NieR: Automata on a Mac with a controller
The NieR: Automata 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 or Xbox Cloud Gaming's US library (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, NieR: Automata plays on a Mac with a controller, as a stream from your own Windows PC. When the stream misses your pad, this layout maps the PC controls to it. 2B fights with two attacks and a Pod that fires while you do, and the Pod is a held trigger here, so it never stops.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick moves and the right stick turns the camera. The right stick click centers it (middle click).
- Fight. Light attack (left click) is the left face button, heavy (right click) the top, jump the bottom, and evade (Z) the right.
- Pod. Pod fire (held Shift) is the right trigger, and the right bumper toggles it (Tab). The Pod program (1) is the left bumper.
- Lock-on. The left trigger (Q).
- D-pad. Left cycles weapons (X), right cycles pods (C), down interacts (E), and up self-destructs (B).
- Menus. The map (M) is on Create and the menu on Options.
The Pod fires from a held trigger, so it keeps shooting while your thumbs fight.
Tune it
- Pod fire that stays. Set the right trigger row to Toggles on and off, or use the game's own toggle on the right bumper.
- Perfect dodge. It is all timing, so leave the evade row plain.
- Self-destruct. It is D-pad up. Mind your thumb.
Let the bumper toggle the Pod and you never hold the trigger again.
If the stream passes your controller
When the stream gives the game your pad, use its scheme and keep this preset off, or every press lands twice. Fire the Pod once with the preset off, and play on the game's scheme if it shoots.
NieR: Automata controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists partial controller support for NieR: Automata: it plays on a controller, but some parts, such as a launcher, text entry or a menu, still expect a keyboard or a mouse. This layout sends keys and mouse movement from the pad, which can cover the parts the game's own support leaves out. With partial support, a layout fills the gaps the game leaves.
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 NieR: Automata
When NieR: Automata 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 NieR: Automata, 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 NieR: Automata still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls NieR: Automata 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 NieR: Automata 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 NieR: Automata 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.
NieR: Automata controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is NieR: Automata'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 up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move backward (S) |
| Left stick left | A | Move left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Move right (D) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 18) | Camera right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 18) | Camera left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 18) | Camera down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 18) | Camera up |
| X / Square | Left click | Light attack (Left click) |
| Y / Triangle | Right click | Heavy attack (Right click) |
| Right trigger | Shift (Left) | Pod fire (Shift) |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump (Space) |
| B / Circle | Z | Evade / air slide (Z) |
| Left trigger | Q | Lock-on (Q) |
| LB / L1 | 1 | Pod program ability (1) |
| RB / R1 | Tab | Toggle pod fire (Tab) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu (Esc) |
| D-pad left | X | Cycle weapons (X) |
| D-pad right | C | Cycle pods (C) |
| D-pad up | B | Self-destruct (B) |
| Back / Share / Select | M | Map (M) |
| R3 (right stick click) | Middle click | Center camera / lock (Middle click) |
| D-pad down | E | Interact / use (E) |
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 NieR: Automata run on a Mac?
NieR: Automata 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 is for a stream that does not see the pad.
Does NieR: Automata have controller support?
Partly. Steam lists partial controller support for NieR: Automata: it plays on a controller, but some screens still expect a keyboard or mouse.
Is NieR: Automata better with a controller or a keyboard?
A controller works for most of it. Steam lists partial controller support for NieR: Automata, so some screens still expect a keyboard or a mouse, and a layout like this one can put those on the pad.
Why is my controller not working in NieR: Automata on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and NieR: Automata still ignores it, activate the NieR: Automata layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play NieR: Automata on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. NieR: Automata 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