Highball
Which renderer to use
Highball can run each game through four 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 | Does not work | DirectX 12 only, DXVK covers Direct3D 9 to 11 |
| DXMTDirect3D 11 over Metal | Does not work | DirectX 12 only, DXMT has no DirectX 12 |
| D3DMetalApple's Game Porting Toolkit | Does not work | D3DMetal 3 and the first D3DMetal 4 betas report Shader Model 6.6 and the game refuses to start. Past that check it stops during its first load under Rosetta. |
| vkd3d-protonDirect3D 12 over Vulkan | Recommended | run by Highball on Apple Silicon |
last confirmed 2026-10-19 · engine arm64-wine11.18-r5 · macOS 27.0. Dated runs record the engine build and, where the reporter gave it, the macOS version.
Notes
Runs on Highball's native arm64 preview engine (arm64-wine11.18-r5), which Play offers for this game in one click, through vkd3d-proton on MoltenVK. The game's recipe asks for that engine and sets the feature level, shader model and other variables it needs, including emulator switches that cut most of the stutter (frames over 100 ms per 2-minute park from 59 to 5 on a base M4 in daylight, highball-engine#16). On a base M4 with 32 GB it flies at 22 to 25 fps parked and 19 to 21 on the take-off roll at the Medium preset with FSR Balanced, takes about seven minutes to the start screen and four more to the cockpit, and crashes during the world load about one start in sixteen to forty. The engine needs macOS 26.5 or later. On the Intel engines the game does not run: D3DMetal 3 and the first D3DMetal 4 betas report Shader Model 6.6 and the game refuses to start, and past that check it stops during its first load. How it was made to run: gethighball.com/docs/flight-simulator-2024-apple-silicon/. The first teardown, probes and DXVK patches are Michael-Liendo's, in highball-db#6 and github.com/Michael-Liendo/msfs2024-apple-silicon.
Known issues
On the Intel engines the game refuses to start with 'Your graphics card does not support Shader Model 6.7', or quits during its first loading screen
What helps this recipe asks for the native arm64 preview engine, which Play offers for this game
Why D3DMetal 3 and the first D3DMetal 4 betas report Shader Model 6.6, and past that check the game stops during its first load under Rosetta
A short freeze of one to two seconds a few times a flight, more in daylight
What helps this recipe sets HB_MVK_NO_LOSSLESS=1 on the environment, which removes most of them, and one flight in four still shows two in daylight
Why Metal stopping on lossless-compressed images the game copies every frame
About one start in sixteen to forty ends in a crash during the world load
What helps none yet, start again
Why under study (memory corruption during the load)
About seven minutes to the start screen and four more from Start to the cockpit
What helps none, later starts reuse the shader and code caches
Why the emulator translating the game's code, the shader preparation and the game unpacking its packages on one thread
Short hitches remain, most on the first take-off after loading and when one of the game's pop-ups opens
What helps none yet
Why under study
Menus can freeze for three to four seconds
What helps switching to another app and back with Cmd+Tab ends the freeze, as a tester found
Why under study
Far map tiles stay coarse on the Free Flight page away from the departure airport, and the main menu's globe shows pale wedges over the oceans
What helps none yet
Why under study
Some lights and line effects are missing
What helps none yet
Why geometry-shader pipelines Metal cannot run
Smeared picture when the view turns
What helps turn Motion Blur off in the game's graphics settings
Why the game's motion blur at these frame rates
One-click setup
Highball ships a recipe for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024: 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
verified locally on Apple Silicon (base M4, 32 GB), macOS 27.0, native arm64 preview engine arm64-wine11.18-r5, 2026-10-19. The first teardown is Michael-Liendo's (highball-db#6).
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 work on Mac?
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has no native Mac build, but it is reported to run on Apple Silicon through Highball, a free open-source compatibility layer. Highball has run it on Apple Silicon (last confirmed 2026-10-19 · engine arm64-wine11.18-r5 · macOS 27.0).
Which renderer should I use for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
vkd3d-proton. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT, Apple's D3DMetal or vkd3d-proton, and the right choice varies by game. The database records vkd3d-proton for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, and applying the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 recipe sets it for you.
Is there a one-click setup for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024?
Yes. Highball ships a recipe for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 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 Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 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.