Subnautica: Below Zero on a Mac with a controller
The Subnautica: Below Zero 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. Below Zero has gamepad support of its own. Use it when it sees your controller. This layout is for pads it does not recognize and for the keyboard-style binds.
Yes, Subnautica: Below Zero runs natively on the Mac and usually sees a controller on its own. This layout is the fallback, with one difference some people prefer: swim up and swim down sit on two face buttons.
On this page: 9 sections
- The layout, control by control
- How the layout thinks
- Tune it
- If the game sees the pad
- Subnautica: Below Zero controller support: controller or keyboard
- If your controller is not working in Subnautica: Below Zero
- Get it in two clicks
- Subnautica: Below Zero controls: every button and the key it sends
- Questions
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Swim and look. The left stick swims on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse at speed 18 across and 12 up and down.
- Up and down. Swim up on the bottom face button (Space), down on the right (Ctrl). Sprint swim on the left stick click (Shift).
- Tools. The right trigger uses the tool (left click), the left trigger is the alternate use (right click).
- Hands. Use and pick up on the top button (F), reload and deselect on the left (R).
- Quickslots and menus. Quickslots 1 to 4 on the D-pad. Inventory on Back (Tab), menu on Start (Escape).
Swim up and down are two face buttons, which some people find easier than the native stick-and-button combination.
Tune it
- Slot 5. Both bumpers and the right stick click are empty, so slot 5 fits on any of them.
- Camera. Pointer speed on the preset's page scales all four camera rows together.
Three controls are free before you change anything.
If the game sees the pad
Below Zero has gamepad support of its own, and that is the better way to play when it sees your controller. Use this layout only if the game ignores the pad, and never with both running, or every press does two things.
Below Zero is better on its own gamepad support, so keep this layout for a pad it cannot see.
Subnautica: Below Zero controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Subnautica: Below Zero, 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 Subnautica: Below Zero.
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 Subnautica: Below Zero
When Subnautica: Below Zero 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 Subnautica: Below Zero. In Steam, open Subnautica: Below Zero, 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 Subnautica: Below Zero still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Subnautica: Below Zero 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 Subnautica: Below Zero 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 Subnautica: Below Zero 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.
Subnautica: Below Zero controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Subnautica: Below Zero'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 | Swim left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Swim right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Swim forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Swim 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 12) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 12) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Use tool (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Alt use (right click) |
| A / Cross | Space | Swim up |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Swim down (Ctrl) |
| Y / Triangle | F | Use / pick up (F) |
| X / Square | R | Reload / deselect (R) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint swim (Shift) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Quickslot 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Quickslot 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | Quickslot 3 |
| D-pad down | 4 | Quickslot 4 |
| Back / Share / Select | Tab | Inventory (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 Subnautica: Below Zero run on a Mac?
Yes, natively on Steam, with gamepad support of its own. This layout is for pads it does not see, or for the keyboard binds.
Does Subnautica: Below Zero have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Subnautica: Below Zero, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Subnautica: Below Zero better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Subnautica: Below Zero, 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 Subnautica: Below Zero on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Subnautica: Below Zero still ignores it, change the game's Steam Input override in its Steam Properties, and if that does not help, activate the Subnautica: Below Zero layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Subnautica: Below Zero on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Subnautica: Below Zero 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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