Def Jam Recomp controller setup

Gamepads, the default keyboard layout, four players on one screen, overlay shortcuts and remapping, from the project’s own input documentation.

Download v1.1.1 & SHA-256 Install guide

SDL3 gamepads
Up to 4 players
Keyboard + mouse
Remapping

Sparring in a boxing ring

Since 0.3.0 the PC port reads gamepads through SDL3 and the keyboard and mouse as a player of their own, with remapping, hot-plug and rumble. Everything is a setting in settings.ini beside your save folder; the launcher’s Controls page and the in-game overlay edit the same values. The Android port’s touch and pad controls are on the Android page.

Gamepads that work

Controller	What you get
Xbox Wireless Controller	The original Xbox layout the game was made for, including the Black and White buttons mapped to the bumpers. Works through SDL3, or with `backend = xinput` for Xbox-style pads only.
Sony DualSense	Read through SDL3, wired or Bluetooth. Any control can be remapped, for example Start on the touchpad with `start = touchpad`.
8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless	Works as a standard gamepad through SDL3; use its Xbox-style mode for matching labels.
GameSir Cyclone 2	An Xbox-layout PC pad; works as a standard gamepad.

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SDL3 reads Xbox, DualSense, DualShock 4, Switch Pro and most DirectInput pads, over Bluetooth or a cable. A pad SDL does not know as a gamepad is not used.

Four players on one screen

Up to four players. Each pad takes the lowest free player in the order it appeared.
A pad plugged in while the game runs, even at the player-select screen, appears to the game as an ordinary hot-plug; one unplugged leaves its player at rest.
The keyboard and mouse are a separate player by default, after the pads: with one pad the keyboard is player 2. Choose another player, merge it into player 1’s pad, or turn it off with keyboard_player.
Rumble reaches the pad of the player who is hit.

Default keyboard controls

The face buttons sit under the right hand in the shape of the pad’s diamond (I top, J left, L right, K bottom). In the menus, W A S D move the cursor, K or Space confirms and Enter is Start. Up to four keys per control; mouse buttons and the wheel can be bound like keys.

Xbox control	Default keys
Left stick	W A S D
Right stick (Blazin’ moves)	Arrow keys
A	K, Space, left mouse button
B	L, Left Shift, right mouse button
X	J
Y	I
Black	U
White	O
Left trigger	Q, mouse button 4
Right trigger	E, mouse button 5
Start	Enter
Back	Backspace
Left / right stick click	Left Ctrl / Right Ctrl
D-pad	Numpad 8, 2, 4, 6

Shortcuts in game

Keys	What they do
F1, guide button, or both stick clicks for half a second	Open or close the settings overlay (the game keeps running)
F8 / F7, or R3 + D-pad right / left	Next song / song from the start (1.1.0)
F11 or Alt+Enter	Switch full screen (do not bind these)
Shift at start-up, or `--launcher`	Show the launcher again after choosing to skip it

Remapping and tuning

Any control as any control: in [gamepad], e.g. a = east and b = south swap A and B; left_stick = right and right_stick = left swap the sticks.
Dead zones: raise left_deadzone / right_deadzone if a stick drifts; the trigger threshold is a setting too.
Rumble: rumble sets the strength (0 turns it off); rumble_floor and rumble_min_ms make the game’s faint pulses felt; rumble_on_connect buzzes a pad when it connects.
Mouse pointer: it hides over the game after two seconds and stays inside the window in full screen (hide_cursor, confine_cursor).
Nothing is read while the game window is in the background, and held keys are released when it loses focus.

When a pad is not seen

Look for [INPUT] … pad(s) found in logs/run-*.log.err.
Steam’s own controller configuration can hide a pad from other programs: close Steam or its controller layer while testing.
With four controllers already present there is no free player.
An open report concerns a Ucom PC pad that is detected but does nothing in game (#165).

A lit subway train crossing an overpass above a street at night in the Bronx — Morris Park, the Bronx, at night

The Brooklyn Bridge lit up at night, seen from the water’s edge with old pier posts in front — The Brooklyn Bridge at night

A rain-wet playground court behind a chain-link fence, with an elevated train line to the left — A fenced playground court, Queens

Frequently asked questions

What is the best controller for Def Jam Recomp?

The game was made for the Xbox pad, so an Xbox Wireless Controller matches its layout most closely. A DualSense, the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 Wireless and the GameSir Cyclone 2 work as standard pads through SDL3, as do DualShock 4, Switch Pro and most DirectInput pads.

How many players can play locally?

Up to four. Each pad takes the lowest free player in the order it appeared, and pads can be plugged in while the game runs, even at player select. The keyboard and mouse count as an extra player by default.

Can I play Def Jam Recomp online?

No. The README says network multiplayer is not supported; play is local, up to four players. The separate Android port has its own online lobby that depends on an outside service.

The keyboard shows up as an extra controller. How do I stop that?

Set keyboard_player = off in settings.ini (or in Controls), or set it to merge so the keyboard types into player 1’s pad.

Why do I barely feel rumble?

The game’s own pulses are brief and faint. Raise rumble_floor and rumble_min_ms to make them stronger and longer. If the pad does not even buzz when it connects, its rumble does not work through SDL: try backend = xinput or another cable or mode.

Where are the controller settings stored?

In settings.ini in your data folder, under [input], [gamepad] and [keyboard]. The launcher’s Controls page and the F1 overlay edit the same values, with Detect, Add, Clear and Default for each binding.