Pier pals controls
Keyboard and mouse defaults
Pier Pals is a cozy idle fishing game that lives on your desktop, so the keyboard and mouse layout is intentionally small. Peng-O-Labs has not published an official key binding sheet on the Steam store page, but the expected defaults below match the game's idle-first design and can be verified from the pause menu's Settings screen after launch.
Movement and camera
- W A S D or Arrow keys: move your character along the shared dock
- Mouse movement: aim your cast or pan the camera around your line
- Mouse wheel: zoom the camera in and out
Fishing and interactions
- Left click: cast the line or confirm a menu choice
- Right click: cancel, close a panel, or back out of a shop
- Space: toggle auto-cast so fishing continues without input
- E: interact with dock objects, shop stalls, pets, and friends
Menus and quick keys
- Tab: open the journal and collection tracker
- B: open the shop and gear screen
- C: open cosmetics, wardrobe, and rides
- Enter: open the chat box in multiplayer
- Esc: open the pause menu with Settings, rebinding, and lobby options
Gamepad button layout
If you prefer a controller, Pier Pals keeps the same actions on a standard gamepad layout. The expected mapping mirrors the mouse scheme, so you can swap between keyboard and gamepad without relearning where anything lives.
- Left stick: move around the dock and steer the camera
- Right stick: fine-tune where your cast lands
- A (Cross): cast, confirm, or advance a prompt
- B (Circle): cancel, back out, or close menus
- X (Square): open the journal and collection
- Y (Triangle): open the shop and gear screen
- LB / RB: cycle through journal tabs and shop categories
- Start: open the pause menu
- View or Select: open the emote wheel
Because the game is playable without timed input, the gamepad layout never demands quick reaction presses. Button prompts appear on screen, so you can read the hint in the corner before committing to an action.
Fishing basics and idle play controls
Pier Pals is an idle fishing game, so casting the line is the start of the loop rather than the only input you will make. After the cast, reeling and catching are handled automatically, and the same is true for collection and journal updates.
- Cast once with left click or A, then let the line sit
- Toggle auto-cast with Space or the right trigger to keep fishing on its own
- Collect automatically: items, junk, and crops enter your inventory with no manual grabbing
- Leave it running: the game continues while you work in other windows or minimize it to the desktop
No clicking, no pressure, just chill vibes while you work or play.
Once auto-cast is on, you can ignore the dock for long stretches. The only reason to come back is to check the journal, sell items, or catch up with friends.
Multiplayer, chat, and emote controls
Pier Pals supports online co-op for up to 4 players on a shared dock, which means you and 3 friends can fish side by side. Chat and emotes are the quickest ways to communicate, and both are bound to simple inputs.
- Enter: open the chat box, type your message, then press Enter again to send
- Hold T: open the emote wheel on keyboard and mouse
- View or Select: open the emote wheel on gamepad
- Lobby join: use the pause menu or Steam friends features to join a friend's lobby
Sending chat messages and emotes feeds into the game's social achievements, including Small Talk,Social Butterfly,Mood Setter, and Mood Maker. Joining a friend's lobby for the first time also unlocks the Pier Pressure achievement, so it is worth testing the multiplayer bindings early.
Rebinding and accessibility options
Because the exact default set may shift during Early Access, the safest habit is to open Settings then Controls on your first launch. Pier Pals is listed as playable at your own pace and playable without timed input, so rebinding is about comfort rather than reaction speed.
- Rebind keyboard actions from the Controls tab in Settings
- Remap gamepad through Steam's controller configuration if a button does not feel natural
- Check after updates: Early Access patches can reset bindings or introduce new actions
- Keep separate profiles: most binding screens in this genre let you save distinct keyboard and gamepad setups
Keep your cast and auto-cast toggle on separate keys. That way you can fish hands-on for a few minutes, then flip into full idle mode without opening Settings.
Tips for comfortable play
- Mouse-only mode: once auto-cast is active, everything you need is a left click away
- Aim before you cast: nudge the mouse or right stick toward the water so your line lands where you want it
- Use the wheel to zoom: a closer camera makes reading item rarity and grade text much easier
- Keep Enter handy: in co-op, chat is the fastest way to show off a Legendary or S grade catch
- Learn the menu keys first: spend a minute clicking through Tab, B, and C so they become muscle memory
- Check Steam Cloud: your bindings and save data follow you if you play on another PC
