God of War on a Mac with a controller
The God of War 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 or from a cloud service that carries it, and the stream normally passes a controller to the game's own scheme.
Yes, God of War (2018) plays on a Mac with a controller, as a stream. When the stream misses your pad, this layout plays the keyboard game from it. Kratos throws an axe and calls it back, and the keyboard version of that is aim, throw, R: here aim is the left trigger, the heavy attack that throws is a face button, recall is a bumper, and Atreus is the right trigger, which is where the console puts the boy.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick moves, the right stick turns the camera, and the left stick click is sprint.
- Axe. Light attack (left click) is the left face button and heavy (right click) the top. Hold the left trigger to aim (Left Ctrl). The heavy attack throws, and the right bumper recalls (R).
- Defend. Block and parry (Q) are the left bumper, and evade (Space) the bottom face button.
- Atreus and the rest. Atreus (F) is the right trigger, interact (E) the right face button, and lock-on the right stick click.
- D-pad and menus. Up sheathes and swaps weapons (1), down is Spartan Rage. Back opens the map and Options pauses.
Aim, throw, recall: three fingers, and the axe comes home.
Tune it
- Runic attacks. Put their keys on chords of the bumpers.
- Camera. The game is cinematic. Lower the camera rows' Speed from 16 to about 12 and 9.
A slower camera suits a game that wants you to look at it.
If the stream passes your controller
A stream that sees the pad gives you Santa Monica's own controls, which are better. Keep this preset off then, or every press lands twice. Try the pad in the stream before you activate anything, because Kratos on the real scheme is worth it.
God of War controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for God of War, 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 God of War.
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 God of War
When God of War 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 God of War, 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 God of War still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls God of War 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 God of War 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 God of War 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.
God of War controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is God of War'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) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Camera right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Camera left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Camera down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Camera up |
| X / Square | Left click | Light axe attack (LMB) |
| Y / Triangle | Right click | Heavy axe attack (RMB) |
| Left trigger | Ctrl (Left) | Aim / throw axe (Left Ctrl) |
| RB / R1 | R | Recall axe (R) |
| LB / L1 | Q | Block / parry (Q) |
| A / Cross | Space | Evade / dodge (Space) |
| R3 (right stick click) | Middle click | Lock-on / reset camera (MMB) |
| Right trigger | F | Atreus arrow / son action (F) |
| B / Circle | E | Interact (E) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Shift) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Sheathe / swap weapon (1) |
| D-pad down | Shift (Left), Middle click | Spartan Rage (Shift+MMB) |
| Back / Share / Select | M | Map (M) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Pause / options (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 God of War run on a Mac?
God of War does not run natively on a Mac. It streams from a Windows PC you own or a cloud service that carries it, and the stream normally passes a controller. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does God of War have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for God of War, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is God of War better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for God of War, 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 God of War on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and God of War still ignores it, activate the God of War layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play God of War on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. God of War 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