Highball
Which renderer to use
Highball can run each game through three different Direct3D translation layers. This is what the database knows for this title — empty rows are open questions, not failures.
| Renderer | Verdict | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| DXVKDirect3D 9-11 over Vulkan | Untested | no report yet — send one |
| DXMTDirect3D 11 over Metal | Reported | community reports |
| D3DMetalApple's Game Porting Toolkit | Untested | no report yet — send one |
No dated Highball run yet. When one lands it records the renderer, the engine build and the macOS version it was seen on — which is what stops a verdict quietly rotting. Send one.
Notes
Reported perfect with the environment on DXMT, in a short session. Steam also sells a Mac build of the game.
Provenance
Reported by Naavalanarul (highball-db#301, 2026-10-04, game confirmed as the first Cities: Skylines on 2026-10-05), Apple M4 Max, macOS 27.0, Highball 0.10.2, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r17, environment on DXMT, rated 5 of 5 after 3 minutes. Not verified by the maintainer.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Cities: Skylines work on Mac?
Yes. Steam ships a native macOS build, which will beat running the Windows version through any compatibility layer.
Which renderer should I use for Cities: Skylines?
DXMT. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records DXMT for Cities: Skylines. Highball uses it automatically when the game has a row; to set it by hand, open Settings, then Environments.
Contribute a result
This page is generated from an open database. If you have run Cities: Skylines on Apple Silicon, working or not, a report takes a minute and fills in the empty rows above. Send a report, or read how the data is put together.