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 | community reports |
| 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
first DXMT milestone title; runs decently A player reported it perfect after 16 minutes on an M1 Pro.
Provenance
DXMT changelog v0.41+ (github.com/3Shain/dxmt/releases) Reported by flacknabe-cpu (highball-db#423, 2026-10-09), Apple M1 Pro, macOS 26.7, Highball 0.10.14, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r24, mode not stated (the page's DXMT applies unless the environment sets its own), rated 5 of 5 after 16 minutes.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does NieR: Automata work on Mac?
NieR: Automata 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 NieR: Automata?
DXMT. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records DXMT for NieR: Automata. 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 NieR: Automata 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.