Editing Controls

| Only while whistling or throwing.

| align="center"|{{button|switch|rsticklr|size=x24px}} or {{button|switch|zl|size=x24px}}

| The player can press the button and use {{button|gc|stick|wii|stick|switch|lstick}} to rotate the camera sideways.  

| Only while whistling or throwing.

|  

| align="center"|{{button|switch|rsticklr|size=x24px}} or {{button|switch|zl|size=x24px}}

| The player can press the button and use {{button|gc|stick|wii|stick|switch|lstick}} to rotate the camera sideways.

| align="center"|{{button|switch|zr|size=x24px}}<br>held

| align="center"|{{button|wii|+|size=x24px}}

''Pikmin 3'' allows for four ways to control the game. The player can use the GamePad's buttons, the Wii Remote + Nunchuk, the Wii U Pro Controller, or, as of [[Update|version 2.0.0]], the GamePad's touchscreen; the latter is known as "Stylus Mode". The Wii Classic Controller is not supported.  When the player uses a control from a controller different from the one they're currently using, a message will appear on-screen saying the main controller has changed, and the player is then allowed to use that controller from there on out. The exception to this is {{button|wiiu|-}}.

* In single-player, the player can use one of the following: 2 combined Joy-Cons attached to the console, 2 combined Joy-Cons detached from the console, or a Pro Controller.

* In 2-player, either player can use 2 combined Joy-Cons detached from the console, a Pro Controller, or a single Joy-Con horizontally and vertically for P1 and P2 respectively.

| Move/Move [[Cursor]]

| align="center"|{{button|switch|lstick|size=x24px}}

| align="center"|{{button|switch|stick|size=x24px}}

| Holding it lightly will move the leader slower.

| Move Cursor &ndash; alternate

| Only while whistling or throwing, and only while Motion Controls is ON.  

| [[Throw]]/Send

| Call with [[Whistle]]/Bark

| Holding it down longer increases the radius.

| Manual Target Lock

| Only if a [[Lock-on|Target Lock]] target is available.

| Cancel Manual Target Lock

| Select Pikmin/Oatchi &ndash; right

| Select Pikmin/Oatchi type &ndash; left

| [[Swarm|Form Line]]

| Only after obtaining the [[Lineup Trumpet]], and when not riding Oatchi. With horizontal controls, doing this will disable movement as long as the button is held.  

| Actions

| align="center"|{{button|switch|y|size=x24px}}{{button|switch|hold|size=x24px}}

| align="center"|{{button|switch|facel|size=x24px}}{{button|switch|hold|size=x24px}}

| Allows the player to [[Disband]], give a command to [[Oatchi]], open the [[Pack]], or either dismount Oatchi or switch between the player character and Oatchi.

| [[Pluck]]

| [[Punch]]/Bite

| align="center"|{{button|switch|x||size=x24px}}{{button|switch|hold|size=x24px}}

| align="center"|{{button|switch|faceu|size=x24px}}{{button|switch|hold|size=x24px}}

| Look Around

| Look Around (alternate)

| align="center"|{{button|switch|zl|size=x24px}} + Move

| align="center"|{{button|switch|sl|size=x24px}} + Move

| Look Ahead

| Single Joy-Con controls only pause when the Tablet is open and dependent on whether Player 1 is using the left or right Joy-Con.

| rowspan="2" | Single Joy-Con controls dependent on whether Player 1 is using the left or right Joy-Con.

In the first two games and the ''[[New Play Control!]]'' ports, the [[Onion menu]] allows the player to withdraw or save Pikmin using a simple control interface.

| align="center"|{{button|wii|+|size=x24px}}

| Only on the Piklopedia.

Some Easter eggs exist on the [[title screen]] for ''Pikmin 2'' and the ''New Play Control!'' port. These allow the player to change the words the Pikmin spell out, and allows the spawn and control of an enemy.

*In ''Pikmin 3'', when a leader is thrown to the ground, the player can mash directions on {{button|wiiu|lstick|wii|stick}} &ndash; such as twirling &ndash; to make them get up. The player can also shake the Nunchuk to make them get up (usually easier and faster). The leader will get up by themselves eventually, however. This is also true in {{p4}} when [[Oatchi]] takes big knockback, but with {{button|switch|lstick|switch|stick}}{{source needed}}. In ''Pikmin 3 Deluxe'', they get up by themselves right away.

*When playing as [[Oatchi]] in ''Pikmin 4'', the player can mash {{button|switch|a|switch|b|switch|x}} / {{button|switch|y}} to make him recover from a hazard such as [[fire]], [[poison]] or [[panic]] sooner.