Risk of Rain 2 on a Mac with a controller
The Risk of Rain 2 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 Windows only. On a Mac it streams from a Windows PC you own, or you can try it in CrossOver or the Game Porting Toolkit, where the controller is often not seen. The game has full controller support when it sees the pad. This layout sends keyboard and mouse when it does not.
You can play Risk of Rain 2 on a Mac with a controller as a stream from a Windows PC, or in CrossOver or the Game Porting Toolkit, and this layout covers the case where the pad is not seen. There is no Mac version. Steam lists Windows only. The game's own controller support is good when it sees the pad.
The four-skill kit maps cleanly to a pad: two skills on the triggers, two on the bumpers, and the thumbs never leave the sticks, which for a game about not stopping is the right shape.
On this page: 8 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The sticks.
- Skills. Primary on the right trigger, secondary on the left, utility (Shift) on the left bumper and special (R) on the right.
- Face buttons. Jump on the bottom, sprint (Ctrl) on the right, equipment (Q) on the left, interact (E) on the top.
- Menus. Tab on Create, Escape on Options.
All four skills are on fingers, so you never stop moving to use one.
Tune it to how you play
- Sprint that stays. Turn on the game's auto-sprint option, and the sprint button is free for something else.
- Ping. Put Middle click on the right stick click.
- Repeat fire for the primary. Commando and Bandit want the trigger tapped. Set the primary row to Repeats while held at a rate near the fire rate.
- Look. A fast game wants the Aggressive curve.
When the game does see the pad, use its own scheme and leave the preset off, so presses do not double. Turn on auto-sprint in the game first, because it frees a whole button.
Risk of Rain 2 controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Risk of Rain 2, 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 Risk of Rain 2.
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 Risk of Rain 2
When Risk of Rain 2 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 Risk of Rain 2, 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.
- Expect less inside a wrapper. In CrossOver or the Game Porting Toolkit, Wine passes a controller to Risk of Rain 2 only some of the time, and the keyboard and mouse get through every time. Using a controller with CrossOver games has the checks.
- Play it from keys. If Risk of Rain 2 still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Risk of Rain 2 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 Risk of Rain 2 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 Risk of Rain 2 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.
Risk of Rain 2 controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Risk of Rain 2'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 | Primary skill |
| Left trigger | Right click | Secondary skill |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Sprint (Ctrl) |
| X / Square | Q | Equipment (Q) |
| Y / Triangle | E | Interact (E) |
| LB / L1 | Shift (Left) | Utility skill (Shift) |
| RB / R1 | R | Special skill (R) |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Info / scoreboard (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 Risk of Rain 2 run on a Mac?
Risk of Rain 2 does not run natively on a Mac. Steam lists Windows only. It streams from a Windows PC and runs in the wrappers. This layout is for wrappers and streams that do not pass the controller.
Does Risk of Rain 2 have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Risk of Rain 2, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Risk of Rain 2 better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Risk of Rain 2, 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 Risk of Rain 2 on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Risk of Rain 2 still ignores it, activate the Risk of Rain 2 layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Risk of Rain 2 on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Risk of Rain 2 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 Risk of Rain 2 run in CrossOver on a Mac?
Yes, the route above runs Risk of Rain 2 through CrossOver or the Game Porting Toolkit. The controller is the part that often does not come through, and this layout plays the game from the keys and mouse instead.
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