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 perfect over a five and a half hour session on an M5 on the default engine, the longest single report in the database, so this covers real play rather than the opening; the graphics mode was not stated. A second player on an M4 Pro put 95 minutes into it on the Wine 11 engine with DXMT and rated it playable, with fullscreen issues they did not describe further. No measurement here yet. A player rates it perfect after an hour on an M4 Max on DXMT.
Known issues
Fullscreen issues, not described further, on the Wine 11 engine with DXMT
What helps None recorded. A borderless window mode in the game's settings, if it offers one, is the thing to try.
Why Reported once (an M4 Pro, macOS 26.6.2, x64-crossover26.3-r15); the first report, on the default engine, said nothing of the kind. Not reproduced here.
Provenance
Reported by tepliy (highball-db#82, 2026-09-16), Apple M5, macOS 27, Highball 0.9.19, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r3, rated 5 of 5 after 329 minutes. Graphics mode not stated. Not verified by the maintainer. A second report by HNKNTA (highball-db#315, 2026-10-04), Apple M4 Pro, macOS 26.6.2, Highball 0.10.3, the Wine 11 engine x64-crossover26.3-r15 with DXMT, Windows 11 set in the environment, rated 4 of 5 after 95 minutes, with fullscreen issues the report does not describe further. Reported by Sicks3c (highball-db#451, 2026-10-11), Apple M4 Max, macOS 26.6.1, Highball 0.10.10, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r21, DXMT, rated 5 of 5 after 65 minutes. SaharCarmel (highball-db#746, 2026-10-27), Apple M1 Pro, macOS 26.6.2, Highball 0.10.22, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r28, DXMT, rated 5 of 5 after 5 minutes.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era work on Mac?
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era 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.
Contribute a result
This page is generated from an open database. If you have run Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era 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.