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 | 1 report |
| 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 working fully on an M5 with DXMT over 94 minutes once the game is started with -dx11, which Play passes from the next Highball version (until then put -dx11 in the game's Launch arguments under Game settings). Without it the game takes its DirectX 12 path, which DXMT does not have.
Known issues
Does not start in DXMT mode without -dx11
What helps start it with -dx11. Play passes it from this page from the next Highball version. Until then put it in Launch arguments under the game's Game settings
Why the game picks DirectX 12, which DXMT does not provide
Provenance
Reported by brunobrancoo (highball-db#788, 2026-10-29), Apple M5, macOS 26.4.1, Highball 0.10.22, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r28, DXMT, msync, rated 3 of 5 after 94 minutes: it needs -dx11 as a launch option, and with it everything works. Not verified by the maintainer.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice work on Mac?
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice 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 Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice?
DXMT. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records DXMT for Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. 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 Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice 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.