input-handling

Input Handling in Godot 4.3+

All examples target Godot 4.3+ with no deprecated APIs. GDScript is shown first, then C#.

Related skills: player-controller for movement driven by input, godot-ui for UI input focus and navigation, save-load for persisting custom key bindings, responsive-ui for touch vs desktop input adaptation, xr-development for XR controller and hand tracking input, mobile-development for mobile sensors and app lifecycle.

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1. Core Concepts

Input Flow

Hardware Event (key, mouse, gamepad)
    ↓
Engine converts to InputEvent
    ↓
_input()              ← raw input, runs first
    ↓
_shortcut_input()     ← for global shortcuts
    ↓
UI Control nodes      ← buttons, sliders consume events
    ↓
_unhandled_key_input() ← unhandled key-only events
    ↓
_unhandled_input()    ← game input (movement, actions)

Where to Handle Input

Method	Use For	When It Runs
_input()	Camera look, global hotkeys	First — before everything
_shortcut_input()	Global shortcuts (pause, screenshot)	After _input, before UI
_unhandled_key_input()	Key-only events that UI didn't consume	After UI, keys only
_unhandled_input()	Gameplay actions (jump, attack, interact)	Last — after UI consumes
Input.is_action_pressed() in _physics_process()	Continuous movement	N/A — polling, not event-driven

Rule of thumb: Use _unhandled_input() for discrete game actions (jump, attack). Use Input polling in _physics_process() for continuous movement. Use _input() only when you need input before UI consumes it (e.g., mouse look).

InputEvent Hierarchy

InputEvent
├── InputEventKey              ← keyboard
├── InputEventMouseButton      ← mouse clicks
├── InputEventMouseMotion      ← mouse movement
├── InputEventJoypadButton     ← gamepad buttons
├── InputEventJoypadMotion     ← gamepad sticks/triggers
├── InputEventScreenTouch      ← touchscreen tap
├── InputEventScreenDrag       ← touchscreen drag
├── InputEventAction           ← synthetic action events
├── InputEventMIDI             ← MIDI devices
└── InputEventGesture          ← pinch, pan gestures
    ├── InputEventMagnifyGesture
    └── InputEventPanGesture

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2. Input Map Setup

Define actions in Project > Project Settings > Input Map instead of checking raw keycodes. This decouples game logic from specific keys and enables rebinding.

Default Project Actions

Godot ships with ui_* actions: ui_accept, ui_cancel, ui_left, ui_right, ui_up, ui_down, etc. These are used by UI controls for keyboard navigation. You can use them for gameplay but creating custom actions is preferred to avoid conflicts.

Adding Actions in Code

# Typically done in an autoload _ready(), not every frame
func _ready() -> void:
    if not InputMap.has_action("move_left"):
        InputMap.add_action("move_left")
        var event := InputEventKey.new()
        event.physical_keycode = KEY_A
        InputMap.action_add_event("move_left", event)

public override void _Ready()
{
    if (!InputMap.HasAction("move_left"))
    {
        InputMap.AddAction("move_left");
        var ev = new InputEventKey();
        ev.PhysicalKeycode = Key.A;
        InputMap.ActionAddEvent("move_left", ev);
    }
}

Best practice: Define actions in the editor Input Map. Only add actions in code for dynamically generated bindings or mod support.

Recommended Action Names

Use descriptive, game-specific names instead of key names:

Good	Bad	Why
move_left	press_a	Decoupled from physical key
attack	left_click	Works for mouse and gamepad
interact	press_e	Rebindable without changing logic
sprint	hold_shift	Input-agnostic
pause	press_escape	Can map to gamepad Start button too

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3. Reading Input — Events vs Polling

Event-Driven (Discrete Actions)

Use _unhandled_input() for one-shot actions: jump, attack, interact, pause.

GDScript

func _unhandled_input(event: InputEvent) -> void:
    if event.is_action_pressed("jump"):
        _jump()
        get_viewport().set_input_as_handled()  # prevent further propagation

    if event.is_action_pressed("interact"):
        _interact()

    if event.is_action_pressed("pause"):
        get_tree().paused = not get_tree().paused
        get_viewport().set_input_as_handled()

C#

public override void _UnhandledInput(InputEvent @event)
{
    if (@event.IsActionPressed("jump"))
    {
        Jump();
        GetViewport().SetInputAsHandled();
    }

    if (@event.IsActionPressed("interact"))
        Interact();

    if (@event.IsActionPressed("pause"))
    {
        GetTree().Paused = !GetTree().Paused;
        GetViewport().SetInputAsHandled();
    }
}

Polling (Continuous Input)

Use Input singleton in _physics_process() for held buttons and analog axes.

GDScript

func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
    # Movement vector from 4 directional actions
    var direction := Input.get_vector("move_left", "move_right", "move_up", "move_down")
    velocity = direction * speed

    # Check if a button is held
    if Input.is_action_pressed("sprint"):
        velocity *= 1.5

    move_and_slide()

C#

public override void _PhysicsProcess(double delta)
{
    Vector2 direction = Input.GetVector("move_left", "move_right", "move_up", "move_down");
    Velocity = direction * Speed;

    if (Input.IsActionPressed("sprint"))
        Velocity *= 1.5f;

    MoveAndSlide();
}

Key Input Methods

Method	Returns	Use For
Input.is_action_pressed()	bool	Held buttons (sprint, crouch, fire)
Input.is_action_just_pressed()	bool	One-shot triggers (jump, interact)
Input.is_action_just_released()	bool	Release triggers (variable jump cut)
Input.get_action_strength()	float	Analog pressure (0.0–1.0)
Input.get_axis()	float	Single axis (-1.0 to 1.0)
Input.get_vector()	Vector2	2D direction, normalized
event.is_action_pressed()	bool	Check in _unhandled_input callback
event.is_action_released()	bool	Check in _unhandled_input callback

Input.is_action_just_pressed() in _physics_process() can miss inputs if the physics framerate is lower than the render framerate. For reliability, catch one-shot actions in _unhandled_input() and set a flag, or use the input buffering pattern below.

Input Buffering

Buffer discrete actions so they aren't lost between physics frames.

var _jump_buffered: bool = false
var _jump_buffer_timer: float = 0.0
const JUMP_BUFFER_TIME: float = 0.1

func _unhandled_input(event: InputEvent) -> void:
    if event.is_action_pressed("jump"):
        _jump_buffered = true
        _jump_buffer_timer = JUMP_BUFFER_TIME

func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
    if _jump_buffered:
        _jump_buffer_timer -= delta
        if _jump_buffer_timer <= 0.0:
            _jump_buffered = false

    if _jump_buffered and is_on_floor():
        velocity.y = JUMP_VELOCITY
        _jump_buffered = false

private bool _jumpBuffered;
private float _jumpBufferTimer;
private const float JumpBufferTime = 0.1f;

public override void _UnhandledInput(InputEvent @event)
{
    if (@event.IsActionPressed("jump"))
    {
        _jumpBuffered = true;
        _jumpBufferTimer = JumpBufferTime;
    }
}

public override void _PhysicsProcess(double delta)
{
    if (_jumpBuffered)
    {
        _jumpBufferTimer -= (float)delta;
        if (_jumpBufferTimer <= 0f)
            _jumpBuffered = false;
    }

    if (_jumpBuffered && IsOnFloor())
    {
        Vector2 vel = Velocity;
        vel.Y = JumpVelocity;
        Velocity = vel;
        _jumpBuffered = false;
    }
}

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4. Mouse Input

InputEventMouseMotion.relative for camera look (with Input.MOUSE_MODE_CAPTURED), InputEventMouseButton for clicks. Mouse modes: VISIBLE, HIDDEN, CAPTURED, CONFINED. Custom cursor via Input.set_custom_mouse_cursor(texture, shape, hotspot).

See references/mouse.md for the full GDScript and C# recipes (camera-look with sensitivity + invert toggle, mouse-mode switching, button events, custom cursor with shape variants).

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5. Controller / Gamepad Support

Input.get_connected_joypads() for runtime detection, Input.joy_connection_changed signal for hot-plug. Use Input Map actions with joypad button events for portability. Analog sticks: Input.get_vector("left", "right", "up", "down", deadzone) returns a length-clamped Vector2 with built-in deadzone.

See references/gamepad.md for the GDScript and C# recipes (controller detection, deadzone analog reading, vibration via start_joy_vibration, detecting last-input-device for UI prompt swapping).

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6. Touch Input

InputEventScreenTouch for tap/release, InputEventScreenDrag for finger drag. Multi-touch tracked by event.index. Enable Project Settings → Input Devices → Pointing → Emulate Touch From Mouse to test on desktop.

See references/touch.md for the GDScript and C# basic touch event handling and the emulate-touch-from-mouse setting.

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7. Action Rebinding at Runtime

Three steps: (1) capture the user's chosen key via _input while in "rebinding" mode, (2) call InputMap.action_erase_events(action) then InputMap.action_add_event(action, new_event), (3) persist via ConfigFile and reload on launch.

See references/action-rebinding.md for the full GDScript and C# rebinding flow including ConfigFile save/load and the typical "press a key" capture UI.

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8. Consuming and Propagating Input

Stopping Event Propagation

func _unhandled_input(event: InputEvent) -> void:
    if event.is_action_pressed("interact"):
        _interact()
        # Mark as handled — no other node receives this event
        get_viewport().set_input_as_handled()

public override void _UnhandledInput(InputEvent @event)
{
    if (@event.IsActionPressed("interact"))
    {
        Interact();
        GetViewport().SetInputAsHandled();
    }
}

Node Processing Order

Input propagates in reverse scene tree order (deepest child first, root last). To control which node gets input first:

• Move it deeper in the tree, or
• Use Node.set_process_input(true/false) to enable/disable input on specific nodes
• Call get_viewport().set_input_as_handled() to stop propagation

Paused Input

By default, _unhandled_input() and _input() don't fire when the tree is paused. To receive input during pause (e.g., pause menu):

# On the pause menu node:
func _ready() -> void:
    process_mode = Node.PROCESS_MODE_ALWAYS

public override void _Ready()
{
    ProcessMode = ProcessModeEnum.Always;
}

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9. Common Pitfalls

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Action not recognized	Action name not defined in Input Map	Add the action in Project > Project Settings > Input Map
is_action_just_pressed() misses input	Called in _physics_process at low tick rate	Catch discrete actions in _unhandled_input() instead
Input still fires when UI is open	Using _input() instead of _unhandled_input()	Switch to _unhandled_input() so UI consumes events first
Mouse look works through menus	Mouse motion in _input() without mode check	Guard with if Input.mouse_mode == Input.MOUSE_MODE_CAPTURED
Gamepad stick drifts	Deadzone too low or not set	Set deadzone per-action in Input Map (0.2 is a good default)
Controller not detected	Not connected before game start	Connect joy_connection_changed signal, handle hot-plug
Key rebinding captures modifier keys	No filter for Shift/Ctrl/Alt alone	Skip events where keycode is a modifier key
Touch input doesn't work on desktop	"Emulate Touch From Mouse" is disabled	Enable in Project Settings > Input Devices > Pointing
Input fires during pause	Node process_mode is INHERIT (pauses with parent)	Set pause menu to PROCESS_MODE_ALWAYS
Action triggers twice per press	Same action checked in both _input and _unhandled_input	Pick one callback per action

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10. Implementation Checklist

• All gameplay actions are defined in the Input Map — no raw keycodes in game logic
• Discrete actions (jump, attack) use _unhandled_input(), not polling in _physics_process()
• Continuous input (movement, sprint) uses Input.get_vector() / Input.is_action_pressed() in _physics_process()
• Mouse look guards on Input.mouse_mode == MOUSE_MODE_CAPTURED to avoid rotating through menus
• Each Input Map action has both keyboard and gamepad bindings for controller support
• Gamepad deadzone is set per-action in Input Map (default 0.2)
• Pause menu node has process_mode = PROCESS_MODE_ALWAYS to receive input while paused
• get_viewport().set_input_as_handled() is called after consuming events that shouldn't propagate
• Input device detection exists if showing keyboard vs gamepad UI prompts
• Key rebinding saves to and loads from user:// on game launch