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 | Reported | 2 reports |
| 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 after a four-minute session on DXVK on an M2 Pro with macOS 26.6.2, so the report covers launch and the opening; the reporter had not tested much yet. Frame rate not recorded. It also plays perfectly on DXMT, the default mode, on an M5 Pro over 46 minutes. A player on an M1 Pro rates it perfect over two long sessions, with two small notes. It takes two to three minutes to run smoothly, and the other travelers are invisible, only their instruments show.
Known issues
The other travelers are invisible, only their instruments show (reported on an M1 Pro, engine r21, mode not stated)
What helps none known yet. The DXMT report on an M5 Pro does not mention it.
Why not investigated
Provenance
Reported by RuhaanB6 (highball-db#163, 2026-09-21): rated 5, perfect, Apple M2 Pro, macOS 26.6.2, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r5, Highball 0.9.33, DXVK, 4 minutes played through Highball, with the note that little testing was done yet. Not run here. ruari8 (highball-db#424, 2026-10-09), Apple M5 Pro, macOS 26.6.2, Highball 0.10.10, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r21, DXMT, rated 5 of 5 after 46 minutes. marieuuuh (highball-db#437 and #445, 2026-10-10), Apple M1 Pro, macOS 26.5.2, Highball 0.10.10, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r21, mode not stated, rated 5 of 5 after sessions of 56 and 136 minutes. unclenorton (highball-db#740, 2026-10-27), Apple M1 Pro, macOS 26.6.2, Highball 0.10.22, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r28, DXVK, rated 4 of 5 after 10 minutes: a bit laggy at the start.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Outer Wilds work on Mac?
Outer Wilds 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 Outer Wilds?
DXVK. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records DXVK for Outer Wilds. 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 Outer Wilds 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.