Arc Raiders on a Mac with a controller
The Arc Raiders layout is built into InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
On a Mac: No Mac version. It streams to a Mac from a Windows PC you own. The stream normally passes a controller to the game's own scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad.
Yes, Arc Raiders plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC you own, and Steam lists full controller support. This layout follows the game's own controller scheme, so a stream that does not pass the pad still plays the way your hands expect. It is the extraction shooter where the enemies are robots and the players are the problem.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse at speed 16 across and 13 up and down.
- Shoot. The right trigger fires, throws or deploys (left click). The left trigger aims (right click).
- Face buttons. Jump on the bottom (Space). Crouch on the right (C), and a double tap dodge rolls (Option). Reload on the left (R). Hold it to interact and loot (E). Next weapon on the top (scroll up). Hold it to go unarmed (H).
- Shoulders. Items on the left bumper (Q). Ping on the right (middle click), and holding it brings up the ping wheel.
- Clicks. Click the left stick to sprint and again to walk. Click the right stick to swap shoulders (X).
- D-pad and menus. Emote on up (G), proximity voice chat on down (B, hold to talk), melee on left (3), flashlight on right (F). Back opens the inventory (Tab), and holding it opens the map (M). Start is the menu.
Holds and double taps do what they do on the game's own controller layout.
Tune it
- Slower aim. Duplicate the four right-stick rows, set While also holding to the left trigger on the copies, and lower their speed.
- The holds. The left face button waits 250 ms before a hold counts, the top button and Back 300 ms. Shorten or lengthen that in each row's Options, beside Holding sends.
- Sprint. If you would rather hold to run, set the left stick click's row back to Fires while held.
If loot opens when you meant to reload, lengthen that hold.
If the game sees the pad
A stream normally passes your controller to the game's own scheme. Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Try the stream on its own. Leave the preset off and push the left stick. If you move, use the game's own scheme.
- Activate the layout. If nothing moves, press Activate, and the pad sends the keys and clicks above.
- Turn one off if presses double. If one press does two things, the game reads the pad and the preset at once. Press Deactivate.
Arc Raiders on a passed-through pad comes first, so press Activate only when the stream ignores it.
Arc Raiders controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Arc Raiders, so the game was made to be played on a controller, menus included. A keyboard and mouse work as well, and the choice is yours. On a Mac, use the game's own controller support first when it sees your pad; this layout is for a pad it does not see, or for buttons it will not let you move. Full support listed means the controller is a first-class way to play Arc Raiders.
From Steam's listing, checked in October 2026. Every game's listing is in Mac games with controller support.
If your controller is not working in Arc Raiders
When Arc Raiders does not react to your controller on a Mac, climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Check that the Mac sees the controller. Open the gamepad tester and press a button. If nothing lights up there, the problem is the connection, and a controller that is connected but not working covers that first.
- Press a button after the stream has started. A stream only picks up a controller that is paired with the Mac, and a browser shows a controller to a page only after a button press. Start Arc Raiders, then press any button. Streaming from your own PC has its own checks, in how to stream PC games to a Mac with a controller.
- Play it from keys. If Arc Raiders still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Arc Raiders already reads. Turn the game's own controller option off while it runs, or a press can arrive twice. The layout works whether or not Arc Raiders ever sees the controller.
Get it in two clicks
- Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Arc Raiders and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.
To check the controller itself first, the gamepad tester shows every button and stick live in your browser.
Arc Raiders controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Arc Raiders's default keyboard and mouse controls, as this layout expects them. If you changed a key in the game's settings, change the same row in InputConfig.
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick left | A | Move left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Move right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Look left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 13) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 13) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Fire, throw or deploy (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim (right click) |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump (Space) |
| B / Circle | C; double tap: Alt / Option (Left) | Crouch (C); double tap: dodge roll (Left Alt, the Option key) |
| X / Square | R; hold: E | Reload (R); hold: interact and loot (E) |
| Y / Triangle | Scroll up; hold: H | Next weapon (scroll up); hold: unarmed (H) |
| LB / L1 | Q | Items (Q) |
| RB / R1 | Middle click | Ping (middle click); hold for the ping wheel |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab; hold: M | Inventory (Tab); hold: map (M) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu (Esc) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left); toggles on and off | Sprint (Left Shift): click to run, click again to walk |
| R3 (right stick click) | X | Swap shoulder (X) |
| D-pad up | G | Emote (G) |
| D-pad down | B | Proximity voice chat (B), hold to talk |
| D-pad left | 3 | Melee weapon (3) |
| D-pad right | F | Flashlight (F) |
Button names follow the Xbox / PlayStation pair shown in the editor, so A / Cross is the bottom face button on either pad. On a Switch Pro Controller the bottom button is labeled B; the mapping still fires on position.
Questions
Does Arc Raiders run on a Mac?
Arc Raiders does not run natively on a Mac. It streams from a Windows PC you own, and the stream usually passes a controller through. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does Arc Raiders have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Arc Raiders, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Arc Raiders better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Arc Raiders, so it was made to be played on a controller, and a keyboard and mouse work as well.
Why is my controller not working in Arc Raiders on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Arc Raiders still ignores it, activate the Arc Raiders layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Arc Raiders on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Arc Raiders runs on the other end, on a cloud service or your own PC, so the Mac only plays the video and sends your input. An M1 MacBook Air streams it like any other Mac.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
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