Icarus on a Mac with a controller
The Icarus 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. GeForce NOW carries it (the Steam version), or a Windows PC you own can stream it. Steam lists no controller support for Icarus, so this layout, which sends the keyboard and mouse the game expects, is how a pad plays it.
Yes, Icarus plays on a Mac with a controller, through GeForce NOW or a stream from a Windows PC, but only with a layout like this one: Steam lists no controller support for the game. The layout sends the keyboard and mouse Icarus expects, with the tool on the right trigger, four hotbar slots on the D-pad and the pack on Back. It shares its bones with the 7 Days to Die layout, because the two games ask the same things of your hands.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse at speed 20 across and 14 up and down.
- Tools and weapons. The right trigger uses the tool or fires (left click). The left trigger aims (right click).
- Face buttons. Jump on the bottom (Space), duck on the right (Ctrl), reload on the left (R), use on the top (E).
- Shoulders. Flashlight on the right bumper (F). The left bumper repeats reload (R).
- Hotbar and menus. Hotbar 1 to 4 on the D-pad. Sprint on the left stick click (Shift), the pack on Back (Tab), menu on Start (Escape).
The session timer is always running, so the essentials sit one press away.
Tune it
- A slow pointer for crafting. The crafting bench is pointer work. Duplicate the four right-stick rows, set While also holding to a button on the copies, and give them a low speed.
- Slots 5 to 8. Add chord rows on the D-pad. Clear the output on the left bumper first, since it only repeats reload, and use it as the held button.
A slower pointer behind one button makes the crafting screens easy from a pad.
Check that it works
Icarus does not read a controller, so nothing doubles: this layout is the controller.
- You: Start Icarus in GeForce NOW or your PC stream, then press Activate on this preset.
- InputConfig: Sends the keys and clicks in the table.
- Check: Push the left stick and you walk. Pull the right trigger and the tool swings.
If the stick walks and the trigger swings, the rest of the layout is working too.
Icarus controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists no controller support for Icarus, so it was made for a keyboard and mouse, and that is how it expects to be played. A controller still works: this layout sends the game's keys and mouse movement from the pad, so to the game you are simply typing and pointing. No controller support listed means the layout does the work, not the game.
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 Icarus
When Icarus 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 Icarus, 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.
- Stop looking for a setting. Icarus reads the keyboard and mouse here, so no option makes it see a pad. Activate this layout, and the controller sends the keys and mouse movement Icarus already reads. The layout works without Icarus ever seeing 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 Icarus 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.
Icarus controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Icarus'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 | Strafe left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Strafe right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Move forward (W) |
| 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 14) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 14) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Fire / use |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim / alt |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Duck (Ctrl) |
| X / Square | R | Reload |
| Y / Triangle | E | Use (E) |
| LB / L1 | R | Reload |
| RB / R1 | F | Flashlight (F) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Shift) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Hotbar 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Hotbar 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | Hotbar 3 |
| D-pad down | 4 | Hotbar 4 |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Inventory (Tab) |
| Start / Options | Escape | 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 Icarus run on a Mac?
Icarus does not run natively on a Mac. GeForce NOW carries the Steam version, and a Windows PC you own can stream it. On either, this layout plays it from a controller.
Does Icarus have controller support?
Steam lists none for the PC game, checked September 2026. On a Mac, through GeForce NOW or a PC stream, this layout sends the keyboard and mouse the game expects, so a controller works anyway.
Does Icarus have controller support?
Not by itself. Steam lists no controller support for Icarus. A controller still works through a layout like this one, which sends the game's keys.
Is Icarus better with a controller or a keyboard?
It was made for a keyboard and mouse: Steam lists no controller support for Icarus. A controller still works through this layout, which sends the game's own keys and mouse movement.
Why is my controller not working in Icarus on a Mac?
Icarus reads the keyboard and mouse on this route, so no setting makes it see a controller. Check the Mac sees the pad with the gamepad tester, then activate the Icarus layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keys and mouse movement from the controller.
Can I play Icarus on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Icarus 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