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
DirectX 12 only, so it needs Apple's D3DMetal (Play offers the licence) and the Wine 11 engine (CrossOver 26.3 tree), which is where CrossOver users play it. Its first check is the CPU: it requires AVX2 and refuses to start with 'Incompatible CPU detected' unless AVX is advertised through Rosetta, which the recipe does. GameGuard runs in user mode and CrossOver users play online through it; every game patch can break that until the next one. 135 GB on disk.
One-click setup
Highball ships a recipe for HELLDIVERS 2: 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
CrossOver 26 community reports (r/macgaming and r/Helldivers, 2026); on Highball one reporter hit the game's own 'Incompatible CPU detected' AVX check (highball#81, M5 Max, macOS 26.5.2, Highball 0.8.8, engine r0). Not verified by Highball.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does HELLDIVERS 2 work on Mac?
HELLDIVERS 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 HELLDIVERS 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 HELLDIVERS 2, and applying the HELLDIVERS 2 recipe sets it for you.
Is there a one-click setup for HELLDIVERS 2?
Yes. Highball ships a recipe for HELLDIVERS 2 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 HELLDIVERS 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.