Frostpunk 2 on a Mac with a controller
The Frostpunk 2 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: Native on Apple silicon Macs through Steam (macOS 14.5 or later), and Steam lists full controller support, DualSense included. This layout is the mouse and keyboard interface from a pad.
Yes, Frostpunk 2 plays on a Mac with a controller: it is native on Apple silicon, and Steam lists full controller support, so try your pad in the game first. A city builder on a controller is a different game from the mouse version, though, and some players want the mouse version without the mouse. That is this layout: the camera on one stick, the pointer on the other, the four construction menus on the face buttons and bumpers, and the Idea Tree and the Council on the stick clicks.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Camera and pointer. The left stick pans the camera (W, A, S and D) and the right stick moves the pointer. The triggers zoom out and in.
- Select and cancel. The bottom face button selects and places (left click), and the right cancels (right click).
- Build. The left face button opens districts (B), the top buildings (N), the left bumper hubs (H), and the right bumper trails (Z).
- Govern. The left stick click opens the Idea Tree (R) and the right the Council (C).
- Overlays. D-pad up shows heat and fuel (4), down materials (5), right food (6), and left opens the Frostland view (V).
- Time. Back sets normal speed (1), and Options opens the pause menu.
The screens you live in, the Idea Tree and the Council, are one stick click away.
Tune it
- Pause and the faster speeds. The layout has no pause row. Add a Space row with Back in its While holding menu, and 2 and 3 on two more, so Back alone is normal speed and Back plus a button is pause or fast.
- A slower pointer. District borders are fiddly. Turn on Ramp-up on the pointer rows, so a small push creeps and a held push travels.
- Rotate. Q and E rotate. Chords on the left stick's sideways rows are one way, a pair of back paddles another.
A pause chord on Back is the first row I would add.
If the game sees your pad
When the game reads your controller with its own support, running this preset too makes every press arrive twice. Pick one: the game's controller interface, or this mouse interface on a pad. One interface at a time, and both work.
Frostpunk 2 controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Frostpunk 2, 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 Frostpunk 2.
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 Frostpunk 2
When Frostpunk 2 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.
- Check the Steam Input setting for Frostpunk 2. In Steam, open Frostpunk 2, Properties, Controller, and change the Steam Input override. A controller that works in Steam but not in the game goes through each choice.
- Play it from keys. If Frostpunk 2 still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Frostpunk 2 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 Frostpunk 2 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 Frostpunk 2 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.
Frostpunk 2 controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Frostpunk 2'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 | Left stick left pans the camera west (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Left stick right pans the camera east (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Left stick up pans the camera north (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Left stick down pans the camera south (S) |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 14) | Right stick moves the pointer left |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 14) | Right stick moves the pointer right |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 14) | Right stick moves the pointer up |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 14) | Right stick moves the pointer down |
| A / Cross | Left click | A selects and confirms placement (left click) |
| B / Circle | Right click | B cancels or backs out (right click) |
| X / Square | B | X opens District Construction (B) |
| Y / Triangle | N | Y opens Building Construction (N) |
| LB / L1 | H | LB opens Hubs Construction (H) |
| RB / R1 | Z | RB opens Trails Construction (Z) |
| Left trigger | Scroll down | Left trigger zooms the camera out |
| Right trigger | Scroll up | Right trigger zooms the camera in |
| L3 (left stick click) | R | L3 opens the Idea Tree (R) |
| R3 (right stick click) | C | R3 opens the Council (C) |
| D-pad up | 4 | D-pad up toggles the Heat and Fuel overlay (4) |
| D-pad down | 5 | D-pad down toggles the Materials overlay (5) |
| D-pad left | V | D-pad left opens the Frostland view (V) |
| D-pad right | 6 | D-pad right toggles the Food overlay (6) |
| Back / Share / Select | 1 | Back sets normal game speed (1) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Start opens the pause 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 Frostpunk 2 on Mac support controllers?
Steam lists full controller support for the game, which is native on Apple silicon. Try your pad in the game first. This layout plays the mouse and keyboard interface from a pad, for a controller the game does not see or for players who prefer that interface.
Does Frostpunk 2 run on an Intel Mac?
Steam's Mac requirements ask for an Apple silicon Mac and macOS 14.5 or later.
Does Frostpunk 2 have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Frostpunk 2, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Frostpunk 2 better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Frostpunk 2, 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 Frostpunk 2 on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Frostpunk 2 still ignores it, change the game's Steam Input override in its Steam Properties, and if that does not help, activate the Frostpunk 2 layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
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