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 | Untested | no report yet — send one |
| 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
The 64-bit build (cstrike_win64.exe) starts and plays on the default engine through DXVK on an M4, but the frame rate falls hard while the mouse moves, so cap it at 60 for now (highball#482). The same session hit Wine 10's limit of 256 realized fonts ('out of realized font handles'); the Wine 11 engine allows 5000. Nothing was measured here.
Known issues
The frame rate falls from about 350 fps to under 100 while the mouse or trackpad moves, which feels like mouse lag (reported on an M4, macOS 27.0.1, DXVK, engine r28, highball#482)
What helps cap the frame rate at 60 (Highball's frame cap in the environment's settings, or fps_max 60 in the game's console), which made it playable for the reporter
Why not measured. The cost follows the frame rate, so likely Wine's Mac cursor handling done once per frame. Turning off vertical sync and switching m_rawinput did not change it
Provenance
Reported by ak9m12 (highball#482, 2026-10-25), Apple M4, macOS 27.0.1, Highball 0.10.22, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r28, DXVK, msync: the game ran, the mouse lagged. Not verified by the maintainer.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Counter-Strike: Source work on Mac?
Counter-Strike: Source has no native Mac build, but it is reported to run on Apple Silicon through Highball, a free open-source compatibility layer. This comes from community reports rather than a Highball test run, so treat it as a reasonable expectation rather than a guarantee.
Contribute a result
This page is generated from an open database. If you have run Counter-Strike: Source 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.