Core Keeper on a Mac with a controller
The Core Keeper 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 starts from the Terraria template, and Core Keeper is top-down with no jump, so give the jump and grapple rows interact and the map, and add up and down to the left stick.
Yes, Core Keeper plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC you own, and Steam lists full controller support, so try the game's own scheme first. This layout is the fallback, and it starts from Terraria's, which gets the important half right: aim on the right stick, dig on the trigger, hotbar on the D-pad. Core Keeper is Terraria seen from above, so a few rows need changing.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move. The left stick sends A and D for left and right. It has no up or down rows yet, because Terraria walks on a side view.
- Aim. The right stick moves the cursor at speed 18.
- Use. The right trigger uses, attacks and digs (left click), the left trigger is the secondary use (right click).
- Face buttons. The bottom sends Space and the left E, Terraria's jump and grapple. The right sends S, labeled down, and the top quick heal (H).
- Hotbar and menu. Hotbar 1 to 4 on the D-pad. Menu on Start (Escape).
Add up and down to the left stick before anything else, or you only walk sideways.
Tune it
- Up and down. Add two rows on the left stick, up sending W and down sending S.
- Interact, map and inventory. Set the jump, grapple and down rows' outputs to Core Keeper's interact, map and inventory keys.
- Slots 5 to 8. Add chord rows on the D-pad.
Two new rows and three key changes make this a Core Keeper layout.
If the game sees the pad
Steam lists full controller support for Core Keeper, so use the game's own pad scheme when the stream passes it, and keep this layout as the fallback.
If your controller is not working in Core Keeper
When Core Keeper does not react to your controller on a Mac, check these in order:
- 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.
- Pair the controller with the Mac first. A streaming app such as Steam Link, Moonlight or Parsec passes on only a controller the Mac already sees, so pair it before you start the stream, then press a button once Core Keeper is running. Streaming PC games to a Mac with a controller has the checks for each app.
- Play it from keys. If Core Keeper still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Core Keeper 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 Core Keeper ever sees the controller.
Get it in two clicks
- Open InputConfig and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Core Keeper 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.
Core Keeper controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Core Keeper'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 |
| Left stick right | D | Move right |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 18) | Aim cursor right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 18) | Aim cursor left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 18) | Aim cursor down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 18) | Aim cursor up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Use / attack / dig |
| Left trigger | Right click | Secondary use |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | S | Down / drop through (S) |
| X / Square | E | Grapple / hook (E) |
| Y / Triangle | H | Quick heal (H) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Hotbar slot 1 |
| D-pad right | 2 | Hotbar slot 2 |
| D-pad down | 3 | Hotbar slot 3 |
| D-pad left | 4 | Hotbar slot 4 |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu (Esc) |
Names follow the editor's Xbox / PlayStation pair, and a Switch pad fires by position.
Questions
Does Core Keeper run on a Mac?
Core Keeper 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, once you add up and down to the left stick.
Can I play Core Keeper on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Core Keeper runs on the other end, on 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 Core Keeper run in CrossOver on a Mac?
I have not tested Core Keeper 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.
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