Controls and Commands

PC-First Design Philosophy

War for Westeros is built exclusively for PC in 2026, and PlaySide has stated that mouse-and-keyboard command precision is non-negotiable for its tactical battles. The control scheme follows conventions established by classic RTS titles in the Age of Empires lineage: left-click to select, right-click to move or attack, and modifier keys for advanced orders. If you have played any modern real-time strategy game on PC, most bindings will feel familiar within the first hour.

The interface splits cleanly between overworld and battle layers. On the strategic map, the camera behaves like a grand strategy viewer — pan with edge scrolling or middle-mouse drag, zoom to inspect individual keeps, and click holdings to open management panels for recruitment, diplomacy, and construction queues. When a fight begins, the HUD shifts to battlefield controls with unit portraits, ability bars for heroes, and formation toggles along the bottom edge of the screen.

PlaySide has not published a final keybind table as of pre-release coverage, so the bindings documented here reflect confirmed trailer interactions, developer diary footage, and industry-standard defaults. Treat every assignment as expected rather than final. We will update this page on launch day with verified defaults and remapping options.

Camera and Selection

Camera movement is expected to support multiple input styles simultaneously. Edge scrolling moves the view when your cursor touches screen borders; holding the middle mouse button and dragging pans the battlefield freely, which is essential during large siege fights around King's Landing. Scroll wheel zoom transitions between tactical close-ups — useful for micromanaging flanking cavalry — and elevated strategic views that reveal smoke signals and dragon flight paths.

Unit selection follows the RTS toolkit players already know. Left-click selects a single squad; click-drag creates a box selection; shift-click adds or removes units from the current group. Double-clicking a unit type selects all visible units of that class on screen, a lifesaver when repelling multiple breach points during a Wall defense scenario. Control groups via Ctrl + number keys assign selected armies to quick-recall slots, and shift-number assignments may allow nested group staging based on standard genre practice.

The minimap in the corner provides click-to-jump navigation. In overworld mode, the minimap displays faction colors, unexplored fog, and army movement trails. In battle mode, it highlights elevation, forest cover, and objective markers. Learning to fight while glancing at the minimap every few seconds separates competent commanders from players who lose sieges because a flanking force arrived unnoticed.

Unit Orders and Formations

Basic orders map to simple mouse commands. Right-click ground moves; right-click enemy attacks; right-click ally follows or escorts depending on context. Holding shift queues waypoints so cavalry can sweep around a forest, hit a trebuchet line, and retreat before infantry catches them — a core gameplay skill for Targaryen and Stark cavalry alike.

Formation controls appear in trailer footage as toolbar buttons and hotkeys. Players can tighten ranks for anti-cavalry defense, spread lines to reduce dragon breath casualties, or assign wedge formations for breakthrough charges. Siege equipment uses dedicated deploy and pack commands: trebuchets must anchor before firing, and battering rams require escort squads to survive arrow volleys from castle walls.

Advanced orders likely include hold position, patrol routes, and attack-move — standard for the genre. Hold position is critical when defending narrow passes in northern biomes; patrol routes protect supply convoys on the Roseroad; attack-move lets ranged units fire while advancing. Stance toggles such as aggressive, defensive, and hold fire may appear for units with friendly-fire risk, especially dragonglass artillery near allied infantry.

Hero Abilities and Overworld Shortcuts

Heroes add ability bars similar to MOBA-style cooldown management layered onto RTS formations. Selecting Jon Snow, for example, highlights tactical powers — rallying nearby northern infantry, marking a priority target, or activating a temporary defense buff rooted in his commander identity. Abilities are expected to bind to Q, W, E, and R keys with tooltips showing cooldown timers and resource costs such as morale or focus.

Overworld shortcuts streamline campaign management. Spacebar typically centers the camera on your last selection; F keys may jump between owned strongholds; Tab could cycle through idle production queues. Diplomacy panels, trade routes, and alliance timers need fast access because Root-style politics punish players who miss a treaty expiration by a single turn.

Multiplayer communication will likely include ping wheels — click-drag on the map to signal danger, request help, or propose coordinated strikes. Text chat, mute options, and alliance-only channels are standard expectations for a four-player free-for-all sandbox. See the multiplayer overview for how diplomacy interfaces overlap with control bindings during online sessions.

Accessibility and Remapping

PlaySide has hinted at full key remapping and sensitivity sliders at launch, though exact accessibility features remain unconfirmed. Colorblind-friendly faction palettes, subtitle options for narrative scenarios, and scalable UI are reasonable expectations for a 2026 PC title targeting a broad Game of Thrones audience including strategy newcomers guided by our RTS basics article.

Until official bindings ship, practice the genre fundamentals: keep your hand on control groups, never fight without minimap awareness, and bind camera reset to a key you can hit without looking. When PlaySide publishes the definitive control sheet, this wiki page will replace expected bindings with verified defaults and include notes on differences between overworld and battle layers.