Godot Input — Quick Reference

Last verified: 2026-02-12 | Engine: Godot 4.6

What Changed Since ~4.3 (LLM Cutoff)

4.6 Changes

• Dual-focus system: Mouse/touch focus is now separate from keyboard/gamepad focus
  • Visual feedback differs by input method
  • Custom focus implementations may need updating
• Select Mode keybind changed: "Select Mode" is now v key; old mode renamed "Transform Mode" (q key)

4.5 Changes

• SDL3 gamepad driver: Gamepad handling delegated to SDL library for better cross-platform support
• Recursive Control disable: Single property disables mouse/focus for entire node hierarchies

4.3 Changes (in training data)

• InputEventShortcut: Dedicated event type for menu shortcuts (optional)

Current API Patterns

Input Actions (unchanged)

func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
    var input_dir: Vector2 = Input.get_vector(
        &"move_left", &"move_right", &"move_forward", &"move_back"
    )
    if Input.is_action_just_pressed(&"jump"):
        jump()

Input Events (unchanged)

func _unhandled_input(event: InputEvent) -> void:
    if event is InputEventMouseButton:
        if event.button_index == MOUSE_BUTTON_LEFT and event.pressed:
            handle_click(event.position)
    elif event is InputEventKey:
        if event.keycode == KEY_ESCAPE and event.pressed:
            toggle_pause()

Focus Management (4.6 — CHANGED)

# Mouse/touch and keyboard/gamepad focus are now SEPARATE
# Visual styles may differ depending on which input method is active
# If you have custom focus drawing, test with both input methods

# Standard approach still works:
func _ready() -> void:
    %StartButton.grab_focus()  # Keyboard/gamepad focus

# But be aware: mouse hover focus != keyboard focus in 4.6

Gamepad (4.5+ — SDL3 backend)

# API unchanged, but SDL3 provides:
# - Better device detection across platforms
# - Improved rumble support
# - More consistent button mapping

func _input(event: InputEvent) -> void:
    if event is InputEventJoypadButton:
        if event.button_index == JOY_BUTTON_A and event.pressed:
            confirm_selection()

Common Mistakes

• Not testing both mouse and keyboard focus paths (dual-focus in 4.6)
• Assuming grab_focus() affects mouse focus (it only affects keyboard/gamepad in 4.6)
• Using string literals instead of StringName (&"action") for action names in hot paths