Project Zomboid – How to Find Car Keys

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There are 2 ways to access and turn on the vehicles in Project Zomboid: hotwiring and using car keys.

While hotwiring requires specific professions and more steps, using car keys is more straightforward. However, the true problem is finding the car keys instead of using them.

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In Project Zomboid, a car key can spawn near the vehicle, whether it’s on the ground, in a mailbox, a container, inside a residential house, or in a nearby trash bin. Additionally, you can find the car key inside the car’s front right seat, rear left seat, rear right seat, glove box, or ignition slot. Lastly, car keys might also be held by zombies around the car.


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How to Find Car Keys in Project Zomboid

Although you can get inside the car without a car key, the lack of one is shown by a key icon over your character with stripes, indicating that you can’t do anything with the car unless you attempt to hotwire it.

As a result, finding the car key is necessary in such situations.

1. Search Nearby Containers

There are many spots you have to look around while searching for a car key, depending on where you find your car.

If you find a car on the highway in an area surrounded mostly by car wrecks and forests, then you should click on the floor’s inventory and walk around, hoping that luck might be on your side and the car key could be nearby.

Alternatively, provided that you’re at a residential house, a gas station, or any public facility, you can explore the mailbox, the parking area, any container inside the garage nearby, and inside the house.

In that case, the key might be in the wardrobes, bookshelves, cabinets, or even trash bins.

2. Search The Car’s Interior

If you’ve been searching for a while but still failed to get the key, you should try to find it inside the car.

First, stay next to the left-front seat area of the car until you see the green rectangle, then press “E” to get in the car.

However, most cars have their doors locked, and they’re shaking while you’re trying to open them. In that case, right-click on the window and select “Smash Front Left Window”, then get in.

Sometimes, you may want to smash the rear windows instead to prevent the zombies from biting you while you’re in the car.

After that, click on the car’s inventory, including the front right seat, rear left seat, rear right seat, and glove box. The car key might be in these.

Surprisingly, the car key is sometimes in the ignition, ready to use.

3. Loot Zombies

There’s a pretty high chance that the car key might be with the zombies wandering around the car.

If that’s the case, eliminate them all and search the corpses.


That’s how to find car keys in Project Zomboid.

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Binh Tran

As a game writer, my goal is to craft engaging, informative, and concise articles. Whether it's diving into the latest gaming trends or writing game guides, I'm always excited to share my insights with others.

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