Questions
Game Controllers is missing from System Settings
Apple puts Game Controllers in the System Settings sidebar, and its guide notes you may need to scroll down to find it. On many Macs the item only appears once a controller has been connected, so with nothing paired it is simply not there. If a controller is paired and the item is still missing, the Mac is not treating that device as a game controller.
Connect a controller first
Pair a PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch controller over Bluetooth, or plug it in, then look again, scrolling down the sidebar. If you see it now, the pane lists the controller and lights up buttons as you press them. How to connect a controller.
In Bluetooth, but not in Game Controllers
Then the Mac sees a Bluetooth device but not a game controller. Common causes: an 8BitDo pad in X mode instead of the mode 8BitDo lists for Apple devices (D on most models), a generic USB or Bluetooth pad that presents as a plain HID device, or a controller macOS does not support, such as the wired Xbox 360 pad. Games will not see those. InputConfig can still read many of them directly; see other controllers.
What the pane can do
Game Controllers remaps a controller's buttons to other controller buttons, per app, in games that already support controllers. It cannot send keys or move the mouse. More in what macOS can do on its own.
If your Mac is set to another language
Apple translates the names in System Settings, so on a Mac set to Spanish or Japanese there is no item called Game Controllers to look for. These are the names on macOS 26 Tahoe, read from the Mac's own settings files. Older versions of macOS may word them a little differently. The item sits in the same place in every language: the System Settings sidebar, near the bottom.
| Mac language | System Settings | Bluetooth | Game Controllers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish (Spain) | Ajustes del Sistema | Bluetooth | Mandos de videojuegos |
| Spanish (Latin America) | Configuración del Sistema | Bluetooth | Controles de videojuegos |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | Ajustes do Sistema | Bluetooth | Controles de Videogame |
| Portuguese (Portugal) | Definições do Sistema | Bluetooth | Comandos |
| French | Réglages Système | Bluetooth | Manettes de jeu |
| German | Systemeinstellungen | Bluetooth | Spielecontroller |
| Italian | Impostazioni di Sistema | Bluetooth | Controller per videogiochi |
| Japanese | システム設定 | Bluetooth | ゲームコントローラ |
| Korean | 시스템 설정 | Bluetooth | 게임 컨트롤러 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 系统设置 | 蓝牙 | 游戏控制器 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 系統設定 | 藍牙 | 遊戲控制器 |
So a Mac in Spanish pairs a controller in Ajustes del Sistema, Bluetooth, and checks it in Mandos de videojuegos. Everything else on this page applies unchanged.
Questions
Where is Game Controllers in System Settings?
In the sidebar, near the bottom. It usually appears once a controller has been connected.
Why is my controller in Bluetooth but not in Game Controllers?
The Mac does not treat it as a game controller. Check the controller's mode, such as A mode on 8BitDo pads, or use a mapper that reads the device directly.
Game Controllers disappeared from System Settings after I updated macOS. Is it gone?
No. The item only appears while a controller is connected, so after an update that dropped the Bluetooth pairing it hides until you pair or plug in a controller again. Look near the bottom of the sidebar.
What is Game Controllers called on a Mac in Spanish, German or Japanese?
Mandos de videojuegos in Spanish (Controles de videojuegos in Latin American Spanish), Spielecontroller in German, Manettes de jeu in French, Controles de Videogame in Brazilian Portuguese, and ゲームコントローラ in Japanese. It sits in the System Settings sidebar, near the bottom, in every language.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.