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 | Untested | no report yet — send one |
| D3DMetalApple's Game Porting Toolkit | Reported | community reports |
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
Runs on D3DMetal on the default engine (DirectX 12 only, so D3DMetal is the mode). Some shadows come out blocky with stair-stepped edges, seen inside a ship on an M1 Max. D3DMetal 4 (the Wine 11 engine r24) draws them the same, and a higher Shadow Quality does not change them. On r26 (D3DMetal 4 beta 3) the shadows still show now and then, rare enough that the game is fully playable, and DLSS upscaling works when turned on in Highball.
Known issues
Blocky, stair-stepped shadows in some scenes (M1 Max, D3DMetal 3 and 4)
What helps none known. Shadow Quality makes no difference
Why not diagnosed
Provenance
Reported by tomislav (highball#352, 2026-10-15), Apple M1 Max, macOS 27.0.1, Highball 0.10.15, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r26, D3DMetal: the game runs, with blocky shadows in some scenes (screenshots on the issue). The same reporter later found D3DMetal 4 (the Wine 11 engine r24) draws them the same and that Shadow Quality makes no difference (2026-10-17). Not verified by the maintainer. On the Wine 11 engine r26 (D3DMetal 4 beta 3) the blocky shadows remain but are rare enough that the reporter calls the game fully playable; DLSS upscaling works when turned on in Highball (tomislav, 2026-10-18).
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Starfield work on Mac?
Starfield 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 Starfield?
D3DMetal. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records D3DMetal for Starfield. 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 Starfield 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.