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 | Recommended | run by Highball on Apple Silicon |
| DXMTDirect3D 11 over Metal | Untested | no report yet — send one |
| D3DMetalApple's Game Porting Toolkit | Untested | no report yet — send one |
Last confirmed 2026-08-28. That run predates per-report engine and macOS logging, so those are not recorded for it. A newer report would carry both.
Notes
Works at 200+ fps under DXVK once HDR is off — and the Portal 2 recipe turns it off for you. The story: Source's HDR path triggers a MoltenVK driver bug (a giant zero-attachment render pass aborts the GPU), which made every map load freeze or crash while menus looked fine. With mat_hdr_level 0 (written into portal2/cfg by the recipe, or set Shader Detail to not use HDR in video settings) the intro runs at 210-216 fps at 1728x1117 with a completely clean device log. Apply the Portal 2 recipe after installing the game, keep the bottle on DXVK. The same root cause likely affects other Source titles (Portal 1, HL2, TF2, L4D2) — the same fix should transfer. Visual cost: Source's HDR bloom, minor in this game.
One-click setup
Highball ships a recipe for Portal 2: 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 (M1 Pro), engine sikarugir-10.0_6, Highball 0.7.13, 2026-08-28
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Portal 2 work on Mac?
Portal 2 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 2026-08-28).
Which renderer should I use for Portal 2?
DXVK. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records DXVK for Portal 2, and applying the Portal 2 recipe sets it for you.
Is there a one-click setup for Portal 2?
Yes. Highball ships a recipe for Portal 2 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 Portal 2 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.