S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on a Mac with a controller
The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 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. It can stream to a Mac from a Windows PC you own, or from a cloud service such as GeForce NOW if it carries the game. The stream normally passes a controller to the game's native scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad.
Yes, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC or a service such as GeForce NOW if it carries the game. This layout is for a stream that misses your pad, and it keeps the panic buttons close: crouch on a face button and on a stick click, the grenade on a bumper, the pistol on the D-pad for when the rifle runs dry. Latency on a stream is survivable here, because the Zone rewards patience, not reflexes.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse at speed 18 across and 14 up and down.
- Shoot. The right trigger fires and the left trigger aims. Reload on the left face button (R).
- Move. Jump on the bottom button (Space), crouch on the right (Ctrl), sprint on the left stick click (Shift), toggle crouch on the right stick click (C).
- Throw and hit. Grenade on the left bumper (G), melee on the right (V). Use on the top face button (E).
- Weapons and menus. Weapon 1 on D-pad up, weapon 2 on down, the pistol on left (3), the map on right (M). Inventory on Back (I), menu on Start (Escape).
The inventory is on Back because in the Zone you live in it.
Tune it
- Flashlight and detector. Put their keys on chord rows, held with a spare button.
- Slower aim. Duplicate the four right-stick rows, set While also holding to the left trigger on the copies, and lower their speed.
- A buzz on the grenade. Turn on Vibrate in the grenade row's Options.
The flashlight is the first key worth adding.
If the game sees the pad
A stream normally passes your controller to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2's own scheme. Try that first with the preset off. If the game ignores the pad, press Activate. If one press does two things, both are running: press Deactivate.
Keep one path from the pad to the game.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists partial controller support for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: 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 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
When S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 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 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 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.
- Play it from keys. If S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 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 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 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 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 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.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 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 | 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 right | Mouse motion right (speed 18) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 18) | 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 | Fire |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim down sights |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Crouch (Ctrl) |
| X / Square | R | Reload (R) |
| Y / Triangle | E | Use (E) |
| LB / L1 | G | Throw grenade (G) |
| RB / R1 | V | Melee (V) |
| Back / Share / Select | I | Inventory (I) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu (Esc) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Shift) |
| R3 (right stick click) | C | Toggle crouch (C) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Weapon 1 |
| D-pad down | 2 | Weapon 2 |
| D-pad left | 3 | Pistol (3) |
| D-pad right | M | Map (M) |
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 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 run on a Mac?
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 does not run natively on a Mac. It streams from a Windows PC, or from a cloud service if one carries it, and the stream usually passes a controller through. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 have controller support?
Partly. Steam lists partial controller support for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: it plays on a controller, but some screens still expect a keyboard or mouse.
Is S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 better with a controller or a keyboard?
A controller works for most of it. Steam lists partial controller support for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, 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 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 still ignores it, activate the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 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.
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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