Controls & Hotkeys

Sanctuary: Shattered Sun is a large-scale real-time strategy game set inside a Dyson Sphere, where three factions — the industrial EDA, the zealous Chosen, and the defensive Guard — fight for dominance while managing a streaming Flux economy. Commanding thousands of units across continent-sized maps demands more than fast clicking: you need fluent camera control, smart selection filters, and factory automation that keeps your war machine fed even when your attention is elsewhere.

If you have played Supreme Commander or Total Annihilation, most of these bindings will feel familiar. Sanctuary deliberately preserves that muscle memory while adding UI layers for power-grid management, tiered construction, and mixed-army filtering. This reference compiles the complete PC control scheme from the Magic Game World guide, updated for the July 21, 2026 Steam demo (app 2375120).

Before your first match, skim the Demo guide for installation steps and read the walkthrough for mission-specific advice. Keep the system requirements page handy if you plan to run large battles with dense unit counts.

Why Controls Matter in Sanctuary

Unlike traditional RTS games where you pay for units upfront, Sanctuary drains Energy and Alloys in real time while engineers build, factories fabricate, and shields stay online. A unit sitting idle without orders still wastes opportunity; a factory left paused during a push can lose you the map. The Shift key is your best friend — queue move orders while you tweak the power grid, batch-add five tanks at a time, and filter a messy drag-selection down to just your artillery.

Camera mastery is equally critical. Maps span enormous distances across the sphere’s inner surface, and you will constantly zoom from strategic overview to single-unit micro. Practice middle-mouse panning, Space-tilt for horizon checks, and numpad orbit before you commit to ranked play later in Early Access.

Video Reference

Watch the official demo footage below for a visual walkthrough of selection, camera movement, and factory queues in action.

Complete Hotkey Reference

The tables below list every default mouse and keyboard binding organized by category. Rebind keys in the settings menu if needed, but learn the defaults first — most demo scenarios assume them.

General Selection & Management

Action	Input
Left click on unit	Select unit
Left click on map	Deselect units
Double left click on unit	Select all units of same type
Hold Shift while selecting	Add to selection
Hold Shift while ordering	Queue order
Hold Shift while ordering (filter)	Override selection filter

Camera

Action	Input
Mouse wheel	Zoom in / out to cursor
Drag middle mouse button	Move camera
Cursor keys	Move camera (hold CTRL to slow down)
Hold Space	Tilt camera
Home key	Reset camera
End key	Unlock / Cinematic camera
Numpad 4 / 6	Orbit camera left / right
Numpad 8 / 2	Tilt camera up / down
Numpad + / –	Camera zoom in / out to cursor

Orders / Combat

Action	Input
Right click on map	Move
Right drag on map	Formation move
Alt + Right click on map	Attack move
Alt + Right drag on map	Attack formation move
Right click on enemy unit	Attack
Right click on ally unit	Assist
Right click on wreck	Harvest wreck

Construction UI

Action	Input
Left click on building construction option	Start building placement mode
Left click on unit construction option	Add item to queue (hold Shift for 5)
Right click on construction option	Remove item from queue (hold Shift for 5)
Left click on queue item	Add item to queue (hold Shift for 5)
Right click on queue item	Remove item from queue (hold Shift for 5)
Left click tier tab	Change construction tier

Selection UI

Action	Input
Left click selected unit	Only select these units
Right click selected unit	Remove from selection

Orders UI / Power Grid

Action	Input
Left click on Shield toggle	Turn off shields to reduce energy consumption
Left click on Production toggle	Pause production (upgrade or build)
Left click on Pause production	Turn off alloy furnaces to reduce energy consumption
Left click on Infinite build	Build the queue in a loop (default) or just once
Left click on Stop	Clear all queued orders
Left click on Move order	Start move order mode (left click for move)
Left click on Attack order	Start attack mode (left click for attack / attack-move)

Placement Mode

Action	Input
Left click on map	Place building
Left drag on map	Place a line of buildings
Right click on map	Cancel building placement mode

System / Game Controls

Action	Input
Pause	Toggle pause game
Esc	Opens menu
F5	Mute sound

Tactical Tips

Always Shift-queue move and attack orders so units stay productive while you manage economy. Use Alt + right-click for attack-move instead of plain right-click when crossing contested ground — your troops will return fire instead of walking into ambushes.

Reclaim wrecks with right-click on destroyed units. Salvaged alloys often decide mid-game swings, especially after large armor brawls. See Wreck Reclamation for deeper economy integration.

Filter selections via the bottom UI when a drag-select grabs engineers, tanks, and scouts together. Remove fragile units before ordering a retreat, or isolate artillery for a focused barrage.

Manage the power grid through Orders UI toggles before shields collapse. Pausing alloy furnaces or factory production beats losing radar coverage during a bomber pass. Pair this with the Flux Economy guide.

Drag-place structures in placement mode to chain turrets or generators along a front line instead of clicking twenty times.

Related Pages

• Demo Guide
• First Mission Walkthrough
• System Requirements
• How to Use Attack Move
• Flux Economy