Guilty Gear Strive on a Mac with a controller
The Guilty Gear Strive 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. GeForce NOW lists it, and it can stream from a Windows PC you own; either normally passes a controller to the game's native scheme, which is what a fighting game deserves. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad, and it starts from a six-button template with Street Fighter names, so match its keys to this game once.
Yes, Guilty Gear Strive plays on a Mac with a controller, through GeForce NOW or a stream from a Windows PC, since Steam lists it for Windows only. When the stream passes your controller, use Strive's own pad controls: a fighting game deserves them, and a keyboard layout adds a step between your thumb and the screen. This layout is for the stream that does not see the pad, and its triggers can become Roman Cancel and Burst.
On this page: 10 sections
- The layout, control by control
- How the layout thinks
- Match the keys to Strive
- Tune it
- If the game sees the pad
- Guilty Gear Strive controller support: controller or keyboard
- If your controller is not working in Guilty Gear Strive
- Get it in two clicks
- Guilty Gear Strive controls: every button and the key it sends
- Questions
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move. The D-pad and the left stick both send the arrow keys: up jumps, down crouches, back walks and blocks.
- Punch rows. Square sends U, Triangle I, and R1 O.
- Kick rows. Cross sends J, Circle K, and L1 L.
- Trigger pairs. The right trigger sends O and L together, and the left trigger I and K, so one pull presses two keys.
- Menus. Pause on Start (Escape), select on Back (Tab).
The rows carry Street Fighter names from the template. Strive's buttons are Punch, Kick, Slash, Heavy Slash and Dust, so five of the six attack rows are enough. Five attack rows for five buttons, and the triggers left over for system moves.
Match the keys to Strive
Do this once, in whichever direction you prefer:
- Change the game. Set Strive's keyboard controls to the keys the rows send: U, I, O, J, K and L.
- Or change the rows. Open each attack row's output menu in InputConfig and pick the key Strive uses.
Then turn the triggers into system moves. A row can carry several outputs that fire together, added with the plus button.
- Roman Cancel. Any three attack buttons except Dust pressed together. Give the right trigger Punch, Kick and Slash.
- Psych Burst. Dust plus any other attack button. Point the left trigger's two outputs at Dust and Punch.
One trigger pull presses all three buttons at once, which is a Roman Cancel every time.
Tune it
- D-pad or stick. Both move. Remove the four rows of the one your thumb drifts on.
- Turbo. Not in ranked, obviously. In training it is fine.
Keep one way to move, and the inputs stay clean.
If the game sees the pad
If the stream passes your pad, Strive's own controls are the better choice, with this preset off. With both running, every press arrives twice.
For a fighting game, the native pad always comes first.
Guilty Gear Strive controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Guilty Gear Strive, 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 Guilty Gear Strive.
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 Guilty Gear Strive
When Guilty Gear Strive 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 Guilty Gear Strive, 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 Guilty Gear Strive still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Guilty Gear Strive 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 Guilty Gear Strive 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 Guilty Gear Strive 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.
Guilty Gear Strive controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Guilty Gear Strive'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 |
|---|---|---|
| D-pad up | Up | Jump / up |
| D-pad down | Down | Crouch / down |
| D-pad left | Left | Walk / block left |
| D-pad right | Right | Walk / block right |
| Left stick left | Left | Left stick left = back |
| Left stick right | Right | Left stick right = forward |
| Left stick up | Up | Left stick up = jump |
| Left stick down | Down | Left stick down = crouch |
| X / Square | U | Square = Light Punch (default U) |
| Y / Triangle | I | Triangle = Medium Punch (default I) |
| RB / R1 | O | R1 = Heavy Punch (default O) |
| A / Cross | J | Cross = Light Kick (default J) |
| B / Circle | K | Circle = Medium Kick (default K) |
| LB / L1 | L | L1 = Heavy Kick (default L) |
| Right trigger | O, L | RT = HP+HK (two-button macro) |
| Left trigger | I, K | LT = MP+MK (two-button macro) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Start = pause / menu (Esc) |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Back = view / select (Tab) |
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 Guilty Gear Strive run on a Mac?
Guilty Gear Strive does not run natively on a Mac. GeForce NOW lists it, and a Windows PC can stream it. Either usually passes a controller through. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad, once its keys match the game's.
How do I Roman Cancel with this layout?
Give one trigger row three outputs: Punch, Kick and Slash. Strive reads any three attack buttons except Dust as a Roman Cancel, and the three outputs fire together from one pull.
Does Guilty Gear Strive have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Guilty Gear Strive, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Guilty Gear Strive better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Guilty Gear Strive, 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 Guilty Gear Strive on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Guilty Gear Strive still ignores it, activate the Guilty Gear Strive layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Guilty Gear Strive on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Guilty Gear Strive 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.
Does Guilty Gear Strive run in CrossOver on a Mac?
I have not tested Guilty Gear Strive in CrossOver. CodeWeavers keeps a compatibility list where players report how each Windows game runs. If it runs and the controller is not seen, this layout plays it from the keys and mouse.
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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