Tales of Arise on a Mac with a controller
The Tales of Arise 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 streams to a Mac from a Windows PC you own, or from a cloud service such as GeForce NOW if it carries the game, and the stream normally passes a controller to the game's own scheme.
Yes, Tales of Arise plays on a Mac with a controller, as a stream. When the stream does not see your pad, this layout sends the keyboard binds. Tales combat is chaining artes, and the three of them are E, R and F on the keyboard: two face buttons and a bumper here, with the normal attack on the right trigger and the four Boost Strikes on the stick clicks and the D-pad.
On this page: 9 sections
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick moves and the right stick turns the camera.
- Attack. The normal attack (Q) is the right trigger, and the left trigger locks on (Alt).
- Artes. Arte 1 (R) is the top face button, arte 2 (E) the left, and arte 3 (F) the left bumper.
- Defend and jump. Evade and guard (Shift) are the right face button, and jump the bottom one. The right bumper switches target or character (Ctrl).
- Boost Strikes. 1 and 2 are the stick clicks, 3 and 4 D-pad left and right.
- The rest. D-pad up opens the skill panel (B) and down toggles run (Z). The area map (M) is on Create and status (Tab) on Options.
Three artes sit under three fingers, so a chain never waits for a button.
Tune it
- Party swap. Put the number keys on chords.
- Camera. Lower the camera rows from 18 and 14 to about 14 and 10.
A calmer camera keeps a busy fight readable.
If the stream passes your controller
When the stream gives the game your pad, Bandai Namco's own scheme is the one to use. Switch this preset off then, or each arte fires twice. Jump once with the preset off, and if Alphen jumps, play on the game's scheme.
Tales of Arise controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for Tales of Arise, 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 Tales of Arise.
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 Tales of Arise
When Tales of Arise 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 Tales of Arise, 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 Tales of Arise still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Tales of Arise 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 Tales of Arise 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 Tales of Arise 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.
Tales of Arise controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Tales of Arise'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) | Camera right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 18) | Camera left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 14) | Camera down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 14) | Camera up |
| Left trigger | Alt / Option (Left) | Target / lock-on (Alt) |
| Right trigger | Q | Normal attack (Q) |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump (Space) |
| B / Circle | Shift (Left) | Evade / guard (Shift) |
| X / Square | E | Arte attack 2 (E) |
| Y / Triangle | R | Arte attack 1 (R) |
| LB / L1 | F | Arte attack 3 (F) |
| RB / R1 | Ctrl (Left) | Switch target / character (Ctrl) |
| L3 (left stick click) | 1 | Boost attack 1 (1) |
| R3 (right stick click) | 2 | Boost attack 2 (2) |
| Back / Share / Select | M | Area map (M) |
| Start / Options | Tab | Pause / status (Tab) |
| D-pad up | B | Skill panel (B) |
| D-pad down | Z | Toggle run / dash (Z) |
| D-pad left | 3 | Boost attack 3 (3) |
| D-pad right | 4 | Boost attack 4 (4) |
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 Tales of Arise run on a Mac?
Tales of Arise does not run natively on a Mac. Stream it from a Windows PC you own, or from a cloud service if it carries the game. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does Tales of Arise have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for Tales of Arise, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is Tales of Arise better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for Tales of Arise, 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 Tales of Arise on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and Tales of Arise still ignores it, activate the Tales of Arise layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play Tales of Arise on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Tales of Arise 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.
Does Tales of Arise run in CrossOver on a Mac?
I have not tested Tales of Arise in CrossOver. CodeWeavers keeps a compatibility list where players report how each Windows game runs. If it runs and the controller is not seen, this layout plays it from the keys and mouse.
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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