3D Player Controller

First/third person character controller with smooth movement, jumping, and slope handling using CharacterController.

Unity 2022.3+ · 4.1 KB · PlayerController3D.cs

How to Use

Attach to your player GameObject

Add a CharacterController component

Create an empty child at the feet for Ground Check

Set Ground Mask to your terrain layer

Sprint with Left Shift

Features

Camera-relative movement so the player moves where the camera faces
Sprint toggle with Left Shift and separate walk/sprint speeds
Smooth rotation via LerpAngle for natural turning
Configurable gravity and jump height using physics formula
Ground detection via Physics.CheckSphere with Gizmo visualization
Automatic CharacterController requirement via RequireComponent

When to Use This

Ideal for third-person action games, RPGs, adventure games, and horror games that need solid ground movement with sprinting. Use this when you want CharacterController-based movement (no Rigidbody physics) with camera-relative input. Works great as the foundation for any 3D game with a controllable character.

Common Mistakes

Not assigning the cameraTransform field and having no Camera tagged MainCamera will cause a NullReferenceException on startup. The groundCheck Transform must be positioned at the character's feet, not the center — otherwise ground detection fails. Setting gravity to a positive value will launch the character upward instead of pulling them down.

Source Code

  
 PlayerController3D.cs
C# 
using UnityEngine;

[RequireComponent(typeof(CharacterController))]
public class PlayerController3D : MonoBehaviour
{
    [Header("Movement")]
    [SerializeField] private float walkSpeed = 6f;
    [SerializeField] private float sprintSpeed = 10f;
    [SerializeField] private float rotationSpeed = 10f;

    [Header("Jumping")]
    [SerializeField] private float jumpHeight = 1.5f;
    [SerializeField] private float gravity = -20f;

    [Header("Ground Check")]
    [SerializeField] private Transform groundCheck;
    [SerializeField] private float groundDistance = 0.3f;
    [SerializeField] private LayerMask groundMask;

    [Header("Camera")]
    [SerializeField] private Transform cameraTransform;

    private CharacterController controller;
    private Vector3 velocity;
    private bool isGrounded;

    private void Awake()
    {
        controller = GetComponent<CharacterController>();
        if (cameraTransform == null)
            cameraTransform = Camera.main.transform;
    }

    private void Update()
    {
        // Ground check
        isGrounded = Physics.CheckSphere(groundCheck.position, groundDistance, groundMask);

        if (isGrounded && velocity.y < 0f)
            velocity.y = -2f;

        // Input
        float h = Input.GetAxisRaw("Horizontal");
        float v = Input.GetAxisRaw("Vertical");
        Vector3 inputDir = new Vector3(h, 0f, v).normalized;

        // Movement relative to camera
        if (inputDir.magnitude >= 0.1f)
        {
            float targetAngle = Mathf.Atan2(inputDir.x, inputDir.z) * Mathf.Rad2Deg + cameraTransform.eulerAngles.y;
            float angle = Mathf.LerpAngle(transform.eulerAngles.y, targetAngle, rotationSpeed * Time.deltaTime);
            transform.rotation = Quaternion.Euler(0f, angle, 0f);

            Vector3 moveDir = Quaternion.Euler(0f, targetAngle, 0f) * Vector3.forward;
            float speed = Input.GetKey(KeyCode.LeftShift) ? sprintSpeed : walkSpeed;
            controller.Move(moveDir.normalized * speed * Time.deltaTime);
        }

        // Jump
        if (Input.GetButtonDown("Jump") && isGrounded)
            velocity.y = Mathf.Sqrt(jumpHeight * -2f * gravity);

        // Apply gravity
        velocity.y += gravity * Time.deltaTime;
        controller.Move(velocity * Time.deltaTime);
    }

    private void OnDrawGizmosSelected()
    {
        if (groundCheck != null)
        {
            Gizmos.color = isGrounded ? Color.green : Color.red;
            Gizmos.DrawWireSphere(groundCheck.position, groundDistance);
        }
    }
}
 76 lines

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