DiRT Rally 2.0 on a Mac with a controller
The DiRT Rally 2.0 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. It starts from the F1 template, which has no handbrake: set a face button's output to DiRT's handbrake key before the first stage.
Yes, DiRT Rally 2.0 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 thing to do is give it a handbrake: the F1 template it starts from has none. After that it is a rally car on a pad: steer on the stick, pedals on the triggers, sequential gears on the bumpers.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Steer. The left stick sends comma to steer left and period to steer right.
- Pedals. The right trigger is the throttle (A), the left trigger the brake (Z).
- Gears. Shift up on the right bumper (Space), down on the left (Option).
- Cockpit view. D-pad left and right glance with the mouse, D-pad up changes the camera (F2), D-pad down opens the HUD page (F1). The right stick looks around the cockpit.
- Leftover F1 rows. The face buttons send S, L, Shift L and Ctrl L. The left stick click sends Option L, the right Shift I, Back F, and Start pauses (Escape).
The leftover rows carry the F1 template's starter, lights, pit limiter and ignition. No row is a handbrake until you make one.
Tune it
- Handbrake. Set the bottom face button's output to DiRT's handbrake key. It is the change that matters.
- Other leftovers. Change the outputs of the other F1 rows you need to DiRT's keys, and leave the rest.
- Steering threshold. The steering rows send keys, and on a key row the deadzone is how far you push before the key goes down. Gravel forgives less than tarmac, so raise it if a light touch steers.
- Camera. The hood camera hides a stream's latency best.
Set the handbrake before the first stage, not after the first hairpin.
If the game sees the pad
A stream normally passes your controller to DiRT Rally 2.0's own scheme, which reads the throttle, brake and steering in full. Use that whenever it works, with this preset off. This layout sends keys, so each pedal is all or nothing.
The game's own controller support is the only way to get analog pedals.
DiRT Rally 2.0 controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for DiRT Rally 2.0, 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 DiRT Rally 2.0.
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 DiRT Rally 2.0
When DiRT Rally 2.0 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 DiRT Rally 2.0, 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 DiRT Rally 2.0 still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls DiRT Rally 2.0 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 DiRT Rally 2.0 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 DiRT Rally 2.0 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.
DiRT Rally 2.0 controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is DiRT Rally 2.0'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 | , | Left stick left steers left (comma) |
| Left stick right | . | Left stick right steers right (period) |
| Right trigger | A | Right trigger is the throttle (A) |
| Left trigger | Z | Left trigger is the brake (Z) |
| RB / R1 | Space | RB shifts up a gear (Space) |
| LB / L1 | Alt / Option (Left) | LB shifts down a gear (Left Alt) |
| A / Cross | S | A presses S (the starter in some games) |
| B / Circle | L | B presses L (lights in most racers) |
| X / Square | Shift (Left), L | X presses Shift L |
| Y / Triangle | Ctrl (Left), L | Y presses Ctrl L |
| L3 (left stick click) | Alt / Option (Left), L | L3 presses Alt L |
| R3 (right stick click) | Shift (Left), I | R3 presses Shift I |
| Back / Share / Select | F | Back presses F |
| Start / Options | Escape | Start pauses to the race menu (Esc) |
| D-pad left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | D-pad left glances left in the cockpit |
| D-pad right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | D-pad right glances right in the cockpit |
| D-pad up | F2 | D-pad up changes the camera view (F2) |
| D-pad down | F1 | D-pad down opens the HUD page (F1) |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 18) | Right stick looks left around the cockpit |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 18) | Right stick looks right around the cockpit |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 18) | Right stick looks up around the cockpit |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 18) | Right stick looks down around the cockpit |
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 DiRT Rally 2.0 run on a Mac?
DiRT Rally 2.0 does not run natively on a Mac. The first DiRT Rally has a Mac port, and 2.0 does not. It streams from a Windows PC, and the stream usually passes a controller through. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does DiRT Rally 2.0 have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for DiRT Rally 2.0, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is DiRT Rally 2.0 better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for DiRT Rally 2.0, 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 DiRT Rally 2.0 on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and DiRT Rally 2.0 still ignores it, activate the DiRT Rally 2.0 layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play DiRT Rally 2.0 on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. DiRT Rally 2.0 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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