The Outer Worlds on a Mac with a controller
The The Outer Worlds 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. The stream normally passes a controller to the game's native scheme. This layout is for streams that do not see the pad.
Yes, The Outer Worlds plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC you own. This layout is for a stream that misses your pad, and it takes Fallout's shape: fire and aim on the triggers, the time-slow on a bumper where VATS would be, favorites on the D-pad. A talky RPG forgives a stream, and this one is mostly talking.
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 20 across and 14 up and down.
- Shoot. The right trigger fires and the left trigger aims. Reload on the left face button (R).
- Face buttons. Jump on the bottom (Space), sneak on the right (Ctrl), activate on the top (E).
- Shoulders. Slow time on the left bumper (Q). The right bumper sends R again, labeled reload and holster.
- Favorites and menus. Favorites 1, 2 and 3 on D-pad up, left and right. Sprint on the left stick click (Shift), menu on Start (Escape).
D-pad down opens the inventory (Tab). Slow time sits on the left bumper, exactly where a Fallout hand looks for VATS.
Tune it
- Companions. Put their ability keys on chord rows.
- A spare bumper. The right bumper repeats reload, so it is free for another key.
- Camera. Pointer speed on the preset's page scales all four camera rows together.
The right bumper is the free button to spend first.
If the game sees the pad
A stream normally passes your controller to the game's own scheme. Try that first with the preset off. Press Activate only if the game ignores the pad, and Deactivate if one press does two things.
The Outer Worlds plays fine on a passed-through pad, and this layout is for the stream that loses it.
The Outer Worlds controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for The Outer Worlds, 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 The Outer Worlds.
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 The Outer Worlds
When The Outer Worlds 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 The Outer Worlds, 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 The Outer Worlds still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls The Outer Worlds 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 The Outer Worlds 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 The Outer Worlds 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.
The Outer Worlds controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is The Outer Worlds'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 | Strafe left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Strafe right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 20) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 20) | 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 | Attack / fire |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Sneak (Ctrl) |
| X / Square | R | Reload |
| Y / Triangle | E | Activate (E) |
| LB / L1 | Q | Slow time (Q) |
| RB / R1 | R | Reload / holster (R) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Shift) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Favorite 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Favorite 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | Favorite 3 |
| D-pad down | 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 The Outer Worlds run on a Mac?
The Outer Worlds does not run natively on a Mac. It streams from a Windows PC you own, and the stream usually passes a controller through. This layout covers a stream that does not see the pad.
Does The Outer Worlds have controller support?
Yes. Steam lists full controller support for The Outer Worlds, so every part of the game can be played on a controller.
Is The Outer Worlds better with a controller or a keyboard?
Both work. Steam lists full controller support for The Outer Worlds, 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 The Outer Worlds on a Mac?
First check the Mac itself sees the controller, with the gamepad tester. If it does and The Outer Worlds still ignores it, activate the The Outer Worlds layout in InputConfig, which sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the controller.
Can I play The Outer Worlds on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. The Outer Worlds 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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