Dark Souls III on a Mac with a controller
The Dark Souls III 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 can stream to a Mac from a Windows PC you own, or from a cloud service that carries it. The stream normally passes a controller to the game's own scheme, and Steam lists full controller support. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad.
Yes, you can play Dark Souls III on a Mac with a controller, through a stream from a Windows PC or a cloud service that carries it. Most streams pass the pad straight to the game. This layout is for the stream that does not: it sends the Souls shoulders as clicks and Shift clicks, which is what the game's keyboard mode reads, so the timing you learned on a console carries over.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
The four shoulder buttons do most of the fighting, so they come first.
- Right hand. R1 is a left click for the light attack. R2 is Shift plus left click for the heavy.
- Left hand. L1 is a right click to block. L2 is Shift plus right click to parry.
- Move and look. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse for the camera, and clicking it sends a middle click to lock on.
- Face buttons. Roll and sprint on the bottom button (Space), interact on the right (E), the Estus on the top (R), and two-handing on the left (F).
- D-pad and menus. The arrow keys swap the right weapon, the left weapon, the spell and the quick item. Start opens the menu (Escape) and Back the inventory (Tab).
Tap the bottom button to roll, and hold a direction with it to sprint. R1 and R2 are the light and heavy attack, exactly where a console put them.
Tune it
- Roll a little early. A stream adds latency, so start each roll a hair sooner than you would on a console.
- Camera speed. The four camera rows send mouse motion at speed 18. Pointer speed on the preset's page makes all of them faster or slower at once.
- A buzz on the Estus. Turn on Vibrate in the Estus row's Options, and a controller with rumble confirms every drink.
If the camera feels wrong, Pointer speed is the one slider to move.
If the game sees the pad
Steam lists full controller support for Dark Souls III, so a stream that passes your pad plays the game's own scheme. Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Try the stream on its own. Leave the preset off, connect the controller, and push the left stick. If your character walks, you are done.
- Activate the layout. If nothing moves, press Activate on this preset, and the stick sends W, A, S and D instead.
- Turn one off if presses double. If a roll also opens a menu, the game is reading the pad and the preset at once. Press Deactivate and let the game have the controller.
Use the game's own controls or this layout, never both at once.
Dark Souls III controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Dark Souls III, 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 Dark Souls III.
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 Dark Souls III
When Dark Souls III 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 Dark Souls III, 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 Dark Souls III still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Dark Souls III 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 Dark Souls III 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 Dark Souls III 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.
Dark Souls III controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Dark Souls III'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 |
| RB / R1 | Left click | Right hand light attack, R1 to left click |
| Right trigger | Shift (Left), Left click | Right hand heavy attack, R2 to Shift plus left click |
| LB / L1 | Right click | Left hand attack or block, L1 to right click |
| Left trigger | Shift (Left), Right click | Left hand heavy or parry, L2 to Shift plus right click |
| A / Cross | Space | Roll, backstep, sprint, Space |
| B / Circle | E | Interact, pick up, E |
| Y / Triangle | R | Use item, Estus heal, R |
| X / Square | F | Two hand weapon toggle, F |
| R3 (right stick click) | Middle click | Lock on, reset camera, middle click |
| D-pad right | Right | Switch right hand weapon, Right |
| D-pad left | Left | Switch left hand weapon, Left |
| D-pad up | Up | Switch spell, Up |
| D-pad down | Down | Switch quick item, Down |
| Start / Options | Escape | Pause, menu, Esc |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Inventory, equipment, Tab |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 18) | Camera right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 18) | Camera left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 18) | Camera down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 18) | Camera up |
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 Dark Souls III run on a Mac?
Dark Souls III does not run natively on a Mac. It streams from a Windows PC or a cloud service that carries it, and the stream usually passes a controller to the game. This layout plays it from a pad the stream does not see.
Does Dark Souls III have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Dark Souls III, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Dark Souls III better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Dark Souls III, 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 Dark Souls III on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Dark Souls III still ignores it, activate the Dark Souls III layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Dark Souls III on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Dark Souls III 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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