Basic Lighting

Make Beat Saber a brighter place by manually lighting your maps.


Every map needs to have lighting of some sort. Once you know the tools at your disposal, simplistic manual lighting can be very easy. This linkopen in new window is a video example of very simple manual lighting

NOTE

The example uses Map Color Overrides. You don't need to be an AaltopahWi or a Skeelie to make great lighting!

Lightable Objects

The following types of lanes exist in the Static Event System:

ObjectDescription
LightsControls the light intensity of lights, lasers, etc. Events on these lanes have a color and a type associated. These events light up the environment, and other events would create minimal impact without lights.
ValueEvents on these lanes hold an integer value from 0 to 9. The classical example of this is Laser Speed, though this lane type can be used for other things, for example the pillars in Lady Gaga environment.
TriggerAn event on this lane triggers a change in an object. Examples include Ring Spin and Ring Zoom.
BoostChanges lighting colors between two pairs of colors. Off uses the first pair of colors. On uses the second (boost) pair of colors. There is no fade option for this effect.

Objects in the Group Lighting System (GLS) may have the following properties controllable:

ObjectDescription
LightsControls the intensity of lights, lasers, etc., like in the Static Event System.
RotationUnlike the randomized trigger in environments before Weave, the Group Lighting System allows for more granular control of rotation.
TranslationDebuting in The Weeknd environment, controls the position of an object in the environment.

In environments before Weave, the set of objects controllable are generally consistent, though may be in different positions or may be missing altogether. The controllable objects are as follows:

ObjectDescription
Center LightsGenerally lights along the side of the track, underneath the track, and sometimes a chevron at the back of the track. Sometimes called "Bottom/Back/Side" or "BBS" lights.
Side/Top LasersSets of rotating lasers to the sides of the track or above/below the track, depending on which environment you’ve selected. Rotation is set using the Laser Speed function.
Back LasersStatic lasers, often in an "X" pattern at the back of the track, behind the chevron.
Ring LightsLights attached to the inside of the large outer rings that spin in almost all environments.
Ring SpinsUsed to create movement in the rings. In environments with both an inner and an outer ring, rings spins rotate both rings together.
Ring ZoomsUsed to zoom and unzoom the inner ring in environments that have it. Does not affect the outer ring.
Laser SpeedChanges the speed of the side laser rotation from stationary (0) to very fast (20).
Set independently for the right and left side lasers. Back top lasers do not move. Laser speed increases linearly so 2 is twice as fast as 1 and 5 is five times as fast as 1.
Boost EventChanges lighting colors between two pairs of colors. Off uses the first pair of colors. On uses the second (boost) pair of colors. There is no fade or flash option for this event.

In environments that use the v3 Group Lighting System (Weave and later), the set of objects controllable are unique to each environment.

Lighting Events

Lighting has went through several revisions. Originally, only the Static Event System is available. v3 introduces the Group Lighting System, usable with specific environments.

Static Event System

There are two major revisions of the Static Event System.

Lighting v1 is the version of lighting that has general support from community editors. It supports the following light events:

EventDescription
OnTurns a light on that will stay on until you place a different event type.
OffTurns a light off that will stay off until you place a different event type.
FlashBriefly flashes brighter than a standard "on" event then stays on until you place a different event type.
FadeBriefly flashes brighter than a standard "on" event then fades to off after a couple of seconds.

A light event have one of three available colors associated. Prior to v3.1, only two colors are available. v3.1 introduced a third color; it is currently white for all built-in environments.

Lighting v2 fully overhauls the lighting system. The official editor is generally used to create v2 lights; support by community editors are currently under development. While v2 can be used with all classic environments, similar to v1, the four-event system has been replaced with only two types of events:

EventDescription
StaticSets a light to a specified level. The light will stay at the level, until the next event.
FadeFades a light to a specified level. The fade starts at the event immediately before, or at the start of the song if there is none, and ends on the fade event.

The level of a light ranges from 0 to 120. 0 means no light, 100 is the level of a v1 On event, and 120 is the maximum.

Group Lighting System (v3)

v3 environments, in addition to Static Event System objects, introduces a new class of objects, hereby known as Group Lighting System (GLS) objects, that offers more granular control.

A GLS object can have one or more of lights, rotation and translation being available for control. In addition, a GLS object can have multiple segments, and each segment can be controlled individually.

Events in v3 must reside in groups. Each group can contain one or more lanes, each lane controlling one or more segments, on which events are placed.

Light events in v3 are mostly identical to those of v2, with a few changes and additions. Firstly, the intensity of a light is no longer limited to 120 maximum, and can go above it. Another is the addition of strobing, allowing placement of a flickering light with a single event.

v3 introduces rotation events, allowing control of an object's rotation angle. Rotation events cannot be grouped together with light events. When a rotation event is placed, the object will rotate starting at the rotation event immediately before (the start of the song if none), and completes at the time of the event, similar to a fade event. A rotation event has the following parameters:

ParameterDescription
Rotation AngleSpecifies the angle the object will finish at
Loop CountSpecifies the spin direction to be clockwise, counterclockwise, or decided automatically
EasingSpecifies the rate of change over time. Visit easings.netopen in new window for a visualization of the Quad options.
None - rotates instantly
Linear - rotates at a constant speed
InQuad - starts slow and ends fast
OutQuad - starts fast and ends slow
InOutQuad - both accelerates and decelerates
ExtensionUseable with light and rotation events it keeps the intensity of a light or the angle of a rotation fixed until this event.

Best Practices & Techniques

"The only bad lights are NO lights.... or lightmap."
~ Skeelie

Lighting truly is an art which means that it's much more subjective than mapping. There are relatively few best practices to get started and simple manual lighting is almost impossible to do poorly.

TranquillizeMe has created a lighting tutorial, Beat Saber Lighting Techniques Tutorialopen in new window, detailing useful lighting techniques and general tips for lighting.

NOTE

Lighting previews are not realistic in the editors currently available to the public so it’s important to preview your lights in-game often. See Previewing Your Lights for some tools that can help.

Key Bindings

Each map editor handles lighting differently so you’ll want to get to know the key bindings and how placements work in your editor of choice. Lighting keybinds vary by editor. Consult your editor's user guide or readme or refer to this helpful list Cross-Editor Keybindings.

Assigning Lighting Events

Mappers lighting their first map should start by assigning specific lighting types to specific instruments, then branch out from there as they get more experienced. This method won't usually produce the most exciting shows, but it's hard to mess up. This might look like:

  • Track Lights: Bass or Kick Drum
  • Lasers: Melody
  • Ring Lights: Synth A or Cymbals
  • Ring Zoom: Synth B

Once this type of basic structure is in place and you're more comfortable with how everything works, you can think about where you might want to change things up for emphasis. Establishing a strict pattern is necessary to create impact when you do make a change; if you emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing (this goes for block placement, too!).

An example from Lighting Mentor, LittleAsi

I usually light the melody with all three lasers (vocal and instrumental on different colors, or primary instrumental and accents on a different color), drums on the ring lights, and either bass or something harmonic like synths on the Bottom/Back/Side (BBS) (a bit much sometimes since they increased BBS intensity). If the drums are too involved to pack onto the ring lights alone, or there's nothing else appropriate for the BBS, I'll move the kick drum to BBS. If the drums are really dominant, I may put the back-top laser on snare duty to dedicate the ring lights to cymbals. The numerous avenues for changing laser behavior and appearance do make them the best candidate for tracking the melody, though. I have used speed 0 lasers for closed hi-hat with various speeds for open hi-hat and cymbal crashes, though, so it definitely doesn't have to be any specific way (just internally consistent).

Laser Speed Resets

Applying the same laser speed twice in a row will cause it to reset to a random position. For example, setting speed 1 on every snare hit will cause the laser positions to randomize in time with the snare without ever actually changing their rotation speed.

If you don't reset the laser speed it will continue to spin consistently at that speed until changed.

Off Event Placement

The sounds within a song rarely have a precise end point so there's not always a "correct" time to place the Off event. Be aware of when you're choosing to turn lights associated with specific sounds or instruments off, and apply those decisions consistently throughout the song.

Be cautious about putting off events exactly in the middle of two lights as it can sometimes create an unintended strobing effect.

Default Environments

There are various built-in environments in Beat Saber which are part of the base game and can be used easily with a few clicks.

NOTE

Custom environment models (platforms) created by the community exist but require the Custom Platforms mod which is not currently available through Mod Assistant. A beta version may be available in the #pc-mods channel of the BSMG Discord.

Environment Previews

Pre-Group Lighting System

Video and Screenshot (click to open full size)Environment

Image of Default environment

The First (Default) Environment
Info.dat Name: DefaultEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Blue

Lights: Back lasers, ring lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: Ring spin, ring zoom
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: As of 1.6 Back Top Lasers are below the Track Lasers

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Triangle environment

Triangle Environment
Info.dat Name: TriangleEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Blue

Lights: Back lasers, ring lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: Ring spin, ring zoom
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: As of 1.6 Back Top Lasers are below the Track Lasers

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Nice environment

Nice Environment
Info.dat Name: NiceEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Blue

Lights: Back lasers, ring lights, bottom & top lasers, center lights
Triggers: Ring spin, ring zoom
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: As of 1.6 Back Top Lasers are below the Track Lasers

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Big Mirror environment

Big Mirror Environment
Info.dat Name: BigMirrorEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Blue

Lights: Back lasers, ring lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: Ring spin
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of K/DA environment

K/DA Environment
Info.dat Name: KDAEnvironment
Default Colors: Orange & Purple

Lights: Bottom & top lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: ❌
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: ❌
Note: Right Lasers control the lights in the center of the arrows.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Monstercat environment

Monstercat Environment
Info.dat Name: MonstercatEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Blue

Lights: Back lasers, top lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: Ring spin
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: As of 1.6 Back Top Lasers are below the Track Lasers.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Crab Rave environment

Crab Rave Environment
Info.dat Name: CrabRaveEnvironment
Default Colors: Green & Blue

Lights: Back lasers, top lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: Ring spin
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: As of 1.6 Back Top Lasers are below the Track Lasers.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Imagine Dragons environment

Imagine Dragons Environment
Info.dat Name: DragonsEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Blue

Lights: Side lights, ring lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: Ring spin, ring zoom
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: Side lights (back top lights) always illuminate the opposite color of what you set it.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Origins environment

Origins Environment
Info.dat Name: OriginsEnvironment
Default Colors: Yellow & Pink notes, Blue & Light Blue lights

Lights: Bottom lights, ring lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: Ring spin
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Panic! at the Disco environment

Panic! at the Disco Environment
Info.dat Name: PanicEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Blue

Lights: Bottom lights, ring lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: Ring spin, ring zoom
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: Ring Lights are much brighter in this environment than in others.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Rocket League environment

Rocket League Environment
Info.dat Name: RocketEnvironment
Default Colors: Orange & Blue

Lights: Back lights, bottom lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: ❌
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: ❌

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Green Day environment

Green Day Environment
Info.dat Name: GreenDayEnvironment
Default Colors: Green & Cyan

Lights: Bottom lights, ring lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: Ring spin, ring zoom
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: ❌
Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Green Day Grenade environment

Green Day Grenade Environment
Info.dat Name: GreenDayGrenadeEnvironment
Default Colors: Green & Cyan

Lights: Bottom lights, ambiance, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: ❌
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: ❌
Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Timbaland environment

Timbaland Environment
Info.dat Name: TimbalandEnvironment
Default Colors: Grey & Blue notes, Blue & Blue lights (same colors)

Lights: Side lasers, intra-ring lasers, left & right ring lasers, center lights
Triggers: Ring spin, ring zoom
Value controls: Side laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: "Timbaland" text on the sides never turns off.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of FitBeat environment

FitBeat Environment
Info.dat Name: FitBeatEnvironment
Default Colors: Yellow & Pink notes, Orange & Blue lights

Lights: Ring lasers, outer lasers, left & right lasers, chevron
Triggers: Spin, ring zoom
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: Ring lasers (back top) will illuminate the opposite color of what you set it.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Linkin Park environment

Linkin Park Environment
Info.dat Name: LinkinParkEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Blue-Grey notes, Beige & White lights, Orange & Blue boost lights

Lights: Floor lights, ceiling lights, left & right lasers, center lights
Triggers: Laser mode
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ… (on side wall)

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window
Official Showcase & Tutorial: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of BTS environment

BTS Environment
Info.dat Name: BTSEnvironment
Default Colors: Pink & Purple notes, Pink & Purple lights, Light Pink & Light Blue boost lights

Lights: Logo, center lasers, left and right lasers, runway
Triggers: Tower spin, pillar control
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: ❌

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window
Official Showcase & Tutorial: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Kaleidoscope environment

Kaleidoscope Environment
Info.dat Name: KaleidoscopeEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Black notes, Red & White lights, Red & Magenta boost lights

Lights: Back lights, center lights, left & right lights, front lights
Triggers: Spin, zoom
Value controls: ❌
Spectrum: ❌

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window
Official Showcase & Tutorial: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Interscope environment

Interscope Environment
Info.dat Name: InterscopeEnvironment
Default Colors: Yellow & Pink notes, Purple & White lights, Cool Red & Cool White boost lights

Lights: Gates, left & right lasers
Triggers: Laser mode, car hydraulics
Value controls: Cars, laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…
Notes: Left & right lasers and car hydraulics are extra events 6, 7, 16 and 17, respectively. Car control takes the place of ring spin.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window
Official Showcase & Tutorial: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Skrillex environment

Skrillex Environment
Info.dat Name: SkrillexEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Black notes, Pink & Turquoise lights, Neon Red & Neon Green boost lights

Lights: Back lights, ceiling + primary ring lights, left & right lights, floor + secondary ring lights, left & right lasers
Triggers: Primary ring spin, secondary ring spin + laser mode
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: ❌
Notes: Extra events 6 and 7 control the lasers.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window
Official Showcase & Tutorial: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Billie Eilish environment

Billie Eilish Environment
Info.dat Name: BillieEnvironment
Default Colors: Yellow & Light Grey notes, Orange & Cream lights, Red & White Blue boost lights

Lights: Water channel lights, left & right rays, sun/moon, left & right lasers
Triggers: Rain, ray mode
Value controls: Ray + laser speed
Spectrum: ❌
Note: Events 6 and 7 control extra water channel lights. Events 10 and 11 control left & right lasers.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window
Official Showcase & Tutorial: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Spooky environment

Spooky Environment
Info.dat Name: HalloweenEnvironment
Default Colors: Orange & Black notes, Red & Light Blue lights, Green & Light Purple boost lights

Lights: Back lasers, moon, left & right lasers, walkway lights
Triggers: ❌
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: ❌

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Gaga environment

Lady Gaga Environment
Info.dat Name: GagaEnvironment
Default Colors: Pink & Green notes, Yellow & Magenta lights, Orange & Blue boost lights

Lights: Upper & lower auroras, tower lights, center lights
Triggers: ❌
Value controls: Tower coil height
Spectrum: ❌
Notes: Events 6, 7, 10, and 11 control additional tower lights. 16, 17, 18, and 19 control additional coil heights.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window
Official Showcase & Tutorial: YouTubeopen in new window

Image of Glass Desert environment

Glass Desert Environment
Info.dat Name: GlassDesertEnvironment
Default Colors: Yellow & Pink notes, Blue & Light Blue lights

Lights: Ceiling lights, back lasers, left & right lasers, chevron
Triggers: ❌
Value controls: Laser speed
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: This is the first and currently only 360Β° environment. 360Β° environments can only be used with 360Β° and 90Β° levels.

Video Preview: YouTubeopen in new window

Group Lighting System

Video and Screenshot (click to open full size)Environment

Image of Weave environment

Weave Environment
Info.dat Name: WeaveEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Blue notes, Red & Blue lights, Magenta & White boost lights

Lights: Platform lights
Triggers: ❌
Value controls: ❌
GLS objects: Back & side spotlights (light & rotation)
Spectrum: ❌

Fall Out Boy Environment
Info.dat Name: PyroEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Yellow notes, Red & Yellow lights, Red & White boost lights

Lights: Video, logo, left & right projector, runway lights, ambient lights
Triggers: ❌
Value controls: Video clip selection
GLS objects: Stage (light), stage-top spotlights (light & rotation), hall-top spotlights (light & rotation), truss-mount lights (light), side panels (light), back spotlights (light & rotation), stage-side spotlights (light & rotation), fire (light)
Spectrum: ❌

Note: Fire is always colored orange. Even-numbered segments fire burst flames (when the first segment is numbered 1), while odd-numbered segments fires continuously burning flames. Off events turn the flames off, while on events of any value turn flames on and fire burst flames; the color and type (static or fade) is ignored.

Rotation can be applied to the stage, the truss lights, the side panels and the fire in the official editor, but does not work.

EDM Environment
Info.dat Name: EDMEnvironment
Default Colors: White & Teal notes, Green & Blue lights, Red & Magenta boost lights

Lights: Bottom & top lane lights, floor lights
Triggers: ❌
Value controls: ❌
GLS objects: Front ring (light & rotation), top ring (light & rotation), back rings (light & rotation), cone lasers (light & rotation), side lasers (light & rotation)
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: Extra rotation-only GLS objects exist for the rings and cone lasers, which control the rotation of them as a whole.

The Second Environment
Info.dat Name: TheSecondEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Blue notes, Red & Blue lights, Magenta & Green boost lights

Lights: Logo, runway fences, buildings, left & right flags
Triggers: ❌
Value controls: Ring zoom
GLS objects: Top & bottom lasers (light & rotation), outer rings (light & rotation), inner rings (light & rotation), runway lights (light), spotlights (light & rotation)
Spectrum: βœ…
Note: The logo resembled a birthday cake in 1.23; it is replaced with a chevron since 1.24. The banners are only visible in 1.23, with the number 4 written on it standing for the 4th anniversary.

Lizzo Environment
Info.dat Name: LizzoEnvironment
Default Colors: Yellow & Purple notes, Yellow & Purple lights, Pink & Blue boost lights

GLS objects: βœ…
Spectrum: ❌

The Weeknd Environment
Info.dat Name: TheWeekndEnvironment
Default Colors: Red & Dark Blue notes, Red & Blue lights, Yellow & Sky Blue boost lights

GLS objects: βœ…
Spectrum: ❌

Rock Mixtape Environment
Info.dat Name: RockMixtapeEnvironment
Default Colors: Yellow & White notes, Red & Yellow lights, Magenta & Cyan boost lights

GLS objects: βœ…
Spectrum: βœ…

Imagine Dragons Environment 2
Info.dat Name: Dragons2Environment
Default Colors: Yellow & Green notes, Green & Blue lights, Red & Yellow boost lights

GLS objects: βœ…
Spectrum: βœ…

Panic! at the Disco Environment 2
Info.dat Name: Panic2Environment
Default Colors: Pink & Dark Green notes, Pink & Cyan lights, Orange & Purple boost lights

GLS objects: βœ…
Spectrum: βœ…

Image of Queen environment

Queen Environment
Info.dat Name: QueenEnvironment
Default Colors: Gray & Purple notes, Gold & Cyan lights, Red & Purple boost lights

Lights: Ambient lights
Triggers: ❌
Value controls: Silhouette
GLS objects: Tunnel lights (light, rotation & translation), silhouette (light & translation), back lasers (light & rotation), top lasers (light & rotation), runway lights (light & translation), vinyl discs (light, rotation & translation)
Spectrum: ❌
Note: Extra objects control rotation & translation of the back lasers as a whole, rotation of top lasers as a whole and rotation of individual vinyl rings.

Setting Your Environment

New default environments become available reasonably often which means that map editors don't always have the complete list available. If the environment you want to use is not an option in your favorite editor's settings you will have to edit your Info.dat file to add the environment name.

  1. Decide which environment you want to use then copy the Info.dat name from the Environment Previews section above.
  2. Open your Info.dat file in the text editor of your choice.
  3. Scroll down to the "_environmentName": section.
  4. Paste in the name you copied in Step 1.

NOTE: You cannot use a custom platform in this field. This will be covered in Advanced Lighting.

Map Color Overrides

You can force your own map color scheme in-game as long as the user has the SongCore mod installed and has enabled the Enable Custom Song Colors option in the mod settings.

Since Beat Saber version 1.4, users can set the Red/Green/Blue (RGB) colors of notes, lights, and walls for their game. However, they will be overridden with the colors defined in the Info.dat if the user has the Enable Custom Song Colors option enabled.

TIP

When choosing color overrides for the notes. It is HIGHLY recommended that you keep reddish/warm/aggressive colors on the left and blueish/cold/soft colors on the right to avoid confusing players.

See Environment Default Colours for a list of default colors used in the environments.

ChroMapper, MMA2, and Beatmapper, natively support color overrides. Check their respective guides for more information.

Manually Adding Color Overrides

  1. Decide what RGB colors you want notes and/or lights and/or walls to be. Use a color scheme utility like Palettonopen in new window to find complimentary colors.
    • Your red, green, and blue values will need to be converted from the normal 0-255 scale to the 0-1 scale. Use a site like EasyRGBopen in new window to convert your values.
  2. Open your Info.dat file in the text editor of your choice
  3. Scroll down to the "_customData": { section of the difficuty you want to color.
    • Using the global "_customData": { outside of the "_difficultyBeatmapSets": [ array may not work as expected.
  4. Paste whichever code blocks below correspond to the colors you want to force within the _customData curly brackets ({ and }) then replace the "r":, "g":, and "b": values with whatever you chose in Step 1.
    • The "r": and "g": values must have commas after them.

See lines 29-60 and 69-100 of this Pastebin clipopen in new window for an example of these code blocks in action in a .DAT file.

Previewing Your Lights

These tools will help PC Beat Saber users preview their lighting more accurately. Most editors do not show true-to-life lighting effects.

In-game with FPFC

First Person Flying Controller (FPFC) is a launch parameter that can be used by either Steam or Oculus users. FPFC will open an instance of Beat Saber on your desktop and allow you to control it with your keyboard and mouse.

While a map is playing, pressing:

  • P Pauses the map
  • M Returns to menu if paused
  • R Restarts the map if paused
  • C Unpauses and continues playing

You will need the SiraUtil mod in order move the camera while a map is playing. Without it, the camera is fixed in the floor at an undesirable angle. Install SiraUtil from Mod Assistant and run Beat Saber to create a config json file. SiraUtil also adds additional useful features such as camera FOV, sensitivity, and rebindable pause and exit controls. Edit the SiraUtil.json file in your UserData folder to tweak settings.

For Steam Users:

Open the game properties and add fpfc to the Steam launch options in the General tab. Fpfc launch options

For Oculus Users:

  1. Right click on Beat Saber.exe and create a shortcut.
  2. Edit the Target to add "fpfc" to the end of it. For example: C:\Program Files\Oculus\Software\Software\hyperbolic-magnetism-beat-saber\Beat Saber.exe" fpfc

After installing the mods and adding the launch parameter you can then now move around and pause in a map. The default toggle key to switch between headset and mouse/keyboard control is G.

NOTE

  • If you go back into vr and the game doesn't load in the headset either:

    • Press the G key until the headset displays the game
      ==OR==
    • Quit the game, remove the launch option, and relaunch the game.
  • If the mod doesn't seem to be working, make sure the in-game Smooth Camera setting is disabled.

  • For difficulties other than Expert+, the game defaults to a No Flicker option for lighting which reduces the amount of strobes and ring spin events shown. Check to make sure this Player Option setting is set what you intend to view!

Online with BS Viewer

BS Vieweropen in new window by +1 Rabbit is an online tool that is a convenient way to checkout how your map might look in game without the game. Just upload your map zip to the website and preview! Unfortunately IOS and Safari are currently not supported.

Credits

Content in this section was authored by LittleAsi and Kolezan or derived from guides by Puds and MandyNasty. With visual media contributions from Aeroluna and Bullet.