The Outer Worlds 2 on a Mac with a controller
The Outer Worlds 2 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 through Xbox Cloud Gaming or a Windows PC you own. The stream normally passes a controller to the game's native scheme.
Yes, The Outer Worlds 2 plays on a Mac with a controller, through Xbox Cloud Gaming in a browser or a stream from a Windows PC. Xbox Cloud passes a pad nearly always, so this layout is the rare fallback. The sequel keeps the first game's scheme, so it keeps the layout: fire and aim on the triggers, the time-slow on a bumper, favorites on the D-pad.
The layout, control by control
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, the inventory on down (Tab). Sprint on the left stick click (Shift), menu on Start (Escape).
Talky, funny and forgiving of a stream, on the same layout as the first game.
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.
Spend the right bumper first, because it only repeats reload.
If the game sees the pad
Xbox Cloud Gaming passes your controller to The Outer Worlds 2's own scheme, so keep this preset off there.
The Outer Worlds 2 controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists full controller support for The Outer Worlds 2, 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.
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 2
When The Outer Worlds 2 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.
- Press a button after the stream has started. A stream only picks up a controller that is paired with the Mac, and a browser shows a controller to a page only after a button press. Start The Outer Worlds 2, then press any button. Streaming from your own PC has its own checks, in how to stream PC games to a Mac with a controller.
- Play it from keys. If The Outer Worlds 2 still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls The Outer Worlds 2 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 2 ever sees the controller.
Get it in two clicks
- Open InputConfig and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for The Outer Worlds 2 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.
The Outer Worlds 2 controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is The Outer Worlds 2'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 | Strafe left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Strafe right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 20) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 20) | Look left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 14) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 14) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Attack / fire |
| Left trigger | Right click | Aim |
| A / Cross | Space | Jump |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | Sneak (Ctrl) |
| X / Square | R | Reload |
| Y / Triangle | E | Activate (E) |
| LB / L1 | Q | Slow time (Q) |
| RB / R1 | R | Reload / holster (R) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | Sprint (Shift) |
| D-pad up | 1 | Favorite 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | Favorite 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | Favorite 3 |
| D-pad down | Tab | Inventory (Tab) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Menu (Esc) |
Names follow the editor's Xbox / PlayStation pair, and a Switch pad fires by position.
Questions
Does The Outer Worlds 2 run on a Mac?
The Outer Worlds 2 does not run natively on a Mac. Xbox Cloud Gaming or a PC stream carries it, and either usually passes a controller through.
Can I play The Outer Worlds 2 on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. The Outer Worlds 2 runs on the other end, on a cloud service or your own PC, so the Mac only plays the video and sends your input. An M1 MacBook Air streams it like any other Mac.
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