Local multiplayer input not binding on macOS builds of Unreal Engine

I’ve been getting issues over the last year with local multiplayer input on macOS. The engine is not recognizing or binding more than one gamepad at a time. I’ve tested this over the last 6 months and found that:

  • This is macOS-specific
  • It’s specifically an issue with Unreal Engine - other applications like OpenEmu or the browser-based Gamepad Viewer don’t have this issue
  • The issue occurs both in UE4.27 and in UE5
  • Both EnhancedInput and the legacy input system have this issue
  • The issue is not isolated to the project file - creating a blank project where input is only tied to printing strings produces the same issue
  • It only started occurring after upgrading macOS past the 32-bit deprecation point.

I highly suspect that the macOS build of Unreal is using 32-bit drivers for multi-gamepad recognition, despite 32-bit support having been deprecated since 2019. I am also not the only person to get this issue - a forum post from January lists the same issue, but received no answers.

This issue has had a tangible effect on our project. We had a table for our game at Capitol Creative Showcase in September, and because of this issue, all players could do was sandbag against an opposing pawn. We are presenting again in December, and we really need this fixed. If anyone knows a workaround, please let us know. Otherwise, this is a major issue in the macOS build and needs to be addressed.

I can confirm these issues. A variety of gamepads used to function with Unreal Engine on Mac with no special setup. Now, none of the gamepads work despite being detectable by other programs on the Mac.

A solution to this issue is desperately needed.

Thanks for your time.

Cheers.

1 Like

Hi

Has anyone found a solution for this? I’m working on a simple boxing game but I can only get 1 gamepad to register with Unreal, wether they’re plugged in via USB or just over Bluetooth.

I’m up against a deadline and would love to know if anyone got anywhere with this problem?

Thanks

I am doing a local multiplayer tutorial on mac using UE 5.3.2.
However, only the first player works no matter how many controllers are connected.
Is there any update?