DIRECT ANSWER

Press R on the keyboard to toggle the flashlight off, and press R again to turn it on. If R does nothing, open Controls or Key Bindings and check the current Flashlight action because the key may have been remapped.

Keyboard flashlight control

The default keyboard toggle observed across gameplay clips is R. Press it once to switch the flashlight off and again to switch it on.

The official GRAIN ROT TikTok also published a clip titled “do NOT press r to turn on your flashlight,” which independently supports the R binding. The wording is a situational joke, not a permanent instruction to avoid the light.

If R does not work

  1. Open Options.
  2. Go to Controls / Key Bindings.
  3. Find the Flashlight action.
  4. Check whether it was remapped or conflicts with another action.
  5. Apply the binding, exit normally, and verify that it persists after restart.

Patch 1.03 says custom keybindings were fixed so that they save correctly, but players still reported isolated resets on the same day. Update first and test again before modifying configuration files.

Does the flashlight attract enemies?

Official material says Corrupted vessels react to sound, movement, and each other. It does not publish a universal flashlight-detection rule. Do not assume that switching off the light instantly clears attention or that every Corrupted responds to light in the same way.

Use the flashlight based on visibility and the behavior you can observe in the current encounter. A specific enemy counter should be documented only after its version and evidence are clear.

Controller binding

Steam confirms full controller support, but the reviewed public sources do not provide a reliable default controller button for the flashlight. Check the controller layout in the current Controls menu rather than copying a generic face-button claim.

Sources

Version check

This page was reviewed on August 11, 2026. Patch details and live storefront values can change; the linked official sources take priority.