Deep Rock Galactic on a Mac with a controller
The Deep Rock Galactic 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 through GeForce NOW, which normally hands a controller to the game's own scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad.
Rock and Stone. You can play Deep Rock Galactic on a Mac with a controller through GeForce NOW, which usually passes the pad to the game's good native support. There is no Mac version.
When the stream does not see the pad, this is the keyboard game from a controller, and a comfortable one: mine, throw a flare, swap to the platform gun and mine again is four buttons and a trigger.
On this page: 8 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The sticks. Sprint is the left stick click.
- Mine and shoot. The right trigger fires and mines, the left trigger aims.
- Face buttons. Jump, crouch, reload and E.
- Bumpers. The flare (C) on the left, because you throw one every ten seconds. The power attack (V) on the right.
- Tools. The D-pad is the primary and secondary weapon, the traversal tool and the support tool. Escape on Options.
Flares are on a bumper because you throw one every ten seconds.
Tune it to your class
- Salute. V is also the salute. Set the right bumper to Different action when held, with the power attack as the hold, and let a tap be the Rock and Stone, which is the correct priority.
- Laser pointer. Ctrl held marks things. Put it on the touchpad press as a hold.
- Grenade. Put G on the right stick click.
- Engineer platforms. The platform gun is the Engineer's traversal tool, on D-pad right. Fire it with the trigger and swap back with D-pad up. The turret is his support tool, on D-pad down.
- Auto-mine. Set the fire row to Toggles on and off with the pickaxe out for long tunnels.
If the stream sees your pad, use the native scheme and leave the preset off, so presses do not double. Tap to salute, hold to power attack: one bumper, both jobs.
Deep Rock Galactic controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Deep Rock Galactic, 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 Deep Rock Galactic.
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 Deep Rock Galactic
When Deep Rock Galactic 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 Deep Rock Galactic, then press any button.
- Play it from keys. If Deep Rock Galactic still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Deep Rock Galactic 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 Deep Rock Galactic 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 Deep Rock Galactic 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.
Deep Rock Galactic controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Deep Rock Galactic'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 | Strafe left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Strafe right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 20) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 20) | Look left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 14) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 14) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Fire / mine |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim / alt |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Crouch (Ctrl) |
| X / Square | R | Reload |
| Y / Triangle | E | Use (E) |
| LB / L1 | C | Throw flare (C) |
| RB / R1 | V | Power attack (V) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Shift) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Primary weapon (1) |
| D-pad left | 2 | Secondary weapon (2) |
| D-pad right | 3 | Traversal tool (3) |
| D-pad down | 4 | Support tool (4) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu (Esc) |
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 Deep Rock Galactic run on a Mac?
Deep Rock Galactic does not run natively on a Mac. GeForce NOW streams it with a controller passed through. This layout covers streams that do not see the pad.
Does Deep Rock Galactic have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Deep Rock Galactic, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Deep Rock Galactic better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Deep Rock Galactic, 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 Deep Rock Galactic on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Deep Rock Galactic still ignores it, activate the Deep Rock Galactic layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Deep Rock Galactic on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Deep Rock Galactic 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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