Game

The Outer Worlds on a Mac with a controller

Download on the Mac App StoreThe 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.

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.

The layout, control by control

Click a control. Labels:

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.

The right bumper is the free button to spend first.

If the game sees the pad

The Outer Worlds plays fine on a passed-through pad, so this layout is only 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.

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, check these in order:

  1. 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.
  2. 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 The Outer Worlds is running. Streaming PC games to a Mac with a controller has the checks for each app.
  3. 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

  1. Open InputConfig and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
  2. Search for The Outer Worlds and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
  3. Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.

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.

The Outer Worlds preset in InputConfig, drawn on a DualSense Edge with each control labeled with the key or action it sends.
Figure 1. The Outer Worlds preset drawn on a DualSense Edge in InputConfig's Live Visualizer. For example, Right trigger is labeled Attack / fire, and A / Cross is labeled Jump.
ControllerSendsWhat it does
Left stick leftAStrafe left (A)
Left stick rightDStrafe right (D)
Left stick upWMove forward (W)
Left stick downSMove back (S)
Right stick rightMouse motion right (speed 20)Look right
Right stick leftMouse motion left (speed 20)Look left
Right stick downMouse motion down (speed 14)Look down
Right stick upMouse motion up (speed 14)Look up
Right triggerLeft clickAttack / fire
Left triggerRight clickAim
A / CrossSpaceJump
B / CircleCtrl (Left)Sneak (Ctrl)
X / SquareRReload
Y / TriangleEActivate (E)
LB / L1QSlow time (Q)
RB / R1RReload / holster (R)
L3 (left stick click)Shift (Left)Sprint (Shift)
D-pad up1Favorite 1
D-pad left2Favorite 2
D-pad right3Favorite 3
D-pad downTabInventory (Tab)
Start / OptionsEscapeMenu (Esc)

Names follow the editor's Xbox / PlayStation pair, and a Switch pad fires by 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.

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 your own PC, so the Mac only plays the video and sends your input. An M1 MacBook Air streams it like any other Mac.

Download on the Mac App StoreOpen source on GitHub.

Updated