steed can be particularly difficult.
• Aim Assist Strength (Mount / Vehicle): MAX
  • Similarly to Aim Assist Strength while on foot, we suggest keeping this setting maxed out for a smoother aiming experience while on horseback.
• Automatic Pin Switching: OFF
  • This setting is specifically for the LeMat Revolver, which can use both pistol rounds and shotgun shells for ammunition. When you run out of either ammo type, you will automatically switch to the alternate ammunition. We suggest turning this off, as shotgun ammunition can be particularly precious in RDR2.

Third Person & First Person

The First Person and Third Person settings both have identical options. These settings pertain to camera sensitivity, controller button layout, and camera movement behavior.

• Third Person Controls / First Person Controls: Standard FPS
  • While the best control layout setting is subjective, we suggest choosing Standard FPS. While in Standard setting, you need to hold the Sprint button (X on PlayStation, A on Xbox) to run, and click the Left Analogue stick to crouch. This limits you from looking around with your Right Analogue stick while running. In Standard FPS, these buttons are reversed, thus freeing up your right thumb to look around while sprinting.
• Horse Control: Horse Relative
  • We suggest choosing Horse Relative, as this gives you the freedom to move the camera and your horse independently, allowing the camera to adjust to the Horse's perspective instead of the other way around.
• Look Sensitivity: MAX
  • Turning this setting all the way up allows you to turn and look around faster. Turn it down gradually from there, if required.
• Aim Sensitivity: MAX
  • Turn this setting all the way up gives you more snappiness to your aiming. Ideally, keeping Look and Aim Sensitivity at the same values will provide a more consistent aiming experience.
• Aim / Look Acceleration: MAX
  • Aim / Look Acceleration denotes the time it takes for your cursor to reach full movement speed from a standstill. We suggest turning this setting to Max, as it will essentially negate the initial delay of cursor speed when you start moving it, allowing for a more consistent and predictable aiming experience.
• Aim / Look Dead Zone: Personal preference
  • Simply put, controller Dead Zone denotes the amount your analogue stick needs to move from the center to be recognized as an input by the game. If you have stick drift issues in your controller, turn this setting up incrementally to determine your preferred value. If you do not have stick drift issues, turn this setting all the way down instead.

Accessibility

• Running Mode (On-Foot Only): Toggle to Run
  • We suggest changing this mode to Toggle to Run. Instead of holding a button to sprint, Toggle to Run allows you to sprint without needing to hold down a button, thus allowing you to look around and aim while running simultaneously.
• Tap Assist: HOLD
  • Many actions in-game need multiple mashes of a button. Tap Assist aims to convert the function of tapping into a hold mechanic, thus allowing you to play with less button mashing which is always a win.
• Tap to Hold Delay: OFF
  • This control adjusts the time it takes for the game to distinguish between a button tap or hold. Setting this to the lowest value will reduce input lag when you press a Hold function.
• Hold to Reel (Fishing): ON
  • We suggest keeping this on for an easier fishing experience.

Looking for a classic old hatchet to throw at your foes in RDR2? Check out How to get the Stone Hatchet in Red Dead Redemption 2, right here on Pro Game Guides.