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 | 3 reports |
| DXMTDirect3D 11 over Metal | Reported | 1 report |
| D3DMetalApple's Game Porting Toolkit | Untested | no report yet — send one |
last confirmed 2026-09-08 · engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r11 · macOS 27.0. Dated runs record the engine build and, where the reporter gave it, the macOS version.
Notes
Plays. Reported on an M5 Pro over several sessions: on the built-in ProMotion display with Highball's frame rate limit at 120, DXMT, raw input on, it plays perfectly. On an external 60 Hz monitor the game's own "Wait for vertical sync" held the frame rate at 59.95; turning it off frees the frame rate, but the view still stutters while the mouse moves (smooth when walking, jitter only from camera movement), on DXMT uncapped and on DXVK alike; DXVK with Highball's limit at 60 and the game's at 120 is mainly playable with noticeable camera jitter. Kayf-Life shows the same; Portal 2 on the same monitor does not. A second reporter played 185 minutes on DXVK on an M3 Max with macOS 27 and rated it playable with minor issues. The same reporter later rated it perfect on DXVK with Highball's limit at 60 on engine r11, after 100 minutes. Not tried here. A later report has it perfect on DXVK with Highball's frame rate limit at 60 on an M4 with macOS 26.6.2, engine r7, after 10 minutes. Checked here on 2026-10-05 on an M4 with engine r21 (DEP kept on), the 64-bit build: the main menu comes up at 130 s with Find a Game ready; no match played.
Known issues
On an external 60 Hz monitor the view jitters while the mouse moves (walking is smooth, only camera movement stutters), with raw input on, on DXMT and DXVK alike; the built-in ProMotion display with a 120 fps limit plays perfectly (M5 Pro).
What helps Reported and reproduced to be smooth at 120 Hz: play on a 120 Hz or ProMotion display, raw input on. On a 60 Hz display the camera jitter is open; capping the rate did not remove it.
Why Reproduced on an Apple M1 Pro (2026-09-08, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r2, DXMT). On the built-in display at 60 Hz the Metal HUD's frame interval sits steady near 9 ms while standing and spikes to about 21 ms with a jagged graph the moment the view turns; at 120 Hz on the same machine, same map, same mouse sweep, it stays flat near 6.7 ms with no spikes. So it is tied to the 60 Hz refresh rate and the frame presentation path at that rate, not the renderer (seen on DXMT) or the mouse input alone. The game's own vertical sync is a separate thing (it only capped the rate). Portal 2 on the same 60 Hz display is smooth, so it is specific to this game's rendering under Wine at 60 Hz.
Provenance
reported by hayden9002 (highball-db#11), Apple M5 Pro, several sessions, unverified by Highball. Site-Ark-M (highball-db#148, 2026-09-20): rated 4, playable with minor issues, Apple M3 Max, macOS 27.0, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r3, Highball 0.9.19, DXVK, 185 minutes played through Highball; the minor issues were not described. Bobiswifi (highball-db#229, 2026-09-26): rated 5, perfect, Apple M4, macOS 26.6.2, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r7, Highball 0.9.35, DXVK with the frame rate limit at 60, 10 minutes played through Highball. amaipudding (highball-db#239, 2026-09-27): rated 5, perfect, Apple A18 Pro, macOS 27.0, Highball 0.9.38, engine x64-crossover26.3-r7, DXMT with the frame rate limit at 60, one minute played through Highball. Site-Ark-M again (highball-db#265, 2026-09-30): rated 5, perfect, Apple M3 Max, macOS 27.0, engine x64-sikarugir10.0_6-r11, Highball 0.9.39, DXVK with the frame rate limit at 60, 100 minutes played through Highball.
Before installing anything, it is worth checking whether the game already ships a native Mac build.
Common questions
Does Team Fortress 2 work on Mac?
Team Fortress 2 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 Team Fortress 2?
DXMT. Highball can translate Direct3D through DXVK, DXMT or Apple's D3DMetal, and the right choice varies by game. The database records DXMT for Team Fortress 2. 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 Team Fortress 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.