Marvel Rivals on a Mac with a controller
The Marvel Rivals 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, and it is not in GeForce NOW's public list (checked September 2026). It streams to a Mac from a Windows PC you own, which normally passes a controller to the game's own scheme.
Yes, you can play Marvel Rivals on a Mac with a controller, by streaming it from your own Windows PC. The game's own scheme is the one to use when the stream passes your pad. This layout plays the keyboard game for when it does not. A hero shooter with flying heroes needs ascend and descend, and they are jump and crouch here, which is what your thumb expects.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and aim. The left stick moves and the right stick aims.
- Attack. The right trigger is the primary attack and the left trigger the secondary. Reload (R) is the left face button and melee (V) the top.
- Fly. Jump and ascend (Space) are the bottom face button, crouch and descend (Left Ctrl) the right.
- Abilities. Ability 1 (E) is the left bumper and ability 3 (F) the right. Ability 2 and the dash (Left Shift) are the left stick click. The ultimate (Q) is the right stick click, where you have to mean it.
- D-pad and menus. Up interacts (G), left and right pick the primary and secondary weapon. The scoreboard (Tab) is on Create and Escape on Options.
The ultimate is a stick click, so it never goes off by accident.
Tune it
- Team-up. On a PlayStation pad, the touchpad press is a free home for its key.
- Hero-specific keys. If a hero uses different keys, change that row's output, or keep a second preset for that hero.
- Aim. Streams add latency. Try the Smooth curve with a higher Speed.
A preset per hero is cheap, and it keeps every kit on the buttons you expect.
If the stream passes your controller
When the stream gives the game your pad, the game's own scheme is the better one. Deactivate this preset while the stream sees the pad, because two inputs per press is worse than either one. Test with the preset off: a hero who jumps means the stream already passes your pad.
Marvel Rivals controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Marvel Rivals, 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 Marvel Rivals.
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 Marvel Rivals
When Marvel Rivals 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 Marvel Rivals, 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 Marvel Rivals still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Marvel Rivals 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 Marvel Rivals 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 Marvel Rivals 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.
Marvel Rivals controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Marvel Rivals'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 left | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Aim camera left |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Aim camera right |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Aim camera up |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Aim camera down |
| Right trigger | Left click | Primary attack / fire |
| Left trigger | Right click | Secondary attack |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump / ascend (Space) |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Crouch / descend (LCtrl) |
| X / Square | R | Reload (R) |
| Y / Triangle | V | Melee attack (V) |
| LB / L1 | E | Ability 1 (E) |
| RB / R1 | F | Ability 3 (F) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Ability 2 / dash (LShift) |
| R3 (right stick click) | Q | Ultimate ability (Q) |
| D-pad up | G | Interact (G) |
| D-pad left | 1 | Primary weapon (1) |
| D-pad right | 2 | Secondary weapon (2) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu / pause (Esc) |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Scoreboard (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 Marvel Rivals run on a Mac?
Marvel Rivals does not run natively on a Mac, and it is not on GeForce NOW's public list. Stream it from a Windows PC you own. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does Marvel Rivals have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Marvel Rivals, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Marvel Rivals better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Marvel Rivals, 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 Marvel Rivals on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Marvel Rivals still ignores it, activate the Marvel Rivals layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Marvel Rivals on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Marvel Rivals 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 Marvel Rivals run in CrossOver on a Mac?
I have not tested Marvel Rivals 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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