How to play Mad Max on a Mac with a controller
Feral's Mac version of Mad Max supports gamepads. Its FAQ lists the pads Feral tested, with the PS4 and PS3 DualShock, the Xbox One controller on a USB cable and Logitech's F310, F510 and F710 among them. Feral's manual gives a menu for the keyboard only: Settings, Keymapping.
Those facts and the default keys are from Feral's FAQ and manual for the game, read on October 7, 2026. I haven't tested Mad Max myself. If your pad does nothing in it, InputConfig, the free mapper I make, sends the game's keyboard and mouse controls from the pad.
On this page: 9 sections
Steps
- Connect the controller and check it under System Settings, Game Controllers.
- Quit the game, wake the controller, and open the game again.
- In Steam, try the game's Steam Input override both ways.
- If the game still ignores the pad, send its keyboard and mouse controls from the pad with a mapper.
Start with the game's own gamepad support
Connect the pad before starting the game. Feral's FAQ lists the gamepads it tested, the PS4 and PS3 DualShock, Xbox 360 controllers, the Xbox One controller on a USB cable, and Logitech's F310, F510 and F710 among them. It says to write to its pad support address about a gamepad that is not on the list. Newer pads such as the PS5 DualSense are not listed. A PS4 DualShock is on Feral's tested list, and it is the easy one to connect to a Mac. How to connect a PS4 controller to a Mac has the steps.
InputConfig is completely 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.
If the pad does nothing
- The Mac sees the pad. Open System Settings, Game Controllers, and press a button.
- Relaunch with the pad awake. Quit the game, press a button on the controller, and open the game again.
- Flip the Steam Input override. In the Steam library, right-click the game, open Properties, then Controller, and try the other setting.
- Set a Logitech pad to D. Feral's FAQ says the game needs DirectInput mode, the D position on an F310, F510 or F710.
If nothing lights up there, Mad Max has no chance of seeing the pad either. Controller works in Steam but not in the game has more on the Steam layer.
Send the game its keys instead
Mad Max plays fully on a keyboard and mouse, and a keyboard is never undetected. InputConfig reads your controller and sends those keys and mouse moves, so Mad Max sees a keyboard while you hold the pad. These are the default keys from Feral's manual:
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Move | W A S D |
| Camera | Mouse |
| Sprint | Left Shift |
| Jump | Left Control |
| Attack or fire | Left mouse button |
| Parry or aim | Right mouse button |
| Evade | Space |
| Action | E, held |
| Driving: accelerate, brake, steer | W, S, A and D |
| Driving: boost | Space |
| Driving: handbrake | Left Shift |
| Driving: quickfire | Left mouse button |
| Driving: ram | Middle mouse button |
| Driving: leave the car | R |
On foot and in the car the keys overlap, so one layout covers both.
Build the layout
- You: In InputConfig, make a new preset. Set the left stick to WASD and the right stick to mouse movement.
- InputConfig: Sends those keys and mouse moves while the preset is active.
- Check: In the game, the left stick walks and the right stick turns the camera.
- Face buttons. The left mouse button to attack, the right to parry, Space to evade and E for actions.
- Shoulders. Left Shift, which sprints on foot and is the handbrake in the car, and Left Control to jump.
- D-pad. 1, 3 and 4 for the binoculars, flashlight and canteen.
- A spare button. The middle mouse button to ram, and R to leave the car.
Space on a face button is evade on foot and boost at the wheel, which is the pairing you want. Play any Mac game with a controller walks through a layout like this, and your first preset has the basics.
Change the layout
Feral's manual gives a menu for the keyboard only: Settings, Keymapping. A layout sent from a mapper is yours to edit: move a button, swap the triggers, or put a second action on a hold. A keyboard layout sent from the pad is one you can always edit, whatever Mad Max allows. Hold and double tap covers the second action.
Use one route, not both
If Mad Max does read your controller, a mapper sending keys at the same time makes every press arrive twice. So pick one route. In InputConfig, a preset tied to the game only runs while that game is in front. If Mad Max already reads your pad, you don't need a mapper at all. Per-app switching sets that up.
The short version
- Tested pads. PS4 and PS3 DualShock, Xbox One on USB, Logitech pads, by Feral's FAQ.
- Not working. Game Controllers, relaunch, Steam Input override.
- Fallback. Keys and mouse sent from the pad.
Try your pad first, and if Mad Max won't listen, send it keys instead.
Questions
Does Mad Max on Mac support controllers?
Yes. Feral's FAQ for the Mac version lists the gamepads it tested, including the PS4 and PS3 DualShock, Xbox 360 controllers, the Xbox One controller over USB and Logitech pads.
Does a PS5 controller work with Mad Max on a Mac?
The DualSense is not on Feral's tested list, and I have not tested it. If the game ignores it, a mapper can send the game's keyboard and mouse controls from it.
Can I remap the controller in Mad Max on a Mac?
Feral's manual describes remapping for the keyboard only, under Settings, Keymapping. A mapper that sends keys from the pad gives you a pad layout you can change.
Why is my controller not working in Mad Max on a Mac?
Check it under System Settings, Game Controllers, relaunch the game with the pad awake, and try the Steam Input override both ways. If it still does nothing, send the game's keys from the pad.
Which keys does Mad Max use on a Mac?
By Feral's manual: W A S D to move, Left Shift to sprint, the left mouse button to attack, the right to parry or aim, Space to evade, and in the car Space to boost and Left Shift for the handbrake.
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.
Updated