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 2005 original, which Steam no longer sells (its store page says it is no longer available; Rockstar sells the Definitive Edition instead), so this row is for people who already own it. Reported playable on Wine's own Direct3D on the default engine after two changes: the game refuses to start without Wine's virtual desktop, and DXVK was very slow in the menus and in play where Wine's Direct3D ran well. Inside the virtual desktop window there is no real fullscreen. A DualSense controller worked after the two WineBus registry values that Highball's Controllers through SDL tweak sets. Nothing was measured here.
Provenance
Reported by Michael-Liendo (highball-db#283, 2026-10-02), Apple M4, macOS 27.0, Highball 0.10.2, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r17, Wine's Direct3D, rated 5 of 5 after 8 minutes once set up, recipe steam. Not verified by the maintainer.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas work on Mac?
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 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 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas?
wined3d. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records wined3d for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. 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 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 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.