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 | named in upstream release notes |
| 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
DXMT's changelog lists the MetalFX temporal scaler output as fixed. A report has a full standard match playable on DXMT on an M5 Pro, with two costs: about ten minutes of shader compilation before the game stops stuttering, and audio crackle, which that player fixed by setting the Mac's output to 88.2 kHz in Audio MIDI Setup. A second M5 Pro report (19 minutes on DXMT) says it runs very well and only runs warm.
Known issues
Audio crackles (reported in the main hub on an M5 MacBook Air, highball#187, and in matches on an M5 Pro, highball-db#243).
What helps Highball 0.10.3 and later carry the fix that cured Counter-Strike 2's crackle (default engine r19 and later, Wine 11 engine r14 and later), not yet confirmed on Deadlock (highball#187). On older engines, setting the Mac's output to 88.2 kHz in Audio MIDI Setup worked for one player
Why Most likely the same as Counter-Strike 2's, another Source 2 game: it keeps very little sound queued and at 48 kHz the Mac asked Wine for more at a time than it had (measured on Counter-Strike 2, highball#127). Not measured on Deadlock itself
Stutter for the first minutes of a match (reported on an M5 Pro, DXMT).
What helps none needed, it settles after about ten minutes.
Why shader compilation, per the reporter.
Provenance
DXMT changelog v0.73 (github.com/3Shain/dxmt/releases). playX18 (highball-db#243, 2026-09-28): rated 4, playable with minor issues, Apple M5 Pro, macOS 27.0, DXMT, a full standard match played; engine and Highball version not stated. Hetens (highball-db#387, 2026-10-08): rated 4 after 19 minutes, Apple M5 Pro, macOS 27.0.1, Highball 0.10.3, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r19, DXMT, "temperatures on the higher side but still very good".
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Deadlock work on Mac?
Deadlock has no native Mac build, but it is reported to run on Apple Silicon through Highball, a free open-source compatibility layer. It is named as working or fixed in upstream release notes. Highball has not run it, so treat this as a strong report rather than a verified result.
Which renderer should I use for Deadlock?
DXMT. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records DXMT for Deadlock. 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 Deadlock 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.