diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index b8fb95fb2da4b..d649d14573787 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -4014,6 +4014,17 @@ doc-scrape-examples = true
 
 [package.metadata.example.tab_navigation]
 name = "Tab Navigation"
-description = "Demonstration of Tab Navigation"
+description = "Demonstration of Tab Navigation between UI elements"
+category = "UI (User Interface)"
+wasm = true
+
+[[example]]
+name = "directional_navigation"
+path = "examples/ui/directional_navigation.rs"
+doc-scrape-examples = true
+
+[package.metadata.example.directional_navigation]
+name = "Directional Navigation"
+description = "Demonstration of Directional Navigation between UI elements"
 category = "UI (User Interface)"
 wasm = true
diff --git a/crates/bevy_input_focus/src/lib.rs b/crates/bevy_input_focus/src/lib.rs
index 23da25d3ce1e4..2e63ad339c830 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_input_focus/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_input_focus/src/lib.rs
@@ -114,7 +114,9 @@ impl InputFocus {
 /// By contrast, a console-style UI intended to be navigated with a gamepad may always have the focus indicator visible.
 ///
 /// To easily access information about whether focus indicators should be shown for a given entity, use the [`IsFocused`] trait.
-#[derive(Clone, Debug, Resource)]
+///
+/// By default, this resource is set to `false`.
+#[derive(Clone, Debug, Resource, Default)]
 #[cfg_attr(feature = "bevy_reflect", derive(Reflect), reflect(Debug, Resource))]
 pub struct InputFocusVisible(pub bool);
 
@@ -174,8 +176,8 @@ pub struct InputDispatchPlugin;
 impl Plugin for InputDispatchPlugin {
     fn build(&self, app: &mut App) {
         app.add_systems(Startup, set_initial_focus)
-            .insert_resource(InputFocus(None))
-            .insert_resource(InputFocusVisible(false))
+            .init_resource::<InputFocus>()
+            .init_resource::<InputFocusVisible>()
             .add_systems(
                 PreUpdate,
                 (
diff --git a/crates/bevy_winit/src/accessibility.rs b/crates/bevy_winit/src/accessibility.rs
index 078f47ae4377a..8d1c5db0c4ceb 100644
--- a/crates/bevy_winit/src/accessibility.rs
+++ b/crates/bevy_winit/src/accessibility.rs
@@ -198,6 +198,14 @@ fn update_accessibility_nodes(
         return;
     };
     if focus.is_changed() || !nodes.is_empty() {
+        // Don't panic if the focused entity does not currently exist
+        // It's probably waiting to be spawned
+        if let Some(focused_entity) = focus.0 {
+            if !node_entities.contains(focused_entity) {
+                return;
+            }
+        }
+
         adapter.update_if_active(|| {
             update_adapter(
                 nodes,
diff --git a/examples/README.md b/examples/README.md
index 49a90a422423f..e85156ca01bf3 100644
--- a/examples/README.md
+++ b/examples/README.md
@@ -512,6 +512,7 @@ Example | Description
 [Box Shadow](../examples/ui/box_shadow.rs) | Demonstrates how to create a node with a shadow
 [Button](../examples/ui/button.rs) | Illustrates creating and updating a button
 [CSS Grid](../examples/ui/grid.rs) | An example for CSS Grid layout
+[Directional Navigation](../examples/ui/directional_navigation.rs) | Demonstration of Directional Navigation between UI elements
 [Display and Visibility](../examples/ui/display_and_visibility.rs) | Demonstrates how Display and Visibility work in the UI.
 [Flex Layout](../examples/ui/flex_layout.rs) | Demonstrates how the AlignItems and JustifyContent properties can be composed to layout nodes and position text
 [Font Atlas Debug](../examples/ui/font_atlas_debug.rs) | Illustrates how FontAtlases are populated (used to optimize text rendering internally)
@@ -523,7 +524,7 @@ Example | Description
 [Render UI to Texture](../examples/ui/render_ui_to_texture.rs) | An example of rendering UI as a part of a 3D world
 [Scroll](../examples/ui/scroll.rs) | Demonstrates scrolling UI containers
 [Size Constraints](../examples/ui/size_constraints.rs) | Demonstrates how the to use the size constraints to control the size of a UI node.
-[Tab Navigation](../examples/ui/tab_navigation.rs) | Demonstration of Tab Navigation
+[Tab Navigation](../examples/ui/tab_navigation.rs) | Demonstration of Tab Navigation between UI elements
 [Text](../examples/ui/text.rs) | Illustrates creating and updating text
 [Text Debug](../examples/ui/text_debug.rs) | An example for debugging text layout
 [Text Wrap Debug](../examples/ui/text_wrap_debug.rs) | Demonstrates text wrapping
diff --git a/examples/ui/directional_navigation.rs b/examples/ui/directional_navigation.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..a5b4286405999
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/ui/directional_navigation.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,417 @@
+//! Demonstrates how to set up the directional navigation system to allow for navigation between widgets.
+//!
+//! Directional navigation is generally used to move between widgets in a user interface using arrow keys or gamepad input.
+//! When compared to tab navigation, directional navigation is generally more direct, and less aware of the structure of the UI.
+//!
+//! In this example, we will set up a simple UI with a grid of buttons that can be navigated using the arrow keys or gamepad input.
+
+use bevy::{
+    input_focus::{
+        directional_navigation::{
+            DirectionalNavigation, DirectionalNavigationMap, DirectionalNavigationPlugin,
+        },
+        InputDispatchPlugin, InputFocus, InputFocusVisible,
+    },
+    math::{CompassOctant, FloatOrd},
+    picking::{
+        backend::HitData,
+        pointer::{Location, PointerId},
+    },
+    prelude::*,
+    render::camera::NormalizedRenderTarget,
+    utils::{HashMap, HashSet},
+};
+
+fn main() {
+    App::new()
+        // Input focus is not enabled by default, so we need to add the corresponding plugins
+        .add_plugins((
+            DefaultPlugins,
+            InputDispatchPlugin,
+            DirectionalNavigationPlugin,
+        ))
+        // This resource is canonically used to track whether or not to render a focus indicator
+        // It starts as false, but we set it to true here as we would like to see the focus indicator
+        .insert_resource(InputFocusVisible(true))
+        // We've made a simple resource to keep track of the actions that are currently being pressed for this example
+        .init_resource::<ActionState>()
+        .add_systems(Startup, setup_ui)
+        // Input is generally handled during PreUpdate
+        // We're turning inputs into actions first, then using those actions to determine navigation
+        .add_systems(PreUpdate, (process_inputs, navigate).chain())
+        .add_systems(
+            Update,
+            (
+                // We need to show which button is currently focused
+                highlight_focused_element,
+                // Pressing the "Interact" button while we have a focused element should simulate a click
+                interact_with_focused_button,
+                // We're doing a tiny animation when the button is interacted with,
+                // so we need a timer and a polling mechanism to reset it
+                reset_button_after_interaction,
+            ),
+        )
+        // This observer is added globally, so it will respond to *any* trigger of the correct type.
+        // However, we're filtering in the observer's query to only respond to button presses
+        .add_observer(universal_button_click_behavior)
+        .run();
+}
+
+const NORMAL_BUTTON: Srgba = bevy::color::palettes::tailwind::BLUE_400;
+const PRESSED_BUTTON: Srgba = bevy::color::palettes::tailwind::BLUE_500;
+const FOCUSED_BORDER: Srgba = bevy::color::palettes::tailwind::BLUE_50;
+
+// This observer will be triggered whenever a button is pressed
+// In a real project, each button would also have its own unique behavior,
+// to capture the actual intent of the user
+fn universal_button_click_behavior(
+    // We're using a on-mouse-down trigger to improve responsiveness;
+    // Clicked is better when you want roll-off cancellation
+    mut trigger: Trigger<Pointer<Pressed>>,
+    mut button_query: Query<(&mut BackgroundColor, &mut ResetTimer)>,
+) {
+    let button_entity = trigger.target();
+    if let Ok((mut color, mut reset_timer)) = button_query.get_mut(button_entity) {
+        // This would be a great place to play a little sound effect too!
+        color.0 = PRESSED_BUTTON.into();
+        reset_timer.0 = Timer::from_seconds(0.3, TimerMode::Once);
+
+        // Picking events propagate up the hierarchy,
+        // so we need to stop the propagation here now that we've handled it
+        trigger.propagate(false);
+    }
+}
+
+/// Resets a UI element to its default state when the timer has elapsed.
+#[derive(Component, Default, Deref, DerefMut)]
+struct ResetTimer(Timer);
+
+fn reset_button_after_interaction(
+    time: Res<Time>,
+    mut query: Query<(&mut ResetTimer, &mut BackgroundColor)>,
+) {
+    for (mut reset_timer, mut color) in query.iter_mut() {
+        reset_timer.tick(time.delta());
+        if reset_timer.just_finished() {
+            color.0 = NORMAL_BUTTON.into();
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+// We're spawning a simple grid of buttons and some instructions
+// The buttons are just colored rectangles with text displaying the button's name
+fn setup_ui(
+    mut commands: Commands,
+    mut directional_nav_map: ResMut<DirectionalNavigationMap>,
+    mut input_focus: ResMut<InputFocus>,
+) {
+    const N_ROWS: u16 = 5;
+    const N_COLS: u16 = 3;
+
+    // Rendering UI elements requires a camera
+    commands.spawn(Camera2d);
+
+    // Create a full-screen background node
+    let root_node = commands
+        .spawn(Node {
+            width: Val::Percent(100.0),
+            height: Val::Percent(100.0),
+            ..default()
+        })
+        .id();
+
+    // Add instruction to the left of the grid
+    let instructions = commands
+        .spawn((
+            Text::new("Use arrow keys or D-pad to navigate. \
+            Click the buttons, or press Enter / the South gamepad button to interact with the focused button."),
+            Node {
+                width: Val::Px(300.0),
+                justify_content: JustifyContent::Center,
+                align_items: AlignItems::Center,
+                margin: UiRect::all(Val::Px(12.0)),
+                ..default()
+            },
+        ))
+        .id();
+
+    // Set up the root entity to hold the grid
+    let grid_root_entity = commands
+        .spawn(Node {
+            display: Display::Grid,
+            // Allow the grid to take up the full height and the rest of the width of the window
+            width: Val::Percent(100.),
+            height: Val::Percent(100.),
+            // Set the number of rows and columns in the grid
+            // allowing the grid to automatically size the cells
+            grid_template_columns: RepeatedGridTrack::auto(N_COLS),
+            grid_template_rows: RepeatedGridTrack::auto(N_ROWS),
+            ..default()
+        })
+        .id();
+
+    // Add the instructions and grid to the root node
+    commands
+        .entity(root_node)
+        .add_children(&[instructions, grid_root_entity]);
+
+    let mut button_entities: HashMap<(u16, u16), Entity> = HashMap::default();
+    for row in 0..N_ROWS {
+        for col in 0..N_COLS {
+            let button_name = format!("Button {}-{}", row, col);
+
+            let button_entity = commands
+                .spawn((
+                    Button,
+                    Node {
+                        width: Val::Px(200.0),
+                        height: Val::Px(120.0),
+                        // Add a border so we can show which element is focused
+                        border: UiRect::all(Val::Px(4.0)),
+                        // Center the button's text label
+                        justify_content: JustifyContent::Center,
+                        align_items: AlignItems::Center,
+                        // Center the button within the grid cell
+                        align_self: AlignSelf::Center,
+                        justify_self: JustifySelf::Center,
+                        ..default()
+                    },
+                    ResetTimer::default(),
+                    BorderRadius::all(Val::Px(16.0)),
+                    BackgroundColor::from(NORMAL_BUTTON),
+                    Name::new(button_name.clone()),
+                ))
+                // Add a text element to the button
+                .with_child((
+                    Text::new(button_name),
+                    // And center the text if it flows onto multiple lines
+                    TextLayout {
+                        justify: JustifyText::Center,
+                        ..default()
+                    },
+                ))
+                .id();
+
+            // Add the button to the grid
+            commands.entity(grid_root_entity).add_child(button_entity);
+
+            // Keep track of the button entities so we can set up our navigation graph
+            button_entities.insert((row, col), button_entity);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Connect all of the buttons in the same row to each other,
+    // looping around when the edge is reached.
+    for row in 0..N_ROWS {
+        let entities_in_row: Vec<Entity> = (0..N_COLS)
+            .map(|col| button_entities.get(&(row, col)).unwrap())
+            .copied()
+            .collect();
+        directional_nav_map.add_looping_edges(&entities_in_row, CompassOctant::East);
+    }
+
+    // Connect all of the buttons in the same column to each other,
+    // but don't loop around when the edge is reached.
+    // While looping is a very reasonable choice, we're not doing it here to demonstrate the different options.
+    for col in 0..N_COLS {
+        // Don't iterate over the last row, as no lower row exists to connect to
+        for row in 0..N_ROWS - 1 {
+            let upper_entity = button_entities.get(&(row, col)).unwrap();
+            let lower_entity = button_entities.get(&(row + 1, col)).unwrap();
+            directional_nav_map.add_symmetrical_edge(
+                *upper_entity,
+                *lower_entity,
+                CompassOctant::South,
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    // When changing scenes, remember to set an initial focus!
+    let top_left_entity = *button_entities.get(&(0, 0)).unwrap();
+    input_focus.set(top_left_entity);
+}
+
+// The indirection between inputs and actions allows us to easily remap inputs
+// and handle multiple input sources (keyboard, gamepad, etc.) in our game
+#[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Eq, Hash)]
+enum DirectionalNavigationAction {
+    Up,
+    Down,
+    Left,
+    Right,
+    Select,
+}
+
+impl DirectionalNavigationAction {
+    fn variants() -> Vec<Self> {
+        vec![
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Up,
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Down,
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Left,
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Right,
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Select,
+        ]
+    }
+
+    fn keycode(&self) -> KeyCode {
+        match self {
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Up => KeyCode::ArrowUp,
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Down => KeyCode::ArrowDown,
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Left => KeyCode::ArrowLeft,
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Right => KeyCode::ArrowRight,
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Select => KeyCode::Enter,
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn gamepad_button(&self) -> GamepadButton {
+        match self {
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Up => GamepadButton::DPadUp,
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Down => GamepadButton::DPadDown,
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Left => GamepadButton::DPadLeft,
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Right => GamepadButton::DPadRight,
+            // This is the "A" button on an Xbox controller,
+            // and is conventionally used as the "Select" / "Interact" button in many games
+            DirectionalNavigationAction::Select => GamepadButton::South,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+// This keeps track of the inputs that are currently being pressed
+#[derive(Default, Resource)]
+struct ActionState {
+    pressed_actions: HashSet<DirectionalNavigationAction>,
+}
+
+fn process_inputs(
+    mut action_state: ResMut<ActionState>,
+    keyboard_input: Res<ButtonInput<KeyCode>>,
+    gamepad_input: Query<&Gamepad>,
+) {
+    // Reset the set of pressed actions each frame
+    // to ensure that we only process each action once
+    action_state.pressed_actions.clear();
+
+    for action in DirectionalNavigationAction::variants() {
+        // Use just_pressed to ensure that we only process each action once
+        // for each time it is pressed
+        if keyboard_input.just_pressed(action.keycode()) {
+            action_state.pressed_actions.insert(action);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // We're treating this like a single-player game:
+    // if multiple gamepads are connected, we don't care which one is being used
+    for gamepad in gamepad_input.iter() {
+        for action in DirectionalNavigationAction::variants() {
+            // Unlike keyboard input, gamepads are bound to a specific controller
+            if gamepad.just_pressed(action.gamepad_button()) {
+                action_state.pressed_actions.insert(action);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn navigate(action_state: Res<ActionState>, mut directional_navigation: DirectionalNavigation) {
+    // If the user is pressing both left and right, or up and down,
+    // we should not move in either direction.
+    let net_east_west = action_state
+        .pressed_actions
+        .contains(&DirectionalNavigationAction::Right) as i8
+        - action_state
+            .pressed_actions
+            .contains(&DirectionalNavigationAction::Left) as i8;
+
+    let net_north_south = action_state
+        .pressed_actions
+        .contains(&DirectionalNavigationAction::Up) as i8
+        - action_state
+            .pressed_actions
+            .contains(&DirectionalNavigationAction::Down) as i8;
+
+    // Compute the direction that the user is trying to navigate in
+    let maybe_direction = match (net_east_west, net_north_south) {
+        (0, 0) => None,
+        (0, 1) => Some(CompassOctant::North),
+        (1, 1) => Some(CompassOctant::NorthEast),
+        (1, 0) => Some(CompassOctant::East),
+        (1, -1) => Some(CompassOctant::SouthEast),
+        (0, -1) => Some(CompassOctant::South),
+        (-1, -1) => Some(CompassOctant::SouthWest),
+        (-1, 0) => Some(CompassOctant::West),
+        (-1, 1) => Some(CompassOctant::NorthWest),
+        _ => None,
+    };
+
+    if let Some(direction) = maybe_direction {
+        match directional_navigation.navigate(direction) {
+            // In a real game, you would likely want to play a sound or show a visual effect
+            // on both successful and unsuccessful navigation attempts
+            Ok(entity) => {
+                println!("Navigated {direction:?} successfully. {entity} is now focused.");
+            }
+            Err(e) => println!("Navigation failed: {e}"),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+fn highlight_focused_element(
+    input_focus: Res<InputFocus>,
+    // While this isn't strictly needed for the example,
+    // we're demonstrating how to be a good citizen by respecting the `InputFocusVisible` resource.
+    input_focus_visible: Res<InputFocusVisible>,
+    mut query: Query<(Entity, &mut BorderColor)>,
+) {
+    for (entity, mut border_color) in query.iter_mut() {
+        if input_focus.0 == Some(entity) && input_focus_visible.0 {
+            // Don't change the border size / radius here,
+            // as it would result in wiggling buttons when they are focused
+            border_color.0 = FOCUSED_BORDER.into();
+        } else {
+            border_color.0 = Color::NONE;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+// By sending a Pointer<Pressed> trigger rather than directly handling button-like interactions,
+// we can unify our handling of pointer and keyboard/gamepad interactions
+fn interact_with_focused_button(
+    action_state: Res<ActionState>,
+    input_focus: Res<InputFocus>,
+    mut commands: Commands,
+) {
+    if action_state
+        .pressed_actions
+        .contains(&DirectionalNavigationAction::Select)
+    {
+        if let Some(focused_entity) = input_focus.0 {
+            commands.trigger_targets(
+                Pointer::<Pressed> {
+                    target: focused_entity,
+                    // We're pretending that we're a mouse
+                    pointer_id: PointerId::Mouse,
+                    // This field isn't used, so we're just setting it to a placeholder value
+                    pointer_location: Location {
+                        target: NormalizedRenderTarget::Image(
+                            bevy_render::camera::ImageRenderTarget {
+                                handle: Handle::default(),
+                                scale_factor: FloatOrd(1.0),
+                            },
+                        ),
+                        position: Vec2::ZERO,
+                    },
+                    event: Pressed {
+                        button: PointerButton::Primary,
+                        // This field isn't used, so we're just setting it to a placeholder value
+                        hit: HitData {
+                            camera: Entity::PLACEHOLDER,
+                            depth: 0.0,
+                            position: None,
+                            normal: None,
+                        },
+                    },
+                },
+                focused_entity,
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}