Questions
Indie games on a Mac with a controller
Most of the indie games people play on a Mac support controllers, and most of the time a PS5 or Xbox pad just works in them. When it does not, the fix is usually the same handful of checks, and when those fail there is one route that always works: send the game the keyboard keys it already knows. This page is the short version for the games people search for most, with a full page for each.
The games, at a glance
| Game | Mac version | Controller support in the game | If your pad does nothing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stardew Valley | Yes | Yes, native gamepad mode | Steam Input override; try once without SMAPI |
| Terraria | Yes | Yes, snap-to-block gamepad mode | Steam Input override; or play the mouse game from a pad |
| Hollow Knight | Yes | Yes | Relaunch with the pad awake; Steam Input override |
| Hollow Knight: Silksong | Yes, on Steam | Yes | Same checks as Hollow Knight |
| Celeste | Yes | Yes | Steam Input override; D-pad layout for precision |
| Hades | Yes | Yes, full | Relaunch; Steam Input override |
| Hades II | Yes, on Steam | Yes, full | Same checks as Hades |
| Cuphead | Yes, on Steam | Yes | Steam Input override; a layout with room for auto-fire |
| Vampire Survivors | Yes, on Steam | Yes | One stick and one button: good for adaptive setups |
| Balatro | Yes, on Steam | Yes | Or a two-speed cursor layout |
| Brawlhalla | Yes, free on Steam | Yes, but Mac players often report pads it ignores | Relaunch, Steam Input, Big Picture, then keyboard keys |
| Undertale | Yes, on Steam | None listed on Steam | Map the pad to arrows, Z, X, C |
"Mac version" means the game's store page lists macOS. Checked September 2026. Store listings change; the game's own page is the final word.
When a game that supports controllers ignores yours
- Does the Mac see it? System Settings, Game Controllers in the sidebar. Press a button and watch it light up. If it is not listed, it is a pairing problem: connect a controller to a Mac.
- Connect first, then launch. Some games only look for controllers at start-up.
- Flip Steam Input for that game. Properties, Controller, then try the opposite setting and relaunch. Controller works in Steam but not in the game explains why.
- Still nothing: keyboard keys. Every game in the table plays from the keyboard. A mapper reads the pad and sends those keys, so the game never has to detect the controller.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Games with no controller support at all
Plenty of smaller games, older ports and browser games only read the keyboard and mouse. The same keyboard route works for them, and it is the only one. The guide to playing any Mac game with a controller covers aim, deadzones and the problems that come up.
Why I made a mapper for this
I built InputConfig because my hands do not work well and a controller is how I use a lot of my Mac. It is free and open source, on the Mac App Store, with no account and no network access. Its Smart Preset Maker has ready layouts for 450+ games and apps, including most of the games in the table. If the game already sees your pad, you do not need it, and I would rather say so.
Questions
Do indie games on Mac support controllers?
Most of the popular ones do: Stardew Valley, Terraria, Hollow Knight, Celeste, Hades, Cuphead, Vampire Survivors and Balatro all have controller support of their own. When a game does not see your pad, check the Mac, relaunch, and flip Steam Input before anything else.
Why does my controller work on my Mac but not in the game?
Either the game has not picked it up (relaunch with the pad awake, flip the Steam Input override) or the game only reads keyboard and mouse. In both cases a mapper that sends keys fixes it.
What is a good free controller game on a Mac?
Brawlhalla is free to play and on the Mac through Steam. Vampire Survivors is inexpensive and plays from a single stick, which makes it a good first game for an adaptive controller.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.