Horizon Forbidden West on a Mac with a controller
The Horizon Forbidden West 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: Steam lists it for Windows only. It can stream to a Mac from a Windows PC you own, which normally hands a controller to the game's own scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad.
Yes, Horizon Forbidden West plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC you own. This layout is for a stream that misses your pad, and Forbidden West is a bow game, so the layout is a bow: aim on the left trigger, fire on the right. A stream's latency costs you a weak spot now and then, not a fight.
On this page: 9 sections
- The layout, control by control
- How the layout thinks
- Tune it
- If the game sees the pad
- Horizon Forbidden West controller support: controller or keyboard
- If your controller is not working in Horizon Forbidden West
- Get it in two clicks
- Horizon Forbidden West controls: every button and the key it sends
- Questions
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and camera. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse at speed 16.
- Bow and melee. The left trigger holds aim (right click), the right trigger fires or light melees (left click). Heavy melee on the right bumper (Shift plus left click).
- Face buttons. Interact on the bottom (E), dodge on the right (Ctrl), the tool on the left (F), Focus on the top (V).
- Weapons. Hold the left bumper for the weapon wheel (Tab). Four fast-equips on the D-pad (1 to 4).
- Move and menus. Sprint on the left stick click (Shift), slide and crouch on the right (C). The map on Back (M), pause on Start (Escape).
Dodge and Focus sit on face buttons, because the machines charge and you will scan every one.
Tune it
- Slower aim. Duplicate the four right-stick rows, set While also holding to the left trigger on the copies, and lower their speed. The weak spots are small.
- Camera. Pointer speed on the preset's page scales all four camera rows together.
- A buzz on the override. Turn on Vibrate in that row's Options once you give it a row.
A slower aim while drawing the bow is the change I would make first.
If the game sees the pad
A stream normally passes your controller to Horizon Forbidden West's own scheme. Try that first with the preset off. Press Activate only if the game ignores the pad, and Deactivate if one press does two things.
The game's own pad controls first, this layout second.
Horizon Forbidden West controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Horizon Forbidden West, 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 Horizon Forbidden West.
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 Horizon Forbidden West
When Horizon Forbidden West 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 Horizon Forbidden West, 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 Horizon Forbidden West still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Horizon Forbidden West 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 Horizon Forbidden West 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 Horizon Forbidden West 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.
Horizon Forbidden West controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Horizon Forbidden West'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 |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim bow (hold RMB) |
| Right trigger | Left click | Fire arrow / light melee (LMB) |
| X / Square | F | Use selected tool / trap (F) |
| A / Cross | E | Interact / quick save (E) |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Dodge roll (L-Ctrl) |
| Y / Triangle | V | Toggle Focus scan (V) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (L-Shift) |
| R3 (right stick click) | C | Slide / toggle crouch (C) |
| LB / L1 | Tab | Weapon wheel (hold Tab) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Fast-equip weapon 1 |
| D-pad down | 2 | Fast-equip weapon 2 |
| D-pad left | 3 | Fast-equip weapon 3 |
| D-pad right | 4 | Fast-equip weapon 4 |
| RB / R1 | Shift (Left), Left click | Heavy melee (Shift+LMB) |
| Back / Share / Select | M | Map (M) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Pause (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 Horizon Forbidden West run on a Mac?
Horizon Forbidden West does not run natively on a Mac. It streams from a Windows PC you own, and the stream usually passes a controller through. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does Horizon Forbidden West have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Horizon Forbidden West, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Horizon Forbidden West better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Horizon Forbidden West, 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 Horizon Forbidden West on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Horizon Forbidden West still ignores it, activate the Horizon Forbidden West layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Horizon Forbidden West on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Horizon Forbidden West 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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