What are the GTA 6 controls?

Rockstar Games has not published the GTA 6 controls. What exists today is a pair of reported changes from one content creator, relayed after preview visits to Rockstar North in Edinburgh, plus the published layouts of the studio's last two open-world games.

We checked the official PlayStation product page on October 2, 2026. It lists DualSense vibration and trigger effects but no button map, and our searches of Rockstar's own channels found none either. The game is due on November 19, 2026, for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only, a date Rockstar set in a Newswire post on November 6, 2025. No PC version has been announced.

This page separates three things: what was reported, what came from older leaked footage, and what Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 actually used. It covers controls only.

Is GTA 6 changing the sprint button?

Reportedly, yes. The claim comes from MikeShowSha, a content creator Dexerto named among those reporting from preview visits to Rockstar North in Edinburgh.

Dexerto reported on September 1, 2026 that, according to him, sprinting moves from tapping X on PlayStation (A on Xbox) to clicking the left stick, L3 or LS. VICE ran the same report the same day. VICE added that it was not clear whether running needs a single click or a held stick, and described movement in his preview as more fluid than in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Rockstar has not confirmed this. Both outlets attribute it to the creator, not to the studio. A preview build can also differ from the game that ships.

If the report holds, it ends a long habit. In GTA V, the default way to sprint on foot was to tap X or A over and over. VICE called the reported switch the first change to the series' sprint controls in 25 years.

Does the car brake move to X or A in GTA 6?

That is the second reported change, from the same source. Dexerto wrote that the emergency brake in cars moves to X or A, instead of being bound to R1 or RB.

The reason given was another reported feature: the ability to freefire while driving, which Dexerto compared to shooting from horseback in Red Dead Redemption 2. Again, this is one creator's account, relayed by Dexerto, and Rockstar has said nothing about it.

What did the leaked GTA 6 footage show about controls?

Older material exists, and it should be treated with care. On February 13, 2024, Dexerto looked at button prompts in the development footage that leaked in 2022. That footage appeared to show L3 tapped to crouch and held to go prone, R3 to swap weapon hands, and Triangle or Y to pick up items.

Dexerto itself noted that anything could have changed since. The footage was years old and unfinished. It also uses L3 for crouching, while the 2026 report puts sprint on L3. Those two claims describe builds from different years, so they are not a contradiction that needs settling. Neither is a confirmed GTA 6 layout.

What were the default controls in GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2?

These are the closest published baselines. They are labelled by game. They are not a forecast for GTA 6.

GTA V on PlayStation, from Dexerto's 2024 report and GTABoom's GTA 5 controls list:

  • Sprint: tap X repeatedly (A on Xbox)
  • Jump: Square (X on Xbox)
  • Take cover: R1 (RB on Xbox)
  • Stealth mode (crouch): click the left stick, L3
  • Handbrake in vehicles: R1 (RB on Xbox)

Tapping X to sprint and a brake on R1 are the two habits Dexerto's 2026 report says GTA 6 moves away from.

Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4, from Shacknews' controls guide published October 25, 2018:

  • Run and sprint: hold X to run, tap X to sprint
  • Crouch: L3
  • Jump, climb or vault: Square
  • Aim: hold L2
  • Fire: R2

The overlap matters for one reason. Players have tapped X to sprint in Rockstar games for years, so muscle memory is the main thing a change would disrupt. Fans quoted by VICE complained about exactly that.

Will GTA 6 have a classic control option?

Unknown. VICE wrote on September 1, 2026 that it had not been confirmed whether the game will offer a classic controller layout. We found no published GTA 6 settings menu or button remapping list from Rockstar.

We will not guess at one. When Rockstar or a platform holder publishes the layout, this page will be updated with it and the date we checked.

Do controls have anything to do with GTA 6 cheats?

Only historically. In past games, console cheats were typed as button sequences on the pad, so the controller layout and the cheat system were linked. Our GTA 6 cheats tracker explains where that stands: Rockstar has published nothing about cheats in GTA 6, and VI Cheats has verified no GTA 6 code.

For the controller hardware itself, see what is known about GTA 6 and the DualSense. For how earlier button-entry codes worked, our GTA 5 cheat list history labels each one by game.

VI Cheats is independent and not affiliated with Rockstar Games, Take-Two Interactive, Sony or Microsoft.

Frequently asked questions

How do you sprint in GTA 6?

Rockstar has not said. Content creator MikeShowSha reported clicking L3 (LS on Xbox) in a preview build, as Dexerto and VICE relayed on September 1, 2026. Rockstar has not confirmed it.

Can you hold to sprint in GTA 6?

Not known. VICE noted it was unclear whether the reported L3 sprint is a click or a hold.

Is there an official GTA 6 controller layout?

No. As of October 2, 2026, Rockstar has not published one, and the PlayStation listing shows none.

Will GTA 6 controls be the same as GTA V?

There is no confirmation either way. GTA V's published layout is a reference point for the series, not a statement about GTA 6.