Dark Souls Remastered on a Mac with a controller
The Dark Souls Remastered 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 native scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad.
Yes, Dark Souls Remastered plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC you own. This layout is for a stream that misses your pad, and the first Dark Souls has the slowest combat in the series, which makes it the one that forgives a stream the most. The keyboard binds it sends match what Remastered expects.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- 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 at speed 18, and clicking it locks on (middle click).
- Face buttons. Roll and sprint on the bottom (Space), interact on the right (E), the Estus on the top (R), two-handing on the left (F).
- D-pad and menus. The arrow keys swap the right weapon, left weapon, spell and quick item. Start opens the menu (Escape), Back the inventory (Tab).
The Souls shoulders sit where a console put them, so muscle memory carries over.
Tune it
- Roll. Roll a hair early on a stream.
- Camera. Pointer speed on the preset's page scales all four camera rows together.
- A buzz on the Estus. Turn on Vibrate in the Estus row's Options.
Roll a little early, and the stream's delay mostly vanishes.
If the game sees the pad
A stream normally passes your controller to Dark Souls Remastered's own scheme. Try that first with the preset off. Press Activate only if the game ignores the pad, and Deactivate if a roll also opens a menu.
The game's own controls or this layout, never both.
Dark Souls Remastered controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Dark Souls Remastered, 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 Remastered.
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 Remastered
When Dark Souls Remastered 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 Remastered, 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 Remastered still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Dark Souls Remastered 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 Remastered 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 Remastered 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 Remastered controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Dark Souls Remastered'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 Remastered run on a Mac?
Dark Souls Remastered 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 Dark Souls Remastered have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Dark Souls Remastered, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Dark Souls Remastered better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Dark Souls Remastered, 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 Remastered on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Dark Souls Remastered still ignores it, activate the Dark Souls Remastered layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Dark Souls Remastered on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Dark Souls Remastered 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.
Does Dark Souls Remastered run in CrossOver on a Mac?
I have not tested Dark Souls Remastered in CrossOver. CodeWeavers keeps a compatibility list where players report how each Windows game runs. If it runs and the controller is not seen, this layout plays it from the keys and mouse.
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.
Updated