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Highball

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TL;DR

Highball is a native macOS app and CLI that runs Windows games on Apple Silicon Macs using Wine, DXMT, D3DMetal, and DXVK, with an open compatibility database showing which games work before you download them. Removes the complexity of manually configuring Wine, DXMT, and DXVK on Apple Silicon Macs, and provides an honest, crowd-sourced compatibility database so users know whether a game runs before committing to a large download.

What it actually is

  • What: Highball is a native macOS app and CLI that runs Windows games on Apple Silicon Macs using Wine, DXMT, D3DMetal, and DXVK, with an open compatibility database showing which games work before you download them.
  • Who built it / maintained by: gauthierpiarrette (open-source, individual author)
  • Status: beta
  • Why it matters: Removes the complexity of manually configuring Wine, DXMT, and DXVK on Apple Silicon Macs, and provides an honest, crowd-sourced compatibility database so users know whether a game runs before committing to a large download.
  • How it compares to alternatives:
  • CrossOver
  • Whisky
  • Porting Kit
  • GPTK (Game Porting Toolkit)
  • Bottler
  • GitHub stars: 1,621 · License: GPL-3.0 · Archived: no

Links

  • Repo: https://github.com/gauthierpiarrette/highball
  • Docs: https://gethighball.com/database

Research evidence

General descriptions are reported, not independently tested. source_verified means the exact quotation was found in retrieved source text; it does not establish that an upstream claim works locally.

  • Identity: resolved · Basis: source_reported
  • reported: Highball is described as beta, working end to end with one-button setup, Steam login, and per-game graphics mode from the database. (evidence: none)
  • reported: Cyberpunk 2077 reportedly runs at 60–82 fps on an M5 Mac using D3DMetal and FSR 2.1. (evidence: none)
  • reported: The project uses an open, CC0-licensed compatibility database (highball-db) browsable at gethighball.com/database. (evidence: none)
  • reported: Highball is licensed under GPL-3.0 and is not a paid tool. (evidence: github-metadata)
  • reported: Whisky, a comparable tool, was archived in 2025; Highball cites this as a design motivation. (evidence: none)
  • reported: Highball requires Apple Silicon and macOS 14 or later. (evidence: none)
  • reported: Engines are assembled from pinned, SHA-256-verified upstream builds. (evidence: none)
  • github-metadata · metadata · retrieved 2026-10-17T17:37:45.697Z · published unknown

Source excerpt: {"github_stars":1621,"open_issues":76,"last_pushed":"2026-10-17T08:48:37.000Z","license":"GPL-3.0","archived":false}

Kickstarter guide

Pseudocode / untested proposal. Check current upstream instructions and the target project before execution.

Install via Homebrew (pseudocode — unverified): brew install --cask gauthierpiarrette/highball/highball. Alternatively, download the notarized .dmg from the GitHub releases page, drag Highball to Applications, open it, and press 'Get Started'. The app will install Rosetta 2 if needed, download the Wine engine (a few hundred MB), and then prompt you to connect Steam or Epic libraries. Check game compatibility at gethighball.com/database before downloading. Note: all code and commands above are pseudocode pending local verification.