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 game draws with Vulkan directly, through MoltenVK, so the graphics mode does not apply. It plays on the Wine 11 engine r30 or r31 with three variables, which the recipe sets (HB_MVK_LENIENT_INTERFACES=1, MVK_CONFIG_SHADER_COMPRESSION_ALGORITHM=1, MVK_CONFIG_SHOULD_MAXIMIZE_CONCURRENT_COMPILATION=1). On a base M1 with 16 GB the launcher's shader step took about two minutes and the game ran at about 20 fps with little stutter (udance4ever, 2026-11-07). Its launcher first shows a 'graphics card not officially supported' warning, press OK. Older engines stopped at 98 percent in the shader step or showed only a spinner.
Known issues
Launcher's shader compile stops at 98 percent, or shows only a spinner (engine r10, highball#125).
What helps Wine 11 engine r30 or r31 with HB_MVK_LENIENT_INTERFACES=1, which the recipe sets.
Why MoltenVK lacked workarounds the game needs. Which of the ported changes cures the stop is not isolated.
Shader step takes about 22 minutes and the game stutters badly (base M1 16 GB, r30 or r31).
What helps MVK_CONFIG_SHADER_COMPRESSION_ALGORITHM=1, which the recipe sets.
Why not isolated. The variable compresses the shader source MoltenVK keeps in memory, and the difference was measured by the reporter.
A blur over parts of the picture every so often.
What helps none in Highball, which does not change game files.
Why the game's post processing under MoltenVK, a community patch to the exe removes it.
One-click setup
Highball ships a recipe for Detroit: Become Human: open the game in your Library and apply it. The recipe carries the tested renderer and any per-game fixes, so you don't have to reproduce them by hand. Read the recipe.
Provenance
Reported by daniel-kub (highball#125, 2026-09-16), Apple M2 8 GB, macOS 27.0, Highball 0.9.19: on the default engine the game warned about the GPU and crashed; on the Wine 11 engine x64-crossover26.3-r10 its launcher compiled shaders slowly and stopped at 98 percent. The maintainer tried the free demo (Steam 1224230) on 2026-09-26. On 2026-11-07 udance4ever (highball#125) played it on a base M1 with 16 GB on the Wine 11 engine r30 or r31 from Highball 0.10.26, whose MoltenVK carries fixes ported from DiAvisoo's changes (found working in Highball by udance4ever and jason312928).
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Detroit: Become Human work on Mac?
Detroit: Become Human 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.
Is there a one-click setup for Detroit: Become Human?
Yes. Highball ships a recipe for Detroit: Become Human that sets the tested renderer and any per-game fixes. Open the game in your Library and apply it.
Contribute a result
This page is generated from an open database. If you have run Detroit: Become Human 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.