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 | Reported | community reports |
| 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
Reported playable with unspecified minor issues after a 73-minute session on DXVK; frame rate not recorded yet. The game is Direct3D 11 on Windows, so DXMT is the other renderer worth trying.
Provenance
Reported by nghuyenthevinh2000 (highball-db#135, 2026-09-19): rated 4, playable with minor issues, DXVK, Apple M1 Pro, macOS 26.3, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r3, Highball 0.9.23, 73 minutes played through Highball. The minor issues were not described. The report left the Steam AppID blank; 1158310 added here. Not run here.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Crusader Kings III work on Mac?
Crusader Kings III 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.
Which renderer should I use for Crusader Kings III?
DXVK. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records DXVK for Crusader Kings III. 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 Crusader Kings III 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.