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
This game has a native macOS version on Steam, so the Mac Steam app runs it directly without Highball. The Windows build was reported playable through Highball at 1080p and 75 Hz, mode not stated, with an occasional keyboard issue. No measurement here yet.
Known issues
Keyboard input drops once in a while (reported, Windows build through Highball)
What helps Not investigated. The native macOS version avoids Wine altogether.
Some cutscenes (the Nailsmith's, the Black Egg's) stay on a black screen with the ambience playing (reported on an M4, DXMT, default engine r5 and r6, then Wine 11 engine r5, highball#214).
What helps Untested on this game. Highball 0.10.3 with the Wine 11 engine r15 (or the default engine r13 or later) carries the fixes, measured on another Unity game's menu video. The native Mac build on Steam plays them without Wine.
Why not measured on this game. Hollow Knight plays its cutscenes as video files through Wine's media layer into the graphics layer, and the reporter's log shows those frames failing on the way in (DeviceTexture: Invalid device handle). Both engines tested predate the fixes for that path: the default line got it in r13, the Wine 11 line in r11.
Provenance
Reported by AYDJI (highball-db#106, 2026-09-17), Apple M4, macOS 27.0 as entered, Highball 0.9.6, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r0, graphics mode not stated, rated 4 of 5 (playable, minor issues) at 1080p 75 Hz. Not verified by the maintainer.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Hollow Knight work on Mac?
Yes. Steam, GOG ships a native macOS build, which will beat running the Windows version through any compatibility layer.
Contribute a result
This page is generated from an open database. If you have run Hollow Knight 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.