Tank controls

Tank controls refer to a control system used in video games. In a game with tank controls, players control movement relative to the position of the player character. Pressing up (for example on a D-pad, analog stick, or cursor movement keys) on the game controller moves the character in the direction they face, down reverses them, and left and right rotates them. This differs from many 3D games, in which characters move in the direction players push from the perspective of the camera. The term “tank controls” comes from the steering mechanisms of old tanks, which had to stop entirely before turning. Tank controls were standard in 3D games in the late 1990s, such as Grim Fandango and the early Resident Evil and Tomb Raider games.