Open the Console and Protect Your Run
Press Ctrl + Q during a game, type a command and press Enter, then press Ctrl + Q again to close the console. Information commands such as world.listLoot preserve achievements, but most other commands disable them for everyone in that game, and using any command makes the world ineligible for the leaderboard.
Choose Your Run Before Entering Commands
The console is built into the normal Early Access game. You do not need a mod, a special build or a Steam launch option to enable it. Keep a world for experimenting if you want to try gameplay changes without affecting the run you care about.
Open, Enter and Close the Console
- Press Ctrl + Q while playing to open the console over the game screen and direct your typing into it.
- Enter your chosen command and press Enter to submit it; command names use a dot between the group and action, with arguments following a space.
- Press Ctrl + Q again to close the console when you have finished entering commands.
Find an Item Key and Spawn It
- Run world.listLoot to display the available item keys; adding a category name lists that category with its item names.
- Run world.spawnLoot Shovel to create a Shovel where you are looking, or replace Shovel with the exact key for your chosen item.
- Pick up the item from its spawn position; spawned items arrive at full condition, and spawned containers come full.
Use the key displayed by world.listLoot when choosing an item. The console filters matches as you type, and Tab completes an item key. A unique displayed item name also works; if several items share that name, the console tells you which keys to use.
Spawning an item disables achievements for that game. Furniture, tools, vehicle parts and vehicles can all be spawned through world.spawnLoot. For blueprints, upgrade.spawnBlueprint accepts ladder, roof_rack or motorcycle_holder.
Command Reference: Effects and Scope
Nomad Drive has 307 console commands across 63 groups, most intended for developer testing. This reference covers the practical commands with explained effects, rather than every testing command. In co-op, have the host run commands marked host-only.
| Command | Effect, Scope and Achievements |
|---|---|
| world.listLoot | Lists spawnable item keys; optionally add a category name. Keeps achievements. |
| world.spawnLoot key | Spawns the chosen item where you are looking. Disables achievements. |
| upgrade.spawnBlueprint upgradeId | Host-only. Spawns a Ladder, Roof Rack or Motorcycle Holder blueprint. Disables achievements. |
| time.setTimeOfDay value | Sets the time of day; 12.5 means 12:30 PM. Disables achievements. |
| time.forwardSmoothly hours speed | Moves time forward by the specified number of hours. Disables achievements. |
| weather.set weatherName | Sets and holds weather for every player; Tab lists weather names. Disables achievements. |
| weather.auto | Ends the weather.set override and restores normal weather behavior. Disables achievements. |
| player.setNutrition value | Sets your food level. Disables achievements. |
| player.setHydration value | Sets your water level. Disables achievements. |
| player.setEnergy value | Sets your energy level. Disables achievements. |
| player.healDamage value | Heals damage. Disables achievements. |
| player.setStrong true | Stops heavy carried items from slowing you down. Disables achievements. |
| vehicle.fuel litres | Host-only. Sets fuel in the nearest vehicle's tank. Disables achievements. |
| vehicle.engineCondition percent | Host-only. Sets the nearest vehicle's engine condition. Disables achievements. |
| save.now | Host-only. Saves immediately, like Save in the pause menu. Disables achievements. |
| journey.info | Shows your distance from the start and best distance. Keeps achievements. |
| radio.openFolder | Opens the folder used for your own radio music. Disables achievements. |
| radio.rescan | Reloads the radio's custom music folder. Disables achievements. |
Achievements and Leaderboards Have Different Rules
Achievement restrictions apply to everyone in the game, including friends who did not enter the command. Once a command disables achievements, they stay disabled for the rest of that game. Use the pause-menu Save option when you only want to save normally: save.now performs the same saving action but disables achievements.
Do not judge achievement safety by a command's name alone. journey.info preserves achievements, but pry.state disables them despite sounding like an information lookup. Use explicitly identified achievement-preserving commands when that distinction matters.
Leaderboard eligibility is stricter: using any console command makes that world ineligible. This includes information commands that preserve achievements. Leave commands unused in a world where you want leaderboard progress.
Co-op and Achievement Recovery
- Can friends use the console in co-op?
- Yes. Any player can open it, while some commands are marked host-only. Agree before entering gameplay-changing commands, because the achievement restriction affects everyone in that game.
- Can achievement commands undo the restriction?
- Do not rely on achievement commands to restore rewards. ach.unlock, ach.stat, ach.clear and ach.reset only work in developer builds. The achievement restriction from other commands lasts for the rest of that game.