What is the drive key?
F, or the green DRIVE button at the top of the screen — both start the run from a finished car.
Controls & UI
Controls and Hotkeys
Every key and menu button, mapped from footage.
Updated
The important keys
Build and Kill Zombies keeps its key bindings minimal, and footage shows the same bindings across sessions. The two you will press constantly are DRIVE and BUILD.
| Key | Action | When |
|---|---|---|
| F | DRIVE — start the run | Standing by a finished car |
| B | BUILD — open the build menu | Any time outside a run |
| E | Place — put the selected part down | Inside build mode |
| R | Rotate — spin the previewed part | Inside build mode |
| X | Cancel — back out of placement | Inside build mode |
The left menu column
All permanent menus live in a column of buttons on the left edge: SHOP, SAVES, INDEX, SKILLS, SETTINGS, and Co-Op. Each opens a full-screen panel over the world.
SHOP contains the Car Builds and Missing Parts tabs plus the Exclusive Shop with the codes box. INDEX is your collection record — every roll category and every item you have pulled. SKILLS is the permanent upgrade tree. SAVES stores builds, and Co-Op handles friend sessions.
The run HUD
Once you press DRIVE the interface switches to run mode: a Distance counter, a checkpoint indicator, a speed readout, and the BOSS FIGHT bar when an encounter is live. Cash ticks up in the bottom-left as you earn.
The town sign NEXT BOSS IN keeps counting down even outside runs, so you can plan whether to launch a fresh drive before or after the next boss spawns.
Build mode keys in practice
Build mode is a preview system: pick a part, aim, and the ghost outline shows where it will land. E confirms, R spins it, X backs out. The slot counter (values like 0/8 have been observed) fills as parts land, and CLEAR PLOT resets the whole plot if a build goes wrong.
The PLOT PERMISSION panel (Player / Other Players / Alone) gates who can touch your plot — in public sessions, leave it on Player until you trust the lobby.
Panel habits that save time
Roll, place, drive is the rhythm. Keep the INDEX open during a rolling session to watch which slots you still need, and check the SKILLS panel between runs so cash never idles.
Everything is clickable with the mouse as well — none of the observed actions require a hotkey except the placement confirmations, which need E.
FAQ
Controls and Hotkeys FAQ
How do I open the build menu?
Press B, or walk to the build prompt in the world. The tutorial introduces it as 'Open the Build menu'.
Why can't I place a part?
Check you are out of a run and that X was not pressed — X cancels placement. The ghost outline only follows the ground where placement is allowed.