Skullgirls on a Mac with a controller
The Skullgirls 2nd Encore 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: Native Mac version on Steam. Skullgirls has controller support of its own. Use it when it sees your pad. This layout is for controllers it does not recognize, and it starts from a six-button template with Street Fighter names, so match its keys to Skullgirls once.
Yes, Skullgirls 2nd Encore runs natively on the Mac and sees most controllers on its own, so try that first. When it does not, this layout is the six-button fallback: three punches and three kicks across the face buttons and bumpers, and two-button pairs on the triggers.
On this page: 9 sections
- The layout, control by control
- How the layout thinks
- Match the keys to Skullgirls
- If the game sees the pad
- Skullgirls 2nd Encore controller support: controller or keyboard
- If your controller is not working in Skullgirls 2nd Encore
- Get it in two clicks
- Skullgirls 2nd Encore controls: every button and the key it sends
- Questions
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move. The D-pad and the left stick both send the arrow keys: up jumps, down crouches, back walks and blocks.
- Punches. Light on the left face button (U), medium on the top (I), heavy on the right bumper (O).
- Kicks. Light on the bottom face button (J), medium on the right (K), heavy on the left bumper (L).
- Trigger pairs. The right trigger sends heavy punch and heavy kick together, the left medium punch and medium kick.
- Menus. Pause on Start (Escape), select on Back (Tab).
Skullgirls is a six-button game, and the template is six buttons.
Match the keys to Skullgirls
- Change the game. Set Skullgirls's keyboard controls to the keys the rows send: U, I, O, J, K and L.
- Or change the rows. Open each attack row's output menu in InputConfig and pick the key Skullgirls uses.
Skullgirls calls its two-button presses assists and snapbacks. Point the trigger pairs at the ones you use. Match six rows once, and the layout is right.
If the game sees the pad
Skullgirls has controller support of its own, and it is the better way to play whenever it sees your pad. Keep this preset off then, or every press arrives twice.
For Skullgirls, the native pad support comes first, because a doubled press drops a combo.
Skullgirls 2nd Encore controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Skullgirls 2nd Encore, 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 Skullgirls 2nd Encore.
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 Skullgirls 2nd Encore
When Skullgirls 2nd Encore 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.
- Check the Steam Input setting for Skullgirls 2nd Encore. In Steam, open Skullgirls 2nd Encore, Properties, Controller, and change the Steam Input override. A controller that works in Steam but not in the game goes through each choice.
- Play it from keys. If Skullgirls 2nd Encore still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Skullgirls 2nd Encore 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 Skullgirls 2nd Encore 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 Skullgirls 2nd Encore 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.
Skullgirls 2nd Encore controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Skullgirls 2nd Encore'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 |
|---|---|---|
| D-pad up | Up | Jump / up |
| D-pad down | Down | Crouch / down |
| D-pad left | Left | Walk / block left |
| D-pad right | Right | Walk / block right |
| Left stick left | Left | Left stick left = back |
| Left stick right | Right | Left stick right = forward |
| Left stick up | Up | Left stick up = jump |
| Left stick down | Down | Left stick down = crouch |
| X / Square | U | Square = Light Punch (default U) |
| Y / Triangle | I | Triangle = Medium Punch (default I) |
| RB / R1 | O | R1 = Heavy Punch (default O) |
| A / Cross | J | Cross = Light Kick (default J) |
| B / Circle | K | Circle = Medium Kick (default K) |
| LB / L1 | L | L1 = Heavy Kick (default L) |
| Right trigger | O, L | RT = HP+HK (two-button macro) |
| Left trigger | I, K | LT = MP+MK (two-button macro) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Start = pause / menu (Esc) |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Back = view / select (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 Skullgirls run on a Mac?
Yes, natively on Steam, with controller support of its own. This layout is for pads it does not see.
Does Skullgirls 2nd Encore have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Skullgirls 2nd Encore, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Skullgirls 2nd Encore better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Skullgirls 2nd Encore, 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 Skullgirls 2nd Encore on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Skullgirls 2nd Encore still ignores it, change the game's Steam Input override in its Steam Properties, and if that does not help, activate the Skullgirls 2nd Encore layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Skullgirls 2nd Encore on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Skullgirls 2nd Encore has a native Mac version, and its minimum requirements are listed on its Steam store page, so check your Mac against that list. I have not tested it on each Mac. The controller layout itself works the same on any Mac that runs InputConfig.
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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