Starts with the shaders from last time.
Malbec keeps the shaders your games build between sessions, per store and for every game you add. macOS Game Mode turns on while you play.
Steam and Battle.net, set up for you. Any Windows game you add. DirectX 10 and 11 on Metal, and a label on every game that says how far we’ve tested it.
Download the trialBuy for $12.99
Free for 7 days. The trial starts when you choose. One free trial per Mac. Needs the internet once per Mac to activate. Works on 3 Macs at a time. Apple silicon, macOS 26.5 or later. Also needs Rosetta 2.
Frame rates
Overwatch, on one Mac: Malbec against CrossOver 26.2 with its D3DMetal setting.
- 61%more frames per second155 against 96 FPS on average, on Malbec and CrossOver 26.2.
- 8.5×higher 1% lows78 against 9 FPS over the slowest 1% of frames, on Malbec and CrossOver 26.2.
- 0stutters over 50 ms per minuteAgainst 52 on CrossOver 26.2. A stutter here is a frame that took longer than 50 ms.
Measured on a MacBook Pro (M5 Max, 48 GB) with macOS 27.0, Overwatch, the Workshop benchmark map, 22 October 2026, n=5 maps on Malbec and 3 on CrossOver 26.2. In-game settings on both: fullscreen 2560×1600, the same graphics preset, DirectX 11, frame-rate limit 600. Malbec ran its Maglev engine (malbec-20261022.4) with the performance settings Malbec ships with. Each number is the median of a side’s maps. Both sides had played Overwatch earlier that day, so their shader caches weren’t empty; a first session with an empty cache wasn’t measured at these settings.
Overwatch (DirectX 11)
Each bar is the median of a side’s maps; the line across it runs from its lowest map to its highest. Every bar starts at zero.
Average FPS Higher is better. Malbec: 61% more.
- Malbec155 FPS5 maps, 138 to 159
- CrossOver 26.2 (D3DMetal)96 FPS3 maps, 91 to 103
1% low Higher is better. Malbec: 8.5× higher.
- Malbec78 FPS5 maps, 65 to 85
- CrossOver 26.2 (D3DMetal)9 FPS3 maps, 9 to 11
Stutters over 50 ms Lower is better. Malbec: 0 in every map.
- Malbec0 per minute5 maps, each 0
- CrossOver 26.2 (D3DMetal)52 per minute3 maps, 49 to 78
Slowest frame Lower is better. Malbec: 11× shorter.
- Malbec20 ms5 maps, 16 to 30
- CrossOver 26.2 (D3DMetal)223 ms3 maps, 207 to 340
Against CrossOver 26.2 (D3DMetal): Malbec is ahead in all four, and in each the two sides’ ranges, from lowest map to highest, don’t overlap.
Being measured: CrossOver’s DXMT setting and CrossOver 26.3 (the current version).
What runs
The launch catalog by label, and the games we know don’t run, with the reason. Every catalog game has its own settings in Malbec.
Tuned 1 game
Profiled frame by frame, with settings of its own.
Preview 17 games
Expected to work, with its own settings. Not signed off yet.
Plus any Windows game you add, marked Untested: we haven’t tested it, and it may not run. Adding your own games
Not yet 20 games
These need DirectX 12, which Malbec doesn’t run yet.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Elden Ring, Helldivers 2, Diablo IV, Black Myth: Wukong, Monster Hunter Wilds, Path of Exile 2, Diablo II: Resurrected, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Forza Horizon 5, Forza Horizon 6, Hogwarts Legacy, God of War Ragnarök, Satisfactory, Persona 3 Reload, Street Fighter 6, Starfield, Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced, Marvel Rivals. Each one with its reason and source
Won’t run 17 games
Their anti-cheat needs the Windows kernel, or its maker blocks Wine, so no Mac app can run them.
Valorant, Fortnite, Apex Legends, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, PUBG: Battlegrounds, Call of Duty, Destiny 2, Call of Duty: Warzone, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Battlefield 6, Battlefield 2042, EA SPORTS FC 25, EA SPORTS FC 26, Delta Force, Arena Breakout: Infinite, League of Legends. Each one with its reason and source
Has a Mac version 18 games
These have a Mac version of their own. Play that one.
Baldur’s Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Stardew Valley, Hades II, Sid Meier’s Civilization VI, Dota 2, Valheim, Terraria, Hollow Knight, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades, HITMAN World of Assassination, SnowRunner, 7 Days to Die, Arma 3, Rust, Palworld, World of Warcraft. Each one with its reason and source
Labels in the app match the labels here. Before you play a game you added, Malbec shows any reason it knows of that the game won’t run; a game nobody has tested can still fail. Kernel anti-cheat status from AreWeAntiCheatYet and CodeWeavers; DirectX versions from each game’s store page; checked 14 October 2026. Every game, and every one that won’t run, with the reason.
What players told us after playingVote for the next game we tune
Stores, games and graphics
Steam and Battle.net, set up for you.
Malbec downloads each store’s official installer from Valve and Blizzard, checks it, and gives each store its own Windows environment. Every game in your Steam library shows up on its own.
- Steam
- Set up by Malbec. Every Steam game you install is found automatically.
- Battle.net
- Set up by Malbec. Opens, starts the game and stays open while you play.
- Sign-in
- On the store’s own window. Malbec never sees your password.
Add any Windows game. Untested ones are labelled.
Run an installer from GOG, a disc or a website, or add a game folder copied from a PC. Malbec runs it with its standard settings and marks it Untested until we’ve tested it.
- Installer
- A setup program (.exe or .msi) from GOG, a disc or a website.
- Game folder
- A game that’s already installed, for example copied from a PC.
- CrossOver, Recall
- Malbec finds your games and copies them without downloading them again. The originals aren’t changed. On the same APFS volume the copy shares the game’s data until either copy changes.
DirectX 10 and 11 on Metal. DirectX 12: not yet.
Malbec translates DirectX 10 and 11 to Metal through DXMT, in 64-bit and 32-bit games. When a game offers both DirectX 11 and 12, Malbec hides DirectX 12 so the game chooses 11.
- DirectX 10 and 11Metal, through DXMT 64-bit and 32-bit
- DirectX 9, OpenGL and VulkanWine’s own paths May be slower
- DirectX 12Not yet DirectX 12-only games don’t start
While you play
Settings for every game, and a reset.
Every catalog game has its own settings for graphics, mouse and display. In shooters, Malbec reads your mouse directly instead of waiting for the macOS pointer. Cap a game’s frame rate, or limit it to 60 on battery; both stay off unless you turn them on.
Reset to Malbec’s Settings puts a game back the way we shipped it.
Quiet while you play.
No notifications or update prompts until your game closes. Steam starts silently for game launches, and fullscreen sizes respect the notch on MacBooks.
Choose how you start
7days
Try it free
The trial starts when you choose.
- The whole app and every catalog game
- Setting up Steam and Battle.net, bringing games over and changing settings don’t start it
- Press Start Free Trial when you’re ready to play. The 7 days run from then, whether you play or not
- One free trial per Mac
- After the trial, these need a license: Play, Install, Open Store, Uninstall in Store, Run an Installer and Run a Windows Program
No account needed.
Download the trial
$12.99
Launch priceBuy it once
No subscription.
- Free updates for as long as we make Malbec
- If we ever stop making Malbec, we will release a final version that needs no license
- Works offline after you activate it once
- Works on 3 Macs at a time. Move it by deactivating a Mac in Malbec, or by a link we email you
- Refunds within 14 days, for any reason
Checkout by Stripe. Link, Stripe’s checkout, sells Malbec to you for us and sends your receipt. Prices in US dollars; tax is added at checkout where required.
Buy MalbecNeeds the internet once per Mac to activate. Works on 3 Macs at a time. Apple silicon, macOS 26.5 or later.
Needs a Mac with Apple silicon, macOS 26.5 or later and Rosetta 2. About 2 GB of free space for Malbec, plus room for your games.
Tech specs
EngineWine and DXMT, built by us
- Wine
- Our own build, from CodeWeavers’ published CrossOver 26.3 sources
- Graphics layer
- DXMT: DirectX 10 and 11 to Metal
- Source
- Open source, GNU LGPL. The source of every release’s engine is published on the source page
- Not included
- Apple’s D3DMetal. Malbec never ships it
GraphicsDirectX 10 and 11 on Metal
- DirectX 10 and 11
- Metal, through DXMT. 64-bit and 32-bit games
- DirectX 9, OpenGL, Vulkan
- Through Wine’s own paths. May be slower
- DirectX 12
- Not yet. Games that only support DirectX 12 won’t start
- DirectX 11 and 12 games
- DirectX 12 is hidden, so the game chooses DirectX 11
- Fullscreen
- Sizes respect the notch on MacBooks
PlayGame Mode, raw mouse, kept shaders
- macOS Game Mode
- For every game, on unless you turn it off in the game’s settings
- Mouse
- Raw input where it helps, set per game: in shooters, Malbec reads your mouse directly
- Shaders
- Kept between sessions, per store and per added game
- Frame rate
- A cap per game, and Limit to 60 on battery. Both off unless you turn them on
- Settings
- Per game for graphics, mouse and display, with Reset to Malbec’s Settings
- Tuned games
- Profiled frame by frame, with settings of their own
Stores and librarySteam, Battle.net, anything you add
- Steam
- Set up by Malbec. Every Steam game you install is found automatically
- Battle.net
- Set up by Malbec, from Blizzard’s official installer
- Any Windows game
- From an installer (GOG, discs, websites) or a game folder. Labelled Untested
- Import
- From CrossOver and Recall, without downloading again. On the same APFS volume the copy shares the game’s data and takes no extra space until either copy changes; otherwise it is a full copy
- Game files
- Malbec doesn’t change them. The one exception is Overwatch’s display settings file, and Malbec keeps a copy of the original first
- Anti-cheat
- Games with kernel anti-cheat won’t run
RequirementsApple silicon, Rosetta 2
- macOS
- 26.5 or later
- Mac
- Apple silicon
- Rosetta 2
- Malbec needs Rosetta 2. macOS 27 is the last version with full Rosetta. We are working on an engine that doesn’t need it and will say before macOS 28 ships what Malbec needs there. We can’t promise games will run on macOS 28 today.
- Disk
- About 2 GB of free space for Malbec, plus room for your games
PrivacyNo account, no tracking
- Tracking
- No analytics, no ads, no tracking, no account
- Store sign-in
- On the store’s own window. Malbec never sees or stores your password
- Diagnostics
- Leave your Mac only if you send them, with your home folder’s path masked
Malbec next to CrossOver and the free tools
It costs less than CrossOver and runs fewer games. Facts from each product’s own pages and release notes. Marks where another app does more than Malbec.
FeatureMalbecCrossOver 26.3Free tools
Price$12.99, once.Free updates for as long as we make Malbec. Free for 7 days. The trial starts when you choose. One free trial per Mac.$74 the first year12 months of updates; $494 lifetime. 14-day trial.Does more than Malbec here: FreeHighball, Heroic, Porting Kit, the Whisky fork
DirectX 10 and 11Metal, through DXMTD3DMetal, DXMT or DXVK, picked per gameDXMT, D3DMetal or DXVK, by tool
32-bit DirectX 11 on MetalYes, through DXMTYes, with its DXMT settingSeen in our own Unigine Heaven runs. CrossOver 27 (early 2027) drops 32-bit bottles.Not listed
DirectX 12Not yetGames that only support DirectX 12 don’t start.Does more than Malbec here: Yes, through D3DMetalDoes more than Malbec here: Yes in Highball, Heroic and the Whisky fork, through Apple’s D3DMetal or Game Porting ToolkitSome games in Porting Kit.
StoresSteam and Battle.net, set up for youInstallers and game folders. Imports from CrossOver and Recall.Does more than Malbec here: Any: it installs Windows launchersHighball: Steam and Epic. Heroic: Epic, GOG and Amazon.
Games it knows18 catalog games, each labelledGames you add say Untested; a Won’t run list with reasons.Does more than Malbec here: A database of 20,000+ entriesIt picks a graphics backend per game from it.Does more than Malbec here: Highball: an open database20 hand-verified games, 358 from the community, 12,491 predictions.
Per-game tuningSettings for every catalog gameOverwatch profiled frame by frame.A graphics backend per gameHighball: engine and frame cap per game
Shaders kept between sessionsYes, per store and per added gameNot listedNot listed
macOS Game ModeYes, per gameOn unless you turn it off in the game’s settings.Not listedNot listed
Raw mouse inputWhere it helps, set per gameNot listedNot listed
Source codeThe engine’s, for every releaseWine and DXMT, GNU LGPL. The app itself is closed.Its Wine sourcesD3DMetal is Apple’s, and closed.Does more than Malbec here: Highball: the whole appGPL-3.0.
An amber mark rings a cell where the other app does more than Malbec. Not listed means we didn’t find it on the maker’s own pages on 14 October 2026. If we missed something, write to support@malbec.app and we’ll correct this page.
What CrossOver does that we don’t
DirectX 12 games, through Apple’s D3DMetal. Thousands of Windows apps, not only games, from any launcher. If you need those today, CrossOver is the app to buy.
It costs $74 with 12 months of updates, or $494 for life (CodeWeavers, checked 14 October 2026).
- You play Valorant, Fortnite or another game with kernel anti-cheat.
- They don’t run under Wine in any Mac app, Malbec included.
- GeForce NOW
- You need a DirectX 12-only game today.
- The Witcher 3 since patch 5.0, Elden Ring, Helldivers 2 and Diablo IV don’t start in Malbec. CrossOver runs many of them through D3DMetal; GameToMac curates some.
- CrossOver or GameToMac
- Your game has a Mac version.
- Play that version. Malbec says “Has a Mac version” on those games.
- The Mac version
- You want it free.
- Highball is free and open source, with an open compatibility database. Pixel Port is free during its beta and, by its reviews, asks for almost no setup.
- Highball or Pixel Port
- You need Windows itself, not only games.
- Parallels runs a Windows 11 virtual machine. It needs a Windows license, runs DirectX 11 at most, and anti-cheat refuses virtual machines.
- Parallels Desktop
Questions
Something else? Support answers by email.
Will my Steam games show up?
Yes. After Malbec sets up Steam and you sign in, every game you install in Steam appears in Malbec on its own. Catalog games get their own settings; the rest are labelled Untested.
Will my game run?
Look for it under What runs and on the games page. A game you add is labelled Untested. Before you play, Malbec shows any reason it knows of that the game won’t run; a game nobody has tested can still fail. The trial is the way to find out on your own Mac.
What about DirectX 12?
Not yet. Games that only support DirectX 12 don’t start in Malbec. Games that offer both start in DirectX 11. If you need DirectX 12 games today, CrossOver runs many of them.
Can I get banned?
Malbec doesn’t change your games or their files, except Overwatch’s display settings file, which it sets to match your screen after keeping a copy of the original. It runs games the way CrossOver does, through Wine. We can’t speak for publishers; play under their terms. Games with kernel anti-cheat don’t run at all.
Do I pay for updates?
No. Buy once. Free updates for as long as we make Malbec. There is no subscription and no paid upgrade.
What if you stop making Malbec?
We will release a final version that needs no license and never checks one. Until then, your license keeps working as it does today.
Does my license need the internet?
Once per Mac, to activate it. Works offline after you activate it once. Malbec checks it now and then when you’re online, and a missed check never stops you playing. It stops only if the purchase is refunded or charged back, the key is turned off or replaced, or you remove this Mac. A changed copy of Malbec can’t start games.
How many Macs can I use it on?
One license works on 3 Macs at a time. You can move it: choose Deactivate This Mac in Settings › License on the Mac you no longer use, or remove a Mac by a link we email you (Manage Macs in Settings › License, or Lost your key? here). Then activate the new Mac with the same key.
I lost my key. What now?
It’s in the email we sent after you bought Malbec. Can’t find it? Use Lost your key?: enter the address you bought with, and we email every key for it, with a link to manage your Macs. We never show a key on the page.
Why does my statement say LINK.COM?
Link, Stripe’s checkout, sells Malbec to you for us. So your statement says LINK.COM* MALBEC, and your receipt comes from Link. Your license key comes in a separate email from us, and on the page you see after paying.
When does the trial start?
When you choose. Setting up Steam and Battle.net, bringing games over and changing settings don’t start it, and never need a license. The first time you press Play, or anything else that needs a license, Malbec offers Start Free Trial; Settings › License has the same button. From then on the trial runs for 7 days, whether you play or not. One free trial per Mac: reinstalling Malbec doesn’t start a new one.
Can I try it on a second-hand Mac?
Yes, if nobody started the trial on that Mac before you. If they did, write to support@malbec.app with the support code from Settings › License, and we reset the trial for you.
I use CrossOver or Recall. Can I bring my games?
Yes. Add a Game › Bring from CrossOver or Bring from Recall finds your games and copies them without downloading them again; the originals aren’t changed. When both are on the same APFS volume (usually your Mac’s own disk), the copy shares the game’s data and takes no extra space until either copy changes; otherwise it is a full copy.
What does Malbec collect?
No account, no analytics, no ads, no tracking. The app sends us only what your license and trial need, listed below, and it talks only to these servers:
- Valve:
cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com,shared.akamai.steamstatic.com,api.steampowered.comandstore.steampowered.com, for game artwork, Steam store details and Steam’s installer. - Blizzard:
downloader.battle.netand the download servers it hands the request to, for the Battle.net installer, anddownloader.battlenet.com.cnfor the installer of China’s Battle.net. - Us:
license.malbec.app, to activate your license (your key, a one-way code made from your Mac’s hardware ID, a public key this Mac makes for itself, the Mac’s model name, and the macOS and Malbec versions), to register the free trial once, to check the license about once a week when you’re online, to deactivate a Mac, to email you a link to manage your Macs, and for download links to engine, catalog and shader updates. - Us:
downloads.malbec.app, for update checks and updates; with each update check, two small signed files (settings, and the list of our current signing keys); and on a licensed Mac, the signed list of keys and Macs that no longer work.
To activate your license and keep the free trial to one per Mac, Malbec sends a one-way code made from your Mac’s hardware ID. It can’t be turned back into the ID, and we use it only for your license and trial. Links to our website (malbec.app) and GitHub (github.com) open in your browser; Buy Malbec goes through our website to Stripe’s checkout. Diagnostics leave your Mac only when you send them yourself. The privacy policy says what each server receives. This website loads nothing from other sites: the game art on it is served from here.
What happens on macOS 28?
Malbec needs Rosetta 2. macOS 27 is the last version with full Rosetta. We are working on an engine that doesn’t need it and will say before macOS 28 ships what Malbec needs there. We can’t promise games will run on macOS 28 today.
And if it doesn’t work for me?
Refunds within 14 days, for any reason. Write to support@malbec.app or reply to the email with your key; you can also ask Link, which sent your receipt. A refund ends the license. The refund policy has the details.
Try it on your own games
Malbec , MB. Needs macOS 26.5 or later on a Mac with Apple silicon.
SHA-256:
The first release isn’t out yet. When it is, you download it here, with its checksum.
Download the trialBuy for $12.99
Needs the internet once per Mac to activate. Works on 3 Macs at a time. Apple silicon, macOS 26.5 or later. One free trial per Mac.
- Open the disk image.
- Drag Malbec to Applications.
- Open Malbec and pick a store.