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
Reported working on an M2 Pro with D3DMetal once DirectX 10 is turned off for it. In D3DMetal mode a 64-bit game that loads DirectX 10 gets DXMT's d3d10core, which asks D3DMetal's Direct3D 11 for a function it does not have, and Steep stopped right at start with 'unimplemented function D3D11.DLL.D3D11CoreCreateDevice'. Setting the DLL overrides to d3d10,d3d10_1,d3d10core=d fixed it. DXMT refused the game's 8-sample texture on that Mac, and DXVK started but drew stretched menus and ran slowly. Long sessions and online play are untested.
Known issues
In D3DMetal mode the game stops at start with 'Call to unimplemented function D3D11.DLL.D3D11CoreCreateDevice, aborting'
What helps set the environment's DLL overrides (Full page, Advanced) to d3d10,d3d10_1,d3d10core=d and keep D3DMetal
Why the game loads DirectX 10, and in D3DMetal mode the 64-bit d3d10core comes from DXMT, which needs a Direct3D 11 function D3DMetal does not export
DXMT refuses an 8-sample texture and the game does not start
What helps use D3DMetal with DirectX 10 turned off as above
Why the Mac's GPU offers 1, 2 or 4 samples, not 8
Provenance
Reported by Sean-Shmulevich (highball-db#465, 2026-10-12), Apple M2 Pro with 16 GB, macOS 26.3.1, a Highball CLI built from source at gin 0e0eb5d, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r21, D3DMetal with d3d10, d3d10_1 and d3d10core disabled, msync, AVX advertised, 1280x720 capped at 30 fps, rated 5 of 5 after a short session. steep.exe was started directly, so the Steam and Ubisoft sign-in path was not tested. Not verified by the maintainer.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Steep work on Mac?
Steep 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 Steep?
D3DMetal. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records D3DMetal for Steep. 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 Steep 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.