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
Does not start. The game is built on the Loom engine (SDL and OpenGL, 2017), so the graphics mode setting does not apply to it. It creates an old-style OpenGL context, which macOS gives as OpenGL 2.1, then loads glClearDepthf. Wine refuses that function there, since macOS's 2.1 context does not list GL_ARB_ES2_compatibility, and the game calls the empty pointer: a page fault at address 0 a second after start and Wine's crash dialog. Windows drivers list that extension in every context, which is why it runs there. No setting gets past it on today's engines. The Wine 11 engine x64-crossover26.3-r21 answers that extension's five calls in old-style contexts (engine patch 0021), and on an M4 both of the game's builds reach the title menu on it, installed from its manifest into an empty home (2026-10-06). r21 ships with Highball 0.10.11. The recipe that offers it is in the database from 2026-10-06 and reaches the app with the version after 0.10.11, since the database is bundled with the app. Until then, pick x64-crossover26.3-r21 by hand on the environment's Full page, under Advanced, Engine, or make a new environment on it for the game.
One-click setup
Highball ships a recipe for Paperback: The Game: 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
Reported not launching by udance4ever (highball-db#349, 2026-10-06), Apple M1, macOS 27.0.1, Highball 0.10.9, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r21, every graphics mode. Reproduced here on an M4 (macOS 27.0, r21, 2026-10-06), both the 32-bit Paperback.exe that Steam starts and the 64-bit Paperback64.exe beside it.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Paperback: The Game work on Mac?
Paperback: The Game 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 Paperback: The Game?
DXMT. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records DXMT for Paperback: The Game, and applying the Paperback: The Game recipe sets it for you.
Is there a one-click setup for Paperback: The Game?
Yes. Highball ships a recipe for Paperback: The Game 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 Paperback: The Game 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.