The Crew Motorfest - Controls

The Crew Motorfest is not controlled like a conventional car-only racing game. One moment you may be driving a hypercar, the next flying an airplane, piloting a boat, walking through a festival area or editing a cinematic replay. Each vehicle family therefore has its own control category.

The default controller layout keeps the essential driving commands familiar: R2 accelerates, L2 brakes or reverses, the left stick steers and Cross activates nitrous. Triangle triggers Back on Track or Rewind, while R3 opens Fast Fav so you can switch quickly between assigned vehicles.

The attached PlayStation remapping screens also confirm that every major action can be rebound. Ground vehicles, aircraft, boats, interface controls and Photo/Video Mode each have separate pages, so changing one command does not necessarily change its equivalent in every vehicle type.

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Accelerating Without Losing Traction

R2 or RT is an analog trigger, so acceleration is not limited to fully on or fully off. Use partial throttle when exiting a slow bend, driving in heavy rain or controlling a powerful rear-wheel-drive car.

Immediately squeezing the trigger to maximum can cause wheelspin, understeer or a wide exit. Feed in power as the steering begins to straighten.

Braking and Reversing

L2 or LT brakes while moving forward and reverses after the vehicle stops. Brake before turning rather than holding maximum braking throughout the corner.

A reliable corner sequence is:

• Brake in a straight line.
• Release part of the brake pressure.
• Turn toward the apex.
• Allow the car to rotate.
• Accelerate progressively on exit.

Steering

The left stick controls steering. Avoid flicking it instantly from centre to its outer limit unless you need an emergency correction.

Smooth steering preserves tire grip and prevents the car from oscillating across the road. On high-speed sections, a small stick movement is usually enough.

Using the Handbrake

Square or Xbox X activates the handbrake. It is useful for initiating a drift, rotating a rally vehicle through a hairpin or making a very tight low-speed turn.

Do not use it as the normal brake. A long handbrake pull sacrifices speed and can leave the vehicle facing away from the next checkpoint.

Manual Gears

When Manual or Sequential shifting is enabled, R1 shifts up and L1 shifts down. Change up before the engine remains on the limiter for too long and downshift before accelerating away from a slow corner.

Aggressive downshifts can destabilize the rear of some cars. Complete most heavy braking before selecting a much lower gear.

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Nitrous Controls

Hold Cross, Xbox A or the assigned PC command to use nitrous. Nitrous refills over time and through applicable vehicle bonuses.

Use Nitrous Where the Vehicle Can Convert It into Speed

The best places are:

• Long straights.
• Corner exits after the steering is nearly straight.
• Uphill sections.
• Immediately after landing cleanly.
• After changing into a faster Grand Race vehicle category.

Using nitrous while braking or sliding heavily wastes much of its benefit.

Pulse Instead of Emptying the Tank

Short bursts can be more useful than consuming the full supply. Retaining some nitrous gives you an answer when another racer attacks on the next straight.

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Back on Track and Rewind

Press Triangle or Y to activate Back on Track or Rewind where the event rules allow it.

Back on Track quickly returns the vehicle to the course after a severe crash, missed road or inaccessible landing. Rewind moves the action back through the previous few seconds so you can correct an error.

Do Not Reset Too Early

A small trip onto grass may cost less time than the reset animation. Continue driving when the vehicle still points toward the route and can rejoin quickly.

Reset Immediately After a Major Miss

Use Back on Track when:

• You pass the wrong side of a checkpoint.
• The vehicle becomes trapped against scenery.
• You fall from a bridge or cliff.
• The route back to the course is much longer than resetting.
• A boat or aircraft lands in an unusable position.

Some competitive modes disable or restrict Rewind, so learn the track instead of relying on it in every Playlist event.

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Fast Fav Controls

Press R3 to open Fast Fav. Current versions provide four customizable Fast Fav slots, and they are no longer restricted to one vehicle per terrain category.

Assign vehicles you regularly need, such as:

• A fast road car.
• An off-road vehicle.
• A boat.
• An aircraft or personal favorite.

Switch Only in a Safe Area

Changing vehicle type launches a transformation animation and can affect your trajectory. Avoid switching beside buildings, cliffs, power lines or dense traffic.

Prepare Fast Fav Before Exploring

Selecting useful favorites before a treasure hunt or long free-drive session saves repeated visits to the vehicle menu.

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Motorcycle Lean

Motorcycles react strongly to rider weight. Leaning backward can help raise the front wheel, while leaning forward helps control the nose during a landing.

Do not hold a wheelie through traffic or a blind corner. Return both wheels to the ground before you need maximum braking or steering precision.

Hydraulic Suspension

Compatible lowriders receive a separate hydraulic mode. Activate it, then move the left stick to raise, lower or tilt the vehicle. L3 performs the hydraulic jump shown in the attached input screen.

These controls are primarily expressive and event-specific. Leave hydraulic mode before attempting normal precision driving.

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How Airplane Steering Works

Left and right on the stick roll or bank the aircraft. Up and down alter pitch. A proper turn normally combines a bank with a gentle pitch-up input rather than relying only on the rudder.

Use Rudder for Fine Corrections

L1 and R1 control the rudder. Rudder is useful for:

• Aligning with a narrow checkpoint.
• Correcting a landing approach.
• Keeping the nose centred during low-altitude flight.
• Adjusting a stunt without committing to a large roll.

Do Not Pull Up Too Aggressively

A sharp pitch input can bleed speed and make the aircraft difficult to control. Build altitude gradually unless avoiding an immediate obstacle.

Landing

Reduce speed early, align with the runway and lower the landing gear where the aircraft requires it. Make small rudder corrections and avoid banking sharply immediately before touchdown.

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Boat Trim Explained

Boat trim changes how the hull meets the water. The most efficient position depends on speed and wave conditions.

Trimming upward can reduce how much of the hull contacts the water and improve speed on a smooth straight, but excessive trim makes the boat unstable. Trimming downward gives the bow more control when the water is rough or the boat needs to settle after a jump.

Turn Before the Buoy

Boats continue sliding across the water after steering begins. Start turning earlier than you would in a road car and use a wider arc.

Land Straight

When a boat leaves a wave or ramp, use trim to keep it level. Landing sideways costs speed and can send the vehicle away from the next gate.

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Walking Through the Car Meet

Third-person controls are used in supported social and festival spaces. Run when crossing an open area, but slow down near displays or interactive vehicles so the correct prompt appears.

First-Person View

Hold or press L2 to switch to first-person view where supported. It is useful for inspecting interiors, liveries, wheels and small visual details.

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Interface Actions Change with the Screen

“Secondary Action” and the numbered Utility Inputs are contextual. One menu may use Triangle to compare a vehicle, while another uses it to preview, dismantle or perform a special action.

Read the commands at the bottom of each menu before confirming. This is especially important when scrapping performance parts, buying vehicles or changing a registered Custom Show entry.

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Taking a Clean Photo

Open Photo Mode, position the camera with both sticks and hide the interface before capturing. Use camera tilt sparingly; a slight angle can add speed, while a large tilt makes the horizon distracting.

Repair the Vehicle Before Shooting

Triangle repairs visible damage while inside the editor. Use it when you want a clean showroom image. Leave damage intact when documenting a crash, race or off-road expedition.

Video Keyframes

The editor supports keyframes for cinematic camera movement. Add a starting keyframe, move forward in time, reposition the camera and add another. The game interpolates the movement between them.

Use fewer, more deliberate keyframes. Too many small changes can make the resulting shot shake or change direction unnaturally.

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How to Remap Controls

• Open the main menu.
• Select Options.
• Open Input Remapping or Device Manager.
• Select Controller, Keyboard, Wheel or another connected device.
• Use L1 and R1 to choose General, Ground Vehicle, Airplane, Boat, Third Person, Interface or Photo/Video Mode.
• Highlight the desired action.
• Press Cross or the displayed Bind command.
• Press the replacement input.
• Review any conflict warning.
• Test the layout before entering a ranked event.

Show Scheme

Press Square on the attached remapping screen to show the full controller diagram. This makes it easier to identify conflicts and forgotten commands.

Remap Each Category Separately

Changing R1 in the Ground Vehicle page does not automatically make the same change for an airplane, boat or interface action. Review every tab after a major layout change.

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Recommended Controller Setup

Keep Nitrous Easy to Hold

Nitrous is often used while steering and accelerating. Keep it on a button that does not require releasing either stick.

Keep Back on Track Away from Common Inputs

An accidental reset is far more damaging than an accidental horn. Do not place it beside a command you repeatedly tap during normal racing.

Use Manual Shifting Only When Comfortable

Manual gears offer greater control, but missed shifts can cost more time than automatic transmission. Practise in Custom Events before using them in Ranked Grand Races or a Summit attempt.

Adjust Steering Before Blaming the Vehicle

The game provides steering-behavior sliders and a Direct Mode option. Test sensitivity, linearity, deadzone and maximum steering before applying extreme Pro Settings to every car.

Save Separate Wheel and Controller Profiles

A good gamepad layout is rarely ideal for a wheel. The game supports per-device remapping, so configure each input method independently.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the basic car controls?

R2 accelerates, L2 brakes or reverses, the left stick steers, Square activates the handbrake, Cross uses nitrous and Triangle activates Back on Track or Rewind.

How do you change vehicles quickly?

Press R3 to open Fast Fav and select one of the assigned vehicle slots.

How many Fast Fav slots are available?

Current versions provide four customizable slots.

How do you open the map?

Press the Touch Pad on PlayStation, View on Xbox or M on the common PC layout.

How do you change the camera?

Press D-Pad Right by default.

How do you open Photo Mode?

Press D-Pad Left in normal gameplay.

How do you use the handbrake?

Press Square on PlayStation, X on Xbox or Space on the common keyboard layout.

How do you shift manually?

R1 shifts up and L1 shifts down when a manual transmission option is active.

How do airplane controls work?

Use R2 for throttle, L2 to slow down, the left stick to bank and pitch, and L1/R1 for rudder corrections.

How do boat controls work?

R2 accelerates, L2 brakes or reverses, the left stick steers and its vertical axis adjusts trim.

How do you walk around?

Use the left stick to move, the right stick to look, R2 to run and L2 for first-person view in supported social spaces.

Can every control be remapped?

The game provides extensive per-device remapping across general driving, vehicle types, menus and Photo/Video Mode.

How do you restore the default layout?

Open the relevant input page and use its reset or restore-default command.

Why did changing a car button not change my airplane control?

The vehicle categories have separate remapping pages. Change the airplane binding independently.

How do you hide the Photo Mode interface?

Press L3 by default.

How do you repair a damaged car in Photo Mode?

Press Triangle while inside Photo or Video Mode.

What is the most important control habit?

Use partial trigger inputs. Smooth acceleration and braking provide more control than treating R2 and L2 as simple on/off buttons.

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Final Control Advice

The Crew Motorfest becomes much easier when each vehicle is treated as a different machine rather than a reskinned car. A boat needs early turns and trim control; an aircraft needs coordinated banking, pitch and rudder; a motorcycle requires careful weight transfer.

Set up Fast Fav before exploring, keep Back on Track accessible without making it easy to press accidentally and review every remapping tab after changing the layout. A comfortable control scheme should let you move from road to sea to sky without stopping to remember where an essential command went.

Continue with our The Crew Motorfest Tips and Tricks Guide for Playlists, Grand Races, vehicle upgrades, Summit events, drifting, off-road racing, boats, airplanes and faster progression.