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 | Reported | community reports |
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
Dead Island 2 needs DirectX 12 (Steam lists DirectX version 12), so this page has Play pick D3DMetal, Apple's DirectX 12 layer. A player on an M1 Pro reached the menu in DXVK mode, where DirectX 12 has no proper path, and the game then quit. On D3DMetal the same player got to the opening copyright screen, where the game stopped with its music still playing (highball#451, 2026-10-23). Whether it was still building shaders there is not known. Nothing was measured here.
Known issues
Smooth to the menu, then the game quits (reported on an M1 Pro, macOS 26.5.2, DXVK, engine r28)
What helps D3DMetal, which this page now picks. Untested here
Why the game needs DirectX 12, which DXVK mode does not provide
On D3DMetal the game stops on the opening copyright screen with the music playing (reported on an M1 Pro, macOS 26.5.2, highball#451)
What helps none confirmed. Give a first start 15 minutes and press Enter once
Why not known. A first start can spend a long time building shaders around this point
Provenance
Reported by b3cookie (highball#451, 2026-10-22), Apple M1 Pro, macOS 26.5.2, Highball 0.10.22, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r28, DXVK: smooth to the menu, then the game quits. Not verified by the maintainer.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Dead Island 2 work on Mac?
Dead Island 2 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 Dead Island 2?
D3DMetal. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records D3DMetal for Dead Island 2. 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 Dead Island 2 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.