Sea of Stars on a Mac with a controller
The Sea of Stars 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 (Moonlight, Parsec or Steam Link), and the stream normally passes the controller to the game's full pad support.
Yes, you can play Sea of Stars on a Mac with a controller, as a stream from your own Windows PC. A turn-based RPG is the kindest game to stream: nothing is fast except the timed hit, and that is one button. The game has full pad support, so use it when the stream passes your controller. This layout is for when it does not: walk, confirm, cancel, two menu actions, and the bumpers to page.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Walk. The left stick and the D-pad both walk (W, A, S and D).
- Confirm and cancel. Confirm, interact and the timed hit (Space) are the bottom face button and the right trigger. Cancel (Left Ctrl) is the right face button and the left trigger.
- Actions. The secondary and tertiary actions (R and C) are the left and top face buttons. The bumpers page and cycle (Q and E).
- Menus. The game menu (Tab) is on Options, and setting up camp (F) on Back.
The timed hit is on two buttons, so use whichever one your hand finds first.
Tune it
- Timed hits. It is a tap as the blow lands, so leave the row plain. There is no turbo here.
- Tremor. Raise the deadzone on the stick rows. The D-pad walks too, with no deadzone to worry about.
A bigger deadzone on the stick, or the D-pad, keeps a shaky hand from walking you off a ledge.
If the stream passes your controller
When the stream hands the game your pad, its own scheme is the one to use. Keep this preset off then, or every press lands twice. Press confirm in the stream first, because a menu that moves means the game already has your pad.
Sea of Stars controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Sea of Stars, 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 Sea of Stars.
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 Sea of Stars
When Sea of Stars 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 Sea of Stars, 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 Sea of Stars still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Sea of Stars 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 Sea of Stars 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 Sea of Stars 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.
Sea of Stars controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Sea of Stars'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 up (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move down (S) |
| D-pad up | W | D-pad Up: move up (W) |
| D-pad down | S | D-pad Down: move down (S) |
| D-pad left | A | D-pad Left: move left (A) |
| D-pad right | D | D-pad Right: move right (D) |
| A / Cross | Space | A/Cross: Confirm / interact / timed hit (Space) |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | B/Circle: Cancel / back (Left Ctrl) |
| X / Square | R | X/Square: Secondary action (R) |
| Y / Triangle | C | Y/Triangle: Tertiary action (C) |
| RB / R1 | E | RB/R1: Next page / cycle (E) |
| LB / L1 | Q | LB/L1: Previous page / cycle (Q) |
| Start / Options | Tab | Start/Options: Game menu (Tab) |
| Back / Share / Select | F | Back/Share: Set up camp (F) |
| Right trigger | Space | Right trigger: timed hit / block (Space) |
| Left trigger | Ctrl (Left) | Left trigger: cancel (Left Ctrl) |
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 Sea of Stars on Mac support controllers?
There is no Mac version, but streamed from a Windows PC the game's full controller support works when the stream passes your pad. This layout is for a stream that does not.
Does Sea of Stars have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Sea of Stars, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Sea of Stars better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Sea of Stars, 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 Sea of Stars on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Sea of Stars still ignores it, activate the Sea of Stars layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Sea of Stars on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Sea of Stars 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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