DOOM: The Dark Ages on a Mac with a controller
The DOOM: The Dark Ages 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 a cloud service that carries it. 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 DOOM (2016) template, so set the bumper rows' outputs to the Dark Ages' shield throw and melee swap keys.
Yes, DOOM: The Dark Ages plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC or a cloud service that carries it. It is DOOM slowed down and given a shield, and this layout, built from the DOOM (2016) template, is for a stream that misses your pad. The slower pace is good news for a stream. The parry is the one thing that suffers.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse at speed 22 across and 16 up and down.
- Shoot and shield. The right trigger fires. The left trigger sends a right click, which raises the shield.
- Face buttons. Jump on the bottom (Space), the template's equipment throw on the right (Ctrl), melee on the left (E), switch equipment on the top (G).
- Template leftovers. The left bumper sends R and the right V, the template's ability rows. Dash on the left stick click (Shift).
- Weapons and menu. Four weapons on the D-pad (1 to 4). Menu on Start (Escape).
Melee is a face button, because the flail is half the game.
Tune it
- Shield throw and melee swap. Set the left bumper's output to the shield throw key and the right bumper's to the melee swap key.
- Parry timing. Raise the shield a hair early on a stream.
- Camera. It is slower than Eternal. Pointer speed on the preset's page scales all four camera rows.
- A buzz on the parry. Turn on Vibrate in the shield row's Options.
The shield throw on a bumper is the change to make first.
If the game sees the pad
A stream normally passes your controller to DOOM: The Dark Ages' own scheme. Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Try the stream on its own. Leave the preset off and push the left stick. If you move, use the game's own scheme.
- Activate the layout. If nothing moves, press Activate, and the pad sends the keys and clicks above.
- Turn one off if presses double. If one press does two things, the game reads the pad and the preset at once. Press Deactivate.
If one press in The Dark Ages does two things, both paths are running, so press Deactivate.
DOOM: The Dark Ages controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for DOOM: The Dark Ages, 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 DOOM: The Dark Ages.
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 DOOM: The Dark Ages
When DOOM: The Dark Ages 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 DOOM: The Dark Ages, 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 DOOM: The Dark Ages still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls DOOM: The Dark Ages 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 DOOM: The Dark Ages 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 DOOM: The Dark Ages 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.
DOOM: The Dark Ages controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is DOOM: The Dark Ages'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 22) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 22) | Look left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Fire |
| Left trigger | Right click | Weapon mod / alternate fire (right click) |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Equipment launcher / throw (Ctrl) |
| X / Square | E | Melee (E) |
| Y / Triangle | G | Switch equipment (G) |
| LB / L1 | R | Ability (R) |
| RB / R1 | V | Ability (V) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Dash (Shift) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Weapon 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Weapon 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | Weapon 3 |
| D-pad down | 4 | Weapon 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 DOOM: The Dark Ages run on a Mac?
DOOM: The Dark Ages 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 through. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does DOOM: The Dark Ages have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for DOOM: The Dark Ages, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is DOOM: The Dark Ages better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for DOOM: The Dark Ages, 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 DOOM: The Dark Ages on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and DOOM: The Dark Ages still ignores it, activate the DOOM: The Dark Ages layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play DOOM: The Dark Ages on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. DOOM: The Dark Ages 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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