Surviving Mars on a Mac with a controller
The Surviving Mars 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. Surviving Mars has a gamepad mode of its own from the console versions. Use it when it sees your controller. This layout is for pads it does not see, and for people who prefer the mouse interface.
Yes, Surviving Mars runs natively on the Mac and has a gamepad mode from the console versions, so try that first. This layout is the mouse way on a pad, for a pad the game misses or for people who prefer the mouse interface. Domes and pipes want a slow pointer. The rest is waiting for a rocket.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Pointer. The left stick moves the pointer at speed 16.
- Pan. The right stick pans with W, A, S and D.
- Click. The right trigger places and selects (left click), the left trigger cancels and rotates (right click).
- Zoom. The left bumper zooms out and the right zooms in, with the mouse wheel.
- Time. Pause on the bottom face button (Space), speeds one, two and three on the right, left and top (1, 2, 3). Menu on Start (Escape).
Place with the right trigger and pause with the big button.
Tune it
- A slow pointer for the pipes. Duplicate the four left-stick rows, set While also holding to a spare button on the copies, and give them half the speed.
- Research. Both stick clicks are empty. Put the research panel's key on one.
Pipes are where the slow pointer pays for itself.
If the game sees the pad
The gamepad mode is the better choice whenever it sees your controller. Keep this preset off then. If you stream Surviving Mars: Relaunched from a Windows PC and the stream does not see your pad, try this layout and change any row whose key differs.
Try the gamepad mode first, and use this layout when it misses your pad.
Surviving Mars controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Surviving Mars, 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 Surviving Mars.
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 Surviving Mars
When Surviving Mars 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 Surviving Mars. In Steam, open Surviving Mars, 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 Surviving Mars still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Surviving Mars already reads. The layout works whether or not Surviving Mars 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 Surviving Mars 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.
Surviving Mars controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Surviving Mars'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 | Mouse motion left (speed 16) | Cursor left |
| Left stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 16) | Cursor right |
| Left stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 16) | Cursor up |
| Left stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 16) | Cursor down |
| Right stick left | A | Pan left (A) |
| Right stick right | D | Pan right (D) |
| Right stick up | W | Pan up (W) |
| Right stick down | S | Pan down (S) |
| Right trigger | Left click | Place / select (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Cancel / rotate (right click) |
| LB / L1 | Scroll down | Zoom out |
| RB / R1 | Scroll up | Zoom in |
| A / Cross | Space | Pause (Space) |
| B / Circle | 1 | Speed 1 |
| X / Square | 2 | Speed 2 |
| Y / Triangle | 3 | Speed 3 |
| 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
Should I use Surviving Mars' gamepad mode or this?
The gamepad mode, if it sees your controller. This layout is for when it does not.
Does Surviving Mars: Relaunched run on a Mac?
Surviving Mars: Relaunched does not run natively on a Mac. Steam lists Relaunched for Windows only, while the original Surviving Mars still has a Mac version on Steam. If you stream Relaunched from a Windows PC and the stream does not see your pad, try this layout and change any row whose key differs.
Does Surviving Mars have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Surviving Mars, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Surviving Mars better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Surviving Mars, 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 Surviving Mars on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Surviving Mars still ignores it, change the game's Steam Input override in its Steam Properties, and if that does not help, activate the Surviving Mars layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Surviving Mars on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Surviving Mars 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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