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 | 1 report |
| 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 2000 original (GoldSrc). Reported very playable on the default engine r11 in DXMT mode on an M1, below 60 fps but not needing it. Steam also sells a native Mac build of it, which Highball points out on the game's page since 0.9.39. Nothing was measured here. A second report rates it perfect after 10 minutes in wined3d mode on an M4 Pro. The game draws through OpenGL, which Wine hands to the Mac's own OpenGL whatever the graphics mode, so the mode is unlikely to matter for it, an inference from the two reports rather than a measurement.
Known issues
Frame rate stays under 60 (reported on an M1, engine r11, DXMT mode).
What helps none needed per the reporter. The native Mac build on Steam is the other route.
Why not measured.
Provenance
Reported by JLiveOf (highball-db#240, 2026-09-27), Apple M1, macOS 27.0, Highball 0.9.39, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r11, DXMT mode, the steam and vcrun2022 recipes, rated 4 of 5 after 2 minutes: very playable, never quite 60 fps. Not verified by the maintainer. A second report by EusGoed (highball-db#289, 2026-10-03), Apple M4 Pro, macOS 27.0, Highball 0.9.39, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r11, wined3d as the environment's mode with a dxgi=n DLL override and the vcrun2022 recipe, rated 5 of 5 after 10 minutes. linjunpop (highball-db#496, 2026-10-15), Apple M2 Max, macOS 27.0.1, Highball 0.10.15, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r26, DXVK environment, recipe steam, rated 5 of 5 after 2 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 Counter-Strike 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 Counter-Strike?
DXMT. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records DXMT for Counter-Strike. 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 Counter-Strike 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.