Been working on a tool that takes games you own (Switch, Xbox 360, PS4, Windows and old 32-bit iOS games) and turns each one into a native arm64 app. About 20+ are playable right now; full list coming with release. When the community fixes their favorite games, I wire the fix into the engine so everyone benefits. Releasing soon. What would you want to see first?

Started out getting Mario Kart 8 Deluxe running on my Mac, then went down the rabbit hole of getting it running on my Apple TV too.

It’s now running locally on an A15 Apple TV 4K, using a controller. No streaming from the Mac. It uses nxnative⁠ to rewrite the Switch executable and provide the compatibility layer needed to run it on Apple hardware. It isn’t a full source decompilation.

The Apple TV took quite a bit of extra work:
tvOS support and controller handling, including fixing the confirm button also sending you back to the Apple TV home screen.

Texture changes and a Mario Kart specific memory patch to stay within tvOS’s app memory limit.
Shader preparation before gameplay to reduce compilation pauses.

Dropping the game’s rendering and presentation to 720p, which made a massive difference. I’m really happy with how it plays now.

The version tested is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 4.0.1, with DLC. New tracks can still cause shader compilation stutters on their first run, so this is very much experimental.
I’ve also put together a Mac GUI app to make the build process easier: select your own game files, build a tvOS IPA, then transfer the game data to your Apple TV.

GitHub: https://github.com/ltomo2/nxnative-tv-builder

Mac app download: https://github.com/ltomo2/nxnative-tv-builder/releases/tag/v0.2.0

Upstream nxnative project: https://github.com/seedds/nxnative

For this preview, you’ll need an Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 26.6 or later, full Xcode 27 with the tvOS SDK, your own game dump/update and keys, and enough free storage.
Allow roughly 30GB extra for Mario Kart. You’ll also need a controller and a way to sign/install the app on the Apple TV.
The Mac app is an unsigned/notarized experimental preview. The build/export process has been tested, but the complete Sideloadly installation route still needs verification. Other games aren’t guaranteed to work, and the Mario Kart memory patch is specific to its tested executable.

No Nintendo games, keys or game assets are included. Credit to the nxnative developers for the underlying project. This builds on their work with the Apple TV changes and a friendlier Mac interface.

With help from Claude/Codex, I statically recompiled Portal 2’s x86 Linux build into native ARM64 code (~125,000 functions translated to C, then compiled). It’s now a native macOS app.

It's playable and performance seems good. I'm still working on it.

Bonus: the same code runs on iPhone at 60 fps, with portals fired by tapping the back of the phone. Video: https://youtu.be/YWX2BeMnlQI

You need to own Portal 2 on Steam and build it yourself (one setup script, ~10-30 minutes the first time depending on your machine). The repo doesn't contain any game files. Please don’t share built apps. This project is unofficial and not affiliated with Valve.

Repo: https://github.com/kanapitsas/portal2-recomp

Claude thought it would take many weeks but we got it done in two days!

Feedback is welcome.

This one is wild. Zelda-Mobile runs the Switch release of Tears of the Kingdom (v1.4.3) natively on Apple silicon. The game's ARM64 code executes directly on the Apple CPU, the system services are reimplemented, and NVN graphics are translated to Metal. On Mac you can load saves and play scenes with keyboard or an Xbox controller (with rumble), plus audio, cutscenes and 30/60/90 FPS targets. iPad (M1 or newer) gets touch controls, and the iPhone 15 Pro build reaches the title screen. It's still early: shaders stutter on the first visit to a new area, and not every area holds 60 FPS. The repo is source code only, so you need your own game and keys dumped from your own console. Repo: github.com/OJZen/totk-mobile

Who's trying this on an M1 Air?

Not a vibecoded launcher, just a vibecoded personal build.

Started out just trying to get the Switch version of Hot Pursuit Remastered running on macOS through NX Native. After a lot of debugging and patching with Codex, I’ve ended up with pretty good personal build.

Features:
-60 FPS, with selectable 3840×2160 16:9 or 5040×2160 21:9 internal rendering.

-Virtually no pop-in with 3× model LOD and ground-cover distance, plus expanded foliage buffers to fix trees disappearing during camera pans.

-Long range reflections, also reducing pop-in.

-Analog Trigger support not present in the switch version.

-A ton of fixes for missing shaders, broken lighting, photo-mode crashes and mismatched car-selection graphics.

-Packaged in a self contained app. One click launch through Steam.

This build is far more optimised than the PC port as it is ARM native. The only knock on it is lack of online play and a stretched 21:9 HUD due to running out of AI tokens. I can share a patch kit that chat spat out if you are wanting to do the build yourself.

Credit to the NX Native developers and masagrator/theboy181 for the existing 60 FPS mod this was adapted from. It’s a personal build, but I thought r/macgaming would appreciate the results.

The idea is to let you recreate your own cat — their looks, personality, habits, and little quirks. A familiar furry companion hanging out while you work.

I put together a small proof of concept to see how it might feel. It’s still very early, but I wanted to share it and hear what you think.

Would you want a cat on your desktop? How would you interact with it? And which of your cat’s habits would you absolutely want to bring into the app?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

Been using nxnative to run Switch games natively on my M1 Air but the terminal setup was a pain, and there was no easy way to configure settings, so I built a simple frontend around it.

Shoutout to nxnative which made this possible in first place.

MetalNX provides a one click to install, manage and configure your switch games to run natively on mac.

• Drop in your .nsp, click one button , wait and game appears in /Applications as a mav native,optimised port.
• MetalFX AI upscaling toggle, resolution scale, 60fps patches
• 72-game compatibility database built in so you know exactly which update version to download
• Verifies your NSP before installing so you don't waste time on the wrong dump

Tested on M1 Air running Zelda BotW 1080p at 60fps.
Mario Kart 8 gives locked 60fps on 2k.
These native ports only utilise upto 3 cores but the performance is still amazing.

It auto-detects and applies performance settings according to you mac specs.

Fixed in game-ui prompts for correct xbox button layouts.

Needs your own prod.keysand obviously legally dumped game files ;)

GitHub + DMG download: https://github.com/krushant1122/MetalNX/releases/tag/v2.0.0

Feel free to contribute.

Happy to answer questions!

​
Edit: I see a lot of you are facing issues mainly related to missing dependencies, I am working on the fix. Will update soon~~.~~(FIXED)
Missing .NET Runtime 10.0.14 / Exit Code 131 & 134(FIXED)
Missing collections Module (Hang at Stage 1/7)(FIXED)
Missing Python Modules (lz4.block, capstone, fontTools, backports.zstd)(FIXED)
Git Clone Failed with Exit Code 128(FIXED)
issing spirv-cross Shader Compiler(FIXED)
App Bundle Resources Mistaken for Engine Repository Root(FIXED)

​Edit2: Please download the exact version as specified in the installer, older versions of updates might not work.

Added one click log reports on github, please paste the logs and send a report on git(the logs will be automatically copied to clipboard).

The build was only tested on two machines before, major fixes are on their way.

Please share any errors or bugs you find in dms, I am actively working on them.

Here a GamePlay to show off the graphic capabilities at 3.5K native resolution at Extreme settings ON A M5 PRO NOT A RTX 5080 IN THIS VIDEO!! ,

https://github.com/alexandreunitypro/MetalHorizon-FH6-Mac-Launcher

MetalHorizon: a free launcher to play your own Xbox copy of Forza Horizon 6 on Apple Silicon Macs (no CrossOver) Completely free A Steam version support could be released soon.

Main Focus: The top priority is fixing the stuttering issue due to DRM.

All you need to do is download the launcher and use your Microsoft account press download then the patch will all load automatically almost download and play.

Other than that, the game runs very smoothly with about 95% of features working as expected.

- If the game crashes, please let me know.

- Feel free to request new features or report bugs, and I'll take care of them!

Feel free to support my work on app notarization and help accelerate development.

I'm using Obelisk to do that, an open-source app I've made: https://github.com/Zagrios/Obelisk

EAC is not bypassed: Helldivers2 Easy Anti-Cheat for Linux (the Steam Deck / Proton support), and Obelisk runs the game through a small Linux layer for macOS that I also made: https://github.com/Zagrios/voile-lkd

Ranked Rocket League, Dead by Daylight and many other games work too, and I'm now working on The Finals.

With my settings I get around 40 to 60 FPS using D3DMetal, and I'm working on getting better performance (Using DirectX 11 with DXMT already gives me much better performance, but there are still some rendering bugs, so I'm still working on it)

I couldn’t help but notice that when you go the Mac Mini page on Apple’s site, there’s a brief animation that plays, and the last i in mini briefly becomes a pirate flag, which I thought was amusing considering all of the recompiling going on right now :)

I ported G-Diffuser (a native PC port of F-Zero X) to macOS. Compiled native ARM64, renders through Metal. No Rosetta, no emulation layer. Runs on M1 and newer. Source is public on GitHub.

While testing games on macOS 27.2, I noticed an update in the Metal HUD. Much like how Windows overlays distinguish between DirectX 11 and DirectX 12, Apple’s Metal HUD now labels when a game is running on the newer Metal 4 pipeline.

In the screenshots, you can see a direct comparison between Cyberpunk 2077 and Crimson Desert on the same system: In Cyberpunk 2077, the memory line simply displays Metal. While in Crimson Desert, the HUD clearly changes the label to Metal 4. Because Pearl Abyss built the game to take advantage of Apple's latest graphic tech.

iOS 27.2 features the exact same Metal Performance HUD update by explicitly reporting the Metal 4. 

I have a pro m5 pro 14 24ram (I don't know why it gets this amount only if I plug in external monitor, without it it gets 1k fps)

I know that has no sense having this amount of fps but is so optimised

standard settings provided by the modpack (24 chunk render distance) the only downside is that doesn't support shaders

enjoy

am still waiting for it to support macbooks so i can play it
any info ?

Hey everyone! I’m the solo developer of Rejected Draft, a sketchbook-style incremental autobattler where you defeat enemy doodles, absorb their stats and abilities, and gradually become ridiculously powerful.

After a year of development, the game is finally launching into Steam Early Access on November 11!
The Steam demo already offers a generous 100+ hours of completely free gameplay, so you can see if you like it before committing to the tons of additional content coming in the full release.

One interesting thing I noticed while looking at my Steam stats: we’re approaching 10,000 wishlists, but only around 30 are from Mac users!

Getting the game fully compatible with macOS took quite a bit of additional effort, especially as a solo developer who doesn’t own a Mac and Apple requires all its apps to be signed, so I’d really appreciate some love from the Mac gaming community!

If you’re into incremental games, idle games, or autobattlers, I’d love for you to give the free demo a try. And if you enjoy it, consider wishlisting the full game!

Steam (free demo): https://store.steampowered.com/app/4574820/Rejected_Draft/

BOTW- Locked 30fps at 2k
Markio kart 8- locked 60fps at 2k
base m1 macbook air, 8gb ram.
How and where can I share this without getting sued by nintendo?

EDIT: Its live https://www.reddit.com/r/macgaming/s/ghAA7iHGN7

I got LEGO Horizon Adventures running at a stable 30 FPS on a base M1 MacBook Air! Honestly, I’m pretty impressed that it worked and the game at a consistent 30 FPS at high graphics. I wasn’t expecting it to perform this well.

I'm using a macbook m2 to create the game and the Unity game engine. The game runs beautifully smooth on a macbook m1 air as well, and also runs on older intel based macbooks.

Here is some info about my game, which is called Kaiju Ace:

Kaiju Ace is a combat flight simulator where you pilot fighter jets against colossal kaiju. Defend cities, escort supply convoys and intercept airborne threats in a persistent career with generated missions.

There are 24 jet fighters to unlock; 8 light fighters, 8 carrier capable fighters, and 8 bombers. I've also created tutorials to help teach how to fly, target and land (including on the carrier).

The game is coming to Steam and you can find it there by searching for Kaiju Ace.

In August I posted mtld3d here, a Direct3D 9 implementation on Metal for Wine.

D3D9 on Metal was the gap I wanted to fill. It turned out a D3D9 driver alone does not get games running: they also needed changes in Wine itself, in FEX (the x86 emulator used here instead of Rosetta), and in other parts of the graphics stack. Mach9 is the result: a Wine build for Apple Silicon with all of those changes, made to be embedded in launchers.

Not another launcher

The plan is for existing launchers to ship this engine, not to compete with them. A launcher copies the wine/ folder into its app and passes per-game settings in one environment variable. The rules are written with a small Rust crate, documented at https://docs.mach9.app. If you maintain a launcher and want to try it, open an issue and I will help.

Until that happens, the engine on its own is hard to try. So there is a small app, Mach9.app, to get more people testing. It starts any Windows .exe you point it at: a game, an installer, or a store client such as the Windows version of Steam if you install one. It is free and notarized (no Gatekeeper workaround), and it never asks for any account; logins happen in the store clients themselves.

AI use

A large part of the code was written with AI coding tools. I decide the design, review the changes and test the games. All of it is public, including every patch to Wine and FEX as plain commits in the forks, so you can check what was changed and why. If that is a dealbreaker for you, that is fair.

What is in it

• Wine for arm64, no Rosetta. FEX runs the games' x86 code.
• D3D9 on mtld3d. D3D10/11 on DXMT, D3D12 on vkd3d-proton, OpenGL on Mesa. Newer games run too, but they already run well under CrossOver, so the focus is older games.
• Source: https://github.com/athei/mach9 (build scripts, per-game rules and the app's source), zlib licence. The forks of Wine, FEX, mtld3d, DXMT, vkd3d-proton and Mesa are linked from https://github.com/athei/mach9/blob/main/docs/internals.md and keep their upstream licences.
• mtld3d is not complete. What it does not implement yet is listed in https://github.com/athei/mtld3d/blob/main/docs/STATUS.md

Credit goes to Wine and CodeWeavers, FEX, DXMT, vkd3d-proton and Mesa (KosmicKrisp). This builds on their work.

Games that run

Since the first post many more games have been tested, including ones that have trouble on other engines:

• GTA IV
• LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
• Team Fortress 2
• Half-Life 2
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Halo 2 (Vista)
• World of Warcraft 1.12 / 3.3.5a
• Medieval II: Total War
• Mirror's Edge
• Need for Speed Carbon
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2017
• League of Legends 4.17
• Modern Warfare 2 (IW4X)
• Thief Gold (TFix)
• NosTale
• Age of Empires II HD
• Windows Steam client, Rockstar Games Launcher

Install

Needs a Mac with Apple Silicon and macOS 26.4 or later.

1. Download https://updates.mach9.app/Mach9.dmg and drag Mach9 to Applications.

1. Open it from Applications. macOS shows "Background Items Added": that is the Dock menu being set up.

2. Right-click the Dock icon, Options, Keep in Dock.

3. Right-click the Dock icon, New Executable…, pick a game's .exe, Run.

Installers work the same way: run the installer .exe with "Save as new game" off, install into a normal Mac folder such as ~/Games (Z:\Users\<you>\Games\... in the installer), then add the installed game's .exe. Steam is optional; if you want it, install the Windows Steam client this way and add steam.exe.

Full guide: https://github.com/athei/mach9/blob/main/docs/app.md

Reporting problems

Open an issue at https://github.com/athei/mach9/issues with gamelauncher.log attached (Dock menu, Open Config Folder). Reports about games that do not run are the most useful thing right now.

I was able to run GTA 5 natively at max settings 1440p resolution on my M1 MacBook Pro and the experience is smooth crazy how recomps come so far I hope rdr2 gets the same treatment.

Hey everyone!, anybody knows how can i play mirrors edge on Mac (not via crossover)?, i would be really happy since this is one of my favorite games ever and its the only one i really want to play in my mac. I have an Macbook air m2 8/256, any thoughts on how can i play it even if is just with 30fps? (i would love this game to be ported to mac)

I have tried both, and as expected and seen in other heavy titles, the Air thermal throttles. You won’t get 60 fps.

I tried on M4 Air 16GB, everything low, FSR Ultra Performance, hit a max of 40 fps. Memory pressure was in yellow.

The game could run at good frames on base Pros and very good on Pro Chips and as expected excellent on Max and Ultra chips.

Just a heads up, if anyone was thinking of trying this.

A couple of weeks ago I posted here asking Quest owners to test VeRantyx, the thing I’m building to play Windows PC VR games on an Apple Silicon Mac. Some of you actually did, and it’s been the best part of this whole project.

What happened since:

• A Quest 3 player on an M4 Pro got Half-Life: Alyx running smoothly over a USB cable.
• A Pico 4 player told me Alyx plays so well they’re thinking of replaying the whole game on their Mac.
• Someone said they got lost in Terminal, so I made a normal Mac app that sets everything up and starts the game with one button.
• Besides Alyx, Elite Dangerous and No Man’s Sky now run in VR too (video: NMS, Elite, Alyx, all on my M1 Max, played in Vision Pro).

Also, if you tried to find it last week and couldn’t: my GitHub account got hidden by an automated flag for a few days. It’s back now, sorry about that.

Honestly, not many games work yet. Wi-Fi on Quest is still laggy for some people (cable is much better), and I’m fixing freezes a Quest 3 tester found. I’m also trying to get Cyberpunk running and it’s at like 15 fps lol.

I still don’t own a Quest or a Pico, so every report helps a lot. Which game would you want to try next?