The Zelda Tears of the Kingdom controls should be familiar to fans of the series. Tears of the Kingdom is set to launch later this year and the core gameplay looks largely similar to Breath of the Wild, but it has tons of new quality-of-life features. You can play the game in the Nintendo Switch’s handheld mode, or you can dock it and play the game on a larger screen using the detachable Joy-Cons.
The controls of Tears of the Kingdom look to be fairly similar, but it's the new Fuse mechanic thats sets the gameplay apart. Players will get even more opportunities to be creative in Tears of the Kingdom, thanks to how you can craft makeshift weapons and even vehicles.
All Zelda Tears of the Kingdom controls
These are the controls for the Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons when playing Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.
- A: Action Key, take, climb down
- B: Sprint, close menu
- X: Jump, climb
- Y: Attack
- R Stick: Move Camera
- R Stick (Click): Telescope View
- L Stick: Movement
- L Stick (Click): Stealth Mode
- L: Menu, Use Item
- ZL: Shield, can be held to lock the camera on targets
- R: Menu, Throw Weapon
- ZR: Use Bow
- ◄: Hold the button and use the right stick to switch your shield
- ►: Hold the button and use the right stick to switch your weapon
- ▲: Hold the button and use the right stick to switch your special item
- ▼: Whistle
- -: Sheikah Slate to access your runes, powers, map, missions, destinations, and memories. The button may also be used for the new Fuse mechanic
- +: Pause Game, open inventory
- ◘: Capture Button: Capture a screenshot or video
- ⌂ (Home Icon): Nintendo Switch home screen
One of the best things about the Joy-Cons is that you also have access to motion controls. You can use your pair of Joy-Cons to manually aim at enemies or objects that you can interact with. If you have a different third-party controller that is compatible with the Nintendo Switch, features like the motion controls may not be available to you. Motion controls are not necessary to enjoy the game, but they definitely make aiming easier.
It is unknown how the Fuse mechanic will be implemented in the game’s menus, but you will likely be able to access it via the inventory menu. The controls in Tears of the Kingdom should not be too different from what we had seen in Breath of the Wild. Of course, if we hear anything else, we'll update this guide!
For more Zelda content, consider checking out all of the Tears of the Kingdom pre order bonuses and the map size. If you don’t know exactly when the game arrives in your region, check out our release date guide.