Survive a Psycho Abilities and Survivor Skill Guide

Read the names on your current ability bar before pressing a key. The three survivor combinations are Flashbang / King's Shot / Smoke, Shock / Blackout / Car Crash, and Maine's Cannon / Fuel Cell / Psychosis. Within each combination, those abilities occupy Z / X / G, respectively.

After use, a slot displays a cooldown countdown, then returns to its icon when ready. A remaining-time reading partway through a fight is not the ability's full cooldown. Flashbang, King's Shot, Cannon and Fuel Cell all have countdown feedback to help you track availability.

Choose your approach around the effect you need:

• Recovery while firing: Smoke lets you regain health without giving up shooting or reloading while its healing status is active.
• Disruption alongside gunfire: Shock provides a Short Circuit quickhack, Blackout interferes with selected killer skills, and Car Crash adds a vehicle attack.
• A burst of sustained Zhuo fire: Maine's Psychosis activates Berserk. See Maine's combat guide for the weapon and buff cycle.

Adam's five actions belong to the Adam Smasher Psycho role. Backhand is his click attack; Sandy activates Sandevistan with a blue screen effect, meter and DODGED counter. Missile has an aiming frame and projectile trail, Crush displays a countdown after use, and Launch produces a short countdown and highlighted ground area.

Capri's five actions belong to the Capri Psycho role, separate from the Capri survivor class. Redline attacks nearby survivors, Overdrive provides car movement, Thunder produces lightning effects, Watch highlights survivors, and Satellite opens a target feed for a strike.

For equipping and switching survivor configurations, use the classes and loadouts guide.

• Flashbang

  Key

  Z (Flashbang, King's Shot and Smoke loadout)

  Cooldown display

  The slot counts down after use and returns to its icon.

• King's Shot

  Key

  X (Flashbang, King's Shot and Smoke loadout)

  Cooldown display

  The slot displays a countdown after use.

• Smoke

  Key

  G (Flashbang, King's Shot and Smoke loadout)

  Effect

  Creates a smoke area where HIDDEN can provide healing while you keep shooting.

  Healing rate

  5 HP/s (HIDDEN active inside the smoke)

• Shock

  Key

  Z (Shock, Blackout and Car Crash loadout)

  Effect

  Uses a Short Circuit quickhack sequence with upload progress, execution feedback and electrical effects near the target. (Combat against Adam or Capri)

• Blackout

  Key

  X (Shock, Blackout and Car Crash loadout)

  Effect

  Darkens and desaturates the scene while affected killer abilities display NO SIGNAL. Character outlines remain visible. (During the interference countdown)

• Car Crash

  Key

  G (Shock, Blackout and Car Crash loadout)

  Effect

  Brings a vehicle into the fight, with lock and remote takeover feedback.

• Cannon

  Key

  Z (Maine loadout)

  Cooldown display

  The slot counts down after use and becomes available again when the countdown ends.

• Fuel Cell

  Key

  X (Maine loadout)

  Cooldown display

  The slot displays a countdown after use.

• Psychosis

  Key

  G (Maine loadout)

  Effect

  Activates Berserk. (Maine)

• Backhand

  PC control

  Click (Playing as Adam)

  Cooldown feedback

  The attack icon displays a cooldown counter after use.

• Sandevistan

  PC control

  Shift (Playing as Adam)

  Skill bar name

  SANDY

  Activation feedback

  A blue screen effect, SANDEVISTAN meter and DODGED counter appear.

• Missile

  PC control

  E (Playing as Adam)

  Skill feedback

  An aiming frame and projectile trail accompany the attack. (Indoor pursuit)

• Crush

  PC control

  V (Playing as Adam)

  Cooldown feedback

  The skill icon displays a countdown after use.

• Launch

  PC control

  F (Playing as Adam)

  Activation feedback

  A LAUNCH countdown and highlighted ground area appear, followed by large visual effects. (Indoor pursuit)

• Redline

  Control

  Click (PC)

  Use

  Attack nearby survivors during pursuit.

• Overdrive

  Control

  Shift (PC)

  Use

  A car carries Capri quickly along streets and through intersections, with a pink or red trail.

• Thunder

  Control

  Q (PC)

  Visible effect

  Red ground-area effects and pink or red lightning accompany casts during street combat.

• Watch

  Control

  E (PC)

  Visible effect

  Multiple survivors appear as red outlines during RED://WATCH. (RED://WATCH active)

• Satellite

  Control

  R (PC; activate Satellite)

  Type

  Targeted satellite strike

  Target display

  Current survivor name, position, and a highlighted target under TRACKING. (SAT-07 target feed)

Smoke heals at 5 HP per second while HIDDEN is active inside the smoke. You can shoot and reload during that state, making it useful when you need health but still have a firing angle on the killer.

1. Check that Smoke occupies your G slot and is ready.
2. Press G, then move into the smoke.
3. Look for HIDDEN and +5 HP/S above your ability bar to confirm that healing is active.
4. Keep firing at the killer and reload when needed while maintaining that position.
5. When you move out, watch the status indicator: HIDDEN can disappear even while smoke remains visible nearby.

On the street against Capri, use the smoke area as a recovery position while continuing ranged fire. In a tower doorway fight against Adam, the same healing state lets you keep shooting through the doorway while recovering.

Use the status indicator to judge whether healing is active. Do not treat HIDDEN as a guarantee of invulnerability or freedom from targeting. If holding the smoke position puts you too close to danger, prioritize moving; the survivor strategy guide covers when to fight, heal or retreat.

Shock is Z in the Shock, Blackout and Car Crash loadout. It initiates a Short Circuit quickhack, and the affected killer can enter SHORT CIRCUIT // SLOWED.

1. Wait until Shock is available and face the combat target.
2. Press Z.
3. Watch for QUICKHACK, SHORT CIRCUIT and the upload progress near the target.
4. Follow the execution message and electrical effects as the hack completes, while continuing the fight.

Against Adam indoors, Shock can accompany gunfire with blue electrical effects and Short Circuit feedback near him. Against Capri in the street, follow the same upload and execution sequence while maintaining ranged pressure.

Shock is useful for adding disruption to your shooting because Short Circuit can slow the killer. Cripple Movement's LOCOMOTION −40% and Overheat are separate status messages; neither is a fixed Shock effect. See combat status effects for those distinctions.

With Blackout in your X slot, press X when it is ready. The scene darkens and loses color, but character outlines remain visible. Use those outlines to keep aiming and firing during the interference.

On the killer's HUD, JAMMED accompanies NO SIGNAL on affected abilities:

Use this window to maintain pressure while selected killer skills are disrupted. Keep your distance: Blackout does not stop every attack.

The ability cooldown and the interference timer are separate. The countdown in your X slot controls when you can cast again; NO SIGNAL or JAMMED tracks the active disruption. When interference ends, affected slots return to their icons or cooldown displays. A later Blackout can disrupt them again, so a brief recovery followed by another jam is possible.

Car Crash is G in the Shock and Blackout loadout. It brings a vehicle into the fight and provides lock, arrival and remote takeover feedback.

1. Check that Car Crash's icon is ready.
2. Face the fight and press G.
3. Watch for LOCKED, the blue ground effect and the arriving vehicle as the ability enters cooldown.
4. Keep moving and fighting while the vehicle sequence unfolds.

Indoor corridor against Adam

Car Crash can be used inside a corridor. A blue vehicle can arrive along the hallway after the lock and ground effects, with CLEAR and INCOMING appearing during the sequence. You do not need to leave the building just to use the ability in this setting.

Street fight against Capri

A street activation can bring in a blue vehicle with a REMOTE ACCESS panel and OVERRIDE progress. Read the feedback as the takeover advances:

Use these messages to follow the vehicle attack while keeping up gunfire. Capri's own Overdrive car is a separate ability; nearby cars, fires and explosions are not interchangeable indicators of your Car Crash hitting a target.

• Maine: Press G for Psychosis to activate Berserk. With Kang Tao Zhuo, the buff increases fire rate and enables NO RELOAD, creating a window for sustained moving fire. Its buff timer runs separately from Psychosis's cooldown. Follow the Maine, Zhuo and Berserk guide for the full firing and reloading cycle.
• Adam Smasher: Shift activates Sandy and the Sandevistan state, with a meter and DODGED counter; the status can later change to OVERCLOCK. Use the Adam Smasher guide to combine it with his attacks and pursuit.
• Capri: Overdrive's car helps close distance, while Satellite provides a target feed for selecting a survivor and dropping a strike. The Capri killer guide covers her vehicle, tracking and satellite controls together.

If you are receiving NO SIGNAL, SLOWED, OVERHEAT or tracking warnings, use the status effects guide to identify the message and understand what you can still do.