Ghostrunner on a Mac with a controller
The Ghostrunner 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 through GeForce NOW or from a Windows PC you own, and the stream normally passes a controller to the game's own scheme.
Yes, Ghostrunner plays on a Mac with a controller, through GeForce NOW or a stream from your own PC. When the stream ignores your pad, this layout plays it. Ghostrunner is one hit and restart, so restart is a bumper. Wall-running is automatic: hold forward into a wall and steer with the stick.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick moves and the right stick looks. Wall-running happens on its own.
- Fight. The right trigger slashes and the left trigger deflects and uses the Gap Jammer.
- Move fast. Jump is the bottom face button, dash (Shift) the right bumper, and slide and crouch (Ctrl) the right stick click.
- Restart. The left bumper restarts the checkpoint (R).
- Skills. The right face button activates a skill (Q), and the D-pad picks skill slots 1 to 4. Interact (E) is the left face button, and Escape is on Options.
Restart is a bumper, because you will press it a lot.
Tune it
- Look. The game is about flicks. Try the Aggressive curve on the look rows, at their Speed of 20.
- Skills. They are already on the D-pad.
The Aggressive curve turns a full push into a flick.
If the stream passes your controller
When GeForce NOW hands the game your pad, use its own scheme. Deactivate this preset then. A doubled dash is a dead runner. A dash that works with the preset off means the stream already passes your pad.
Ghostrunner controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists partial controller support for Ghostrunner: it plays on a controller, but some parts, such as a launcher, text entry or a menu, still expect a keyboard or a mouse. This layout sends keys and mouse movement from the pad, which can cover the parts the game's own support leaves out. With partial support, a layout fills the gaps the game leaves.
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 Ghostrunner
When Ghostrunner 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 Ghostrunner, 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 Ghostrunner still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Ghostrunner 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 Ghostrunner 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 Ghostrunner 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.
Ghostrunner controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Ghostrunner'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); wall-run is automatic |
| 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 20) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 20) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Attack / slash (LMB) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Gap Jammer / deflect (RMB) |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump (Space) |
| RB / R1 | Shift (Left) | Dash (Shift) |
| R3 (right stick click) | Ctrl (Left) | Slide / crouch (Ctrl) |
| LB / L1 | R | Restart checkpoint (R) |
| B / Circle | Q | Activate skill (Q) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Skill slot 1 |
| D-pad right | 2 | Skill slot 2 |
| D-pad down | 3 | Skill slot 3 |
| D-pad left | 4 | Skill slot 4 |
| X / Square | E | Interact (E) |
| Start / Options | Escape | 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 Ghostrunner run on a Mac?
Ghostrunner 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 Ghostrunner have controller support?
Partly. Steam lists partial controller support for Ghostrunner: it plays on a controller, but some screens still expect a keyboard or mouse.
Is Ghostrunner better with a controller or a keyboard?
A controller works for most of it. Steam lists partial controller support for Ghostrunner, so some screens still expect a keyboard or a mouse, and a layout like this one can put those on the pad.
Why is my controller not working in Ghostrunner on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Ghostrunner still ignores it, activate the Ghostrunner layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Ghostrunner on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Ghostrunner 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.
Updated