Ragdoll Research Controls

Accurate inputs turn chaotic ragdoll tests into repeatable experiments. This Controls guide documents the observed PC layout from on-screen hints in widely watched gameplay, then explains menus, Doctor inspection, and why you should leave Doctor before Reset Experiment. Mobile, tablet, console, and motion-control VR are officially supported—use each device’s on-screen prompts rather than assuming keyboard keys.

If you are brand new, skim Getting Started first, then keep this page open while you practice.

PC control reference

Action	Input	Notes
Select Hands	0	Hands is the numbered hotbar slot in recorded sessions.
Grab / drop	Click / click again	With Hands selected and a subject targeted.
Throw	Right-click or F	While holding the subject.
Change holding distance	Mouse wheel	While using Hands.
Doctor inspection	V	Reads condition and injuries.
Ragdoll	X	Right-side Ragdoll control.
Build	B	Right-side Build control; may depend on ownership or Build Mode pass.
Spawn	G	Right-side Spawn control.
Start / stop the press	E	At the hydraulic press contextual prompt.
Fire Pistol	Click	With Pistol selected.
Hand weapon to a subject	E	Near a subject with a handover-capable tool selected.

These bindings come from visible HUD hints. After UI reworks (Update 2.5 announced a UI pass), always trust the labels on your current build if they disagree with an older video.

Ragdoll Research gameplay showing Hands and lab controls

Grab, move, and throw sequence

1. Select Hands from the hotbar (0 on PC).
2. Aim at a ragdoll and click to grab.
3. Walk to the test position; scroll to adjust hold distance.
4. Click again to drop, or right-click / F to throw.
5. Observe the landing, then press V if you want a Doctor readout.

Bin Day on Badges needs a throw from the top of the office building into a bin, not a random hallway drop. Practice distance control here before you climb Office Tower on the Maps list.

Hydraulic press mini-loop

Carry a subject to the yellow-and-black hydraulic press with Hands. Scroll to seat the body under the ram, click to release, then use the E Start/stop prompt at the machine. Switch to Doctor afterward and compare limb state with the pre-press subject. This is a clean teaching loop for physics plus inspection without burning a long farming session.

Doctor mode in detail

Doctor opens a condition view with fields commonly shown as Health, Blood, Awareness, Pain, Shock, and Heart, a body diagram, and a What Happened history. Click body parts for localized detail. Use it after fights, falls, presses, or mutation stacks when you care about the outcome more than the kill counter.

Doctor does not replace Reset Experiment. It also does not establish a healing button in the common recordings. When you are done reading, exit Doctor before you reset the scene.

Leave Doctor before Reset Experiment

Reset Experiment restores subjects so you can repeat a test. If the reset appears to do nothing while Doctor is still active, leave Doctor, then reset again. Farming guides that use shotgun clears in the lab hammer this tip because a stuck Doctor state wastes the whole loop. The same habit matters for mastery grinding on Weapons and Kill farm.

Self Damage is a separate labeled right-side control. No dedicated keyboard shortcut is firmly established here—use the on-screen control.

Menus layout

Area	Observed labels
Top right	Maps, Rewards, Servers, Settings
Left sidebar	Weapons, Shop, Events, Sandbox, Journal; seasonal Halloween entry when live
Right side	Doctor, Ragdoll, Self Damage, Reset Experiment, Build, Spawn

Maps switches laboratory, Office Tower, Backrooms, and other settings described in Maps. Weapons and unlock popups feed variant progression. Journal stores mutation discoveries from Mutations. Servers matters because the experience is multiplayer even when the root place listing looks solo—follow the in-game server options and the dedicated multiplayer place when you want friends.

Build, Spawn, and Ragdoll keys

X toggles the Ragdoll control on the right cluster. G opens Spawn options for placing subjects or related sandbox pieces depending on your permissions. B opens Build; availability can depend on owning the Build Mode pass or session rules. Do not assume every server lets every player freely build. Pass pricing context sits on Weapons without turning this page into a storefront.

Handing tools to subjects

With Pistol selected, on-screen text tells you to click to fire or press E near a subject to hand it over. Narrated sessions also hand over a Great Sword with the same E prompt. Armed ragdolls can fight each other per the official description—inspect the aftermath with Doctor. Not every tool is proven to hand over; follow the prompt your hotbar currently shows.

Mobile, console, and VR

The developer lists Mobile, Tablet, Desktop, Console, and Full Motion Control VR. This guide does not invent touch layouts or controller glyphs. Look for grab, throw, Doctor, and reset prompts drawn on your HUD. If a creator video is PC-only, treat its key table as PC-only.

Practice drills

• Distance drill: grab, scroll through near/mid/far holds, drop on a floor mark, then throw to a farther mark.
• Press drill: seat, E start/stop, Doctor compare, leave Doctor, Reset Experiment.
• Handover drill: equip Pistol, E to a subject, step back, observe aggression, Doctor, reset.
• Roof prep: short throws only until distance feels consistent, then move to Office Tower for Bin Day attempts.

Related pages

Return to Getting Started for the first-session checklist, open Mutations when the chamber panel is your focus, and use Updates after patches that mention UI or aiming changes. For ranked loadouts after you know the keys, see the Tier List.