How to enable and bind HOTAS
You need access to a playable client. These steps follow the Closed Beta 2 settings demonstration below; menu names and behavior may change in Early Access.
- Open Settings → Gamepad → HOTAS and set Enable HOTAS to Enabled.
- Select the direction or action you want to assign, such as Roll Left. The selected binding waits for an input.
- Move only the stick or throttle axis you want to use, or press the intended button. Look for an axis/button assignment beside the action. The demonstration shows labels such as Axis 0+ alongside a device name; your axis number and name can differ. If the row is still waiting or has no assignment, the binding is not ready to test.
- Repeat for roll, pitch, yaw and collective. Map each action deliberately; a device being detected does not prove every required action is bound.
- In the Firing Range, when available in your client, test one action at a time using the checks below. Confirm the response before carrying passengers.
| Bound action | Response to check |
|---|---|
| Roll | The helicopter banks left or right in the intended direction. |
| Pitch | The nose moves up or down in the intended direction. |
| Yaw | The nose turns left or right rather than banking. |
| Collective | The helicopter climbs or descends; this is the vertical-control input. |
A visible assignment confirms that the menu recorded an input. It does not guarantee correct flight behavior. If yaw goes the opposite way, the demonstration uses Invert Yaw or rebinds the opposite direction. Change one thing and repeat the same test.
Settings demonstration
The settings portion runs from 1:05 to 2:54. Use it to locate the binding rows and compare the collective switch; the written steps remain usable without playback.
Sensitivity and self-centering collective
For roll, pitch and yaw, the demonstration uses 0.75. This is the pilot’s preference, not a universal best value. The pilot explains that a higher sensitivity produces more response from a small stick movement. If small corrections feel too abrupt, lower one axis setting and repeat the same movement before changing another.
Collective controls climb and descent. The on-screen description for Self-centering collective, shown around 2:35, distinguishes these setups:
| Your collective control | Setting and intended behavior |
|---|---|
| A spring-centered second stick in a dual-stick setup (HOSAS) | Enable self-centering to have released input return the collective toward its hover position instead of retaining the previous value. |
| A throttle lever that stays where you leave it | Leave self-centering disabled, as directed by the beta’s setting description. |
The pilot leaves this disabled for their throttle. Choose by how your collective control behaves, rather than copying that switch blindly. After changing it, test the collective response and what happens when you release the control. The intended hover position is not a guarantee that the aircraft will hold altitude in every situation.
Why mouse flight controls stop working
Grundy’s Closed Beta 02 controls FAQ describes the beta’s mouse-flight settings. HOTAS mode can disable mouse and keyboard flight inputs in this beta. To return to mouse flight, turn Enable HOTAS off. Then open Settings → Controls → Settings and enable Rotary Vehicle Mouse Control. Set the horizontal mouse swipe to Roll and the vertical swipe to Pitch if those are the controls you want.
Players in the HOTAS community discussion report that entering a helicopter switches to HOTAS and leaving it restores mouse and keyboard input. That automatic change between flying and infantry is different from using stick and mouse together to fly; do not assume every mixed-input combination works.
Which sticks, throttles and pedals work?
The demonstration displays the device-name fragment M GLADIATOR EVO. In the community discussion above, one player reports using a Thrustmaster TM16000 HOTAS with VKB pedals successfully during a playtest.
These are player examples, not a complete supported-device list. Check your exact configuration before buying hardware for this game. Generic gamepad support does not establish HOTAS compatibility, and a remapping tool does not prove native support or anti-cheat compatibility.
If an axis does not respond or bindings disappear
First identify where the setup stops working. The FAQ and its discussion linked above describe input problems, including a player whose collective bound in the menu but did not respond in flight. These are community reports, not a guarantee of a particular cause or fix.
| What you can observe | What to do next |
|---|---|
| The binding row still waits or shows no assignment | Select the intended action again and move one intended axis or press one button. Look for the assignment to appear before trying to fly. |
| An assignment is present, but the direction is reversed | Check the action/direction you assigned. For yaw, use Invert Yaw or bind the opposite direction, then retest. |
| An assignment is present, but nothing happens in flight | Confirm Enable HOTAS is enabled and test the affected action on its own. If only collective fails, compare its mode with the table above. If it remains unresponsive, stop repeating the same rebind and use the support path below. |
| A binding disappears after restarting | Assign the affected action again and check whether it persists on the next restart. This does not mean every player must rebind everything each session. |
| You want mouse flight back | Disable HOTAS and use the mouse settings above. Changing HOTAS sensitivity will not restore mouse input. |
If these checks do not help, restore your previous input setup. Record your game version, device names, failed action, whether the binding appears in the menu, and whether it survives a restart. Use the game’s support entry in your Steam Library. Do not disable anti-cheat or change security components to make an input device work.
Version and access
These instructions describe Closed Beta 2, not a guarantee of the Early Access build or every device. As of September 7, the Steam store lists September 10 as the planned unlock date; the advertised September 3–6 beta window has ended. Check playtest access before trying to enter the game.
Older statements that HOTAS support was not confirmed do not describe the demonstrated Beta 2 controls. For client and platform requirements, see WARDOGS on PC.