Civilization VI on a Mac with a controller
The Civilization VI 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: Native on macOS through Steam or the Mac App Store. The console versions have controller schemes. The Mac version does not. This layout is the mouse game from a pad.
Yes, you can play Civilization VI on a Mac with a controller through this layout. The Mac version has no controller support, unlike the console ports, so the layout builds that interface from the mouse: pointer on the left stick, map panning on the right, and Next Turn on the big button, where it belongs.
It suits a Mac plugged into a TV, and one more turn from a sofa is a real danger to your sleep.
On this page: 8 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Pointer and map. The left stick is the pointer. The right stick pans the map with the arrow keys.
- Two clicks. The right trigger is left click to select. The left trigger is right click to move a unit. Those are the two clicks the game is made of.
- Turns. The bottom face button is Enter: next turn, confirm, dismiss. The right face button is Escape.
- Zoom and screens. Zoom on the bumpers, the tech tree (T) on the left face button, and B for found city and build on the Home button.
Next Turn is the biggest button on the pad, because you will press it a thousand times.
Tune it to how you play
- Unit cycling. Period and comma step through units with orders pending. Put them on the stick clicks.
- Civics, city list, great people. Put C and the other overview keys on a chord with the D-pad.
- Slow pointer. Civ's tiles are big but its buttons are small. Add a half-speed pointer behind a held bumper for menus and diplomacy.
- Quick save. Put Control S, and Control Shift S to save as, on the touchpad press.
- On a TV. Turn up the game's UI scale in its options. With this layout, that is the main reason people use it.
A slow pointer behind a bumper makes the small buttons easy.
Civilization VI controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists no controller support for Civilization VI, so it was made for a keyboard and mouse, and that is how it expects to be played. A controller still works: this layout sends the game's keys and mouse movement from the pad, so to the game you are simply typing and pointing. No controller support listed means the layout does the work, not the game.
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 Civilization VI
When Civilization VI 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.
- Check the Steam Input setting for Civilization VI. In Steam, open Civilization VI, Properties, Controller, and change the Steam Input override. A controller that works in Steam but not in the game goes through each choice.
- Play it from keys. If Civilization VI still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Civilization VI already reads. The layout works whether or not Civilization VI 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 Civilization VI 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.
Civilization VI controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Civilization VI'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 | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Cursor left |
| Left stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Cursor right |
| Left stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Cursor up |
| Left stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Cursor down |
| Right stick left | Left | Pan camera left |
| Right stick right | Right | Pan camera right |
| Right stick up | Up | Pan camera up |
| Right stick down | Down | Pan camera down |
| Right trigger | Left click | Select (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Move / context (right click) |
| A / Cross | Return | Next turn / confirm (Enter) |
| B / Circle | Escape | Cancel (Esc) |
| LB / L1 | Scroll down | Zoom out |
| RB / R1 | Scroll up | Zoom in |
| X / Square | T | Tech tree (T) |
| Home / PS / Guide | B | Found / build (B) |
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 Civilization VI on Mac support controllers?
No. The Switch and console versions do. The Mac version is mouse only, and Steam lists no controller support. This layout gives it a pad through the mouse and keyboard.
Can I play Civ 6 on a MacBook with a PS5 or Xbox controller?
Yes, through this layout: pair the controller with the Mac, load the layout, and the pad drives the pointer and the keys the game reads. It works the same on a MacBook as on a Mac connected to a TV, and it frees you from the trackpad for a long game.
Does Civilization VI have controller support?
Not by itself. Steam lists no controller support for Civilization VI. A controller still works through a layout like this one, which sends the game's keys.
Is Civilization VI better with a controller or a keyboard?
It was made for a keyboard and mouse: Steam lists no controller support for Civilization VI. A controller still works through this layout, which sends the game's own keys and mouse movement.
Why is my controller not working in Civilization VI on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Civilization VI still ignores it, change the game's Steam Input override in its Steam Properties, and if that does not help, activate the Civilization VI layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Civilization VI on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Civilization VI has a native Mac version, and its minimum requirements are listed on its Steam store page, so check your Mac against that list. I have not tested it on each Mac. The controller layout itself works the same on any Mac that runs InputConfig.
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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