CrossOver vs Parallels vs Game Porting Toolkit: The Best Way to Run Windows Games on Mac in 2026

If you own a Mac and want to play a Windows-only game without resorting to cloud streaming, you have more options than you used to. Some are slick commercial products that work in three clicks. Some are free open-source projects that require comfort with the command line. One was a beloved free tool that shut down in April 2025 with its developer endorsing the paid competitor. The landscape changed meaningfully in 2025 and 2026, and the right choice in 2026 is not the same as the right choice was even a year ago.

This guide compares the main options for running Windows games on Apple Silicon Macs in 2026: CrossOver, Parallels Desktop, Apple's Game Porting Toolkit, the now-discontinued Whisky, and a few honourable mentions. By the end you should know which one to actually use, and why.

The very short version

For 95 percent of Mac gamers in 2026: CrossOver is the answer. It costs $74 a year, runs almost every single-player and PvE Windows game without aggressive anti-cheat, has had a particularly strong 2025-2026 with major version updates adding Helldivers 2, Diablo IV, and Overwatch support, and is the project that funds Wine development on Mac. Yes, we earn a commission when readers sign up through our links. We also genuinely think it's the right call, and we'll explain why in detail below.

Parallels Desktop is the right answer if you need Windows for non-gaming reasons (work software, specific applications) and want a single solution that handles both, or for the small number of games where CrossOver has compatibility issues but Parallels works.

Apple Game Porting Toolkit is technically powerful but built for developers, not players. Using it as a gamer is possible but involves Terminal commands, manual configuration, and a learning curve. Recommended only if you genuinely enjoy tinkering.

Whisky was a great free option but its developer ended the project in April 2025 and explicitly endorsed CrossOver. We don't recommend new installations.

Now to the detail.

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The four ways to run Windows games on Mac (technical primer)

Before comparing the products, it helps to understand what they actually do. Skip this section if you already know.

A Windows game is compiled to run on Windows. macOS is a different operating system with different APIs, different file systems, different graphics frameworks. To run a Windows game on a Mac, something has to translate the game's expectations into something macOS can understand.

Four basic approaches exist.

Compatibility layers (Wine, CrossOver, Whisky, GPT). These translate Windows system calls into Mac equivalents on the fly. The Windows game thinks it's running on Windows. macOS thinks it's running a Mac app. The translation layer sits in between. No Windows operating system is involved. The game runs as a native Mac process. This is the most efficient method when it works.

Virtualisation (Parallels, VMware Fusion, UTM). You install a complete copy of Windows inside macOS. The Windows OS runs in a virtual machine, the game runs inside that Windows OS, and macOS hosts the whole arrangement. This is heavier than compatibility layers (you need RAM and storage for the full Windows install) but more reliable because there's a real Windows OS underneath.

Emulation. Software pretending to be different hardware. Mostly relevant for emulating older consoles or x86 hardware on ARM Macs. Not really how we run modern Windows games but worth mentioning for completeness.

Apple Game Porting Toolkit specifically. This is technically a compatibility layer (it's built on Wine and includes Apple's D3DMetal layer for translating DirectX to Metal), but Apple positions it as a developer tool. It exists to help studios test whether a game would run well on Mac before doing a proper native port. It's not built for end users.

In 2026, the dominant approach for gamers is compatibility layers, specifically CrossOver. Virtualisation via Parallels is a strong secondary option. The reasons why come down to performance, cost, and how much fuss you're willing to deal with.

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CrossOver: the 2026 standard

CrossOver is made by CodeWeavers, the same company that has funded Wine development for nearly 30 years. It's the commercial polish on top of the open-source Wine project, with additional optimisations specifically for Mac, an actual user interface, automatic configuration for hundreds of games, and customer support if something doesn't work.

What you pay

CrossOver pricing as of 2026:

• CrossOver Mac: $74 for a one-time licence with one year of free updates and support
• CrossOver Mac Lifetime: $494 one-time, lifetime updates (rarely needed by most users)
• CrossOver Mac Standard subscription: $39.95 starting tier with reduced support

The standard $74 licence is what almost everyone buys. It includes one year of updates, after which the version you have continues working forever but you stop receiving new features and game support. Renewal is optional. Many users renew every other year, which works fine if you're not chasing the very newest game support.

There's a 14-day free trial that runs the full product with no restrictions. We strongly recommend trying it before you buy. Install the trial, install the specific game you most want to play, see if it works. If yes, buy the licence. If no, you'll know in 20 minutes.

What it runs in 2026

The CrossOver 25 and 26 releases have been particularly significant. February 2026's CrossOver 26 added Helldivers 2 support (which Mac users had been waiting for since the game's 2024 launch). The May 2026 CrossOver 26.1 release with macOS 26.5 restored Diablo IV and Overwatch to playable status. The trajectory of improvements over the past 18 months has been faster than any compatibility layer's progress in years.

Categories of games that CrossOver handles well in 2026:

Single-player AAA without anti-cheat. Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, The Witcher 3 (all editions), Skyrim and the entire Bethesda back catalogue, Hogwarts Legacy, the DOOM series, Persona 5 Royal, most of the Resident Evil catalogue including the older PC ports. These run at 70 to 90 percent of native Windows performance on an M2 Pro or higher.

Indie Windows-only games. Vampire Survivors, Balatro (until the native version), Lethal Company, Phasmophobia, the entire Yacht Club Games catalogue. Most of these run at near-native performance because they're not graphically demanding.

Older PC games. This is where CrossOver really shines. Games from 2005 to 2015 that have no modern launcher updates often run better on CrossOver than they do on modern Windows. Older Total War games, the Half-Life series, classic Bioware titles, ancient Sierra and LucasArts adventure games. CrossOver is the closest thing to a universal "play any Windows game from any era" solution on Mac.

Free-to-play and live-service games without kernel anti-cheat. Path of Exile 2, Hunt: Showdown 1896, World of Tanks, Diablo IV (as of CrossOver 26.1), Overwatch (as of CrossOver 26.1).

Categories that CrossOver still doesn't run:

Anything with kernel-level anti-cheat. Valorant (Vanguard), most Activision-Blizzard PVP titles (Ricochet), Apex Legends (EAC kernel mode), Fortnite (EAC kernel mode), Call of Duty Warzone, Counter-Strike 2 (VAC bans documented), PUBG (BattlEye). These actively detect and block compatibility layers. Don't try them on CrossOver; some publishers will ban accounts that attempt it.

Games requiring specific Windows-only DRM that hasn't been integrated. Rare but it happens. Check CodeWeavers' compatibility database before buying for a specific title.

Performance reality

The honest performance story: CrossOver on Apple Silicon is much better than people who haven't tried it in years assume, and not quite as good as the marketing might suggest.

A demanding modern game like Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition on CrossOver running on an M2 Pro MacBook Pro will deliver around 50 to 70 FPS at 1440p with high settings. This is roughly 70 to 80 percent of what a similarly priced Windows gaming laptop would produce. For the vast majority of single-player games, you won't notice the difference. For competitive multiplayer where every millisecond and every frame matters, the gap is more felt.

Older or less demanding games run at native or near-native performance. Stardew Valley (Windows version, before the native port existed) ran at 200+ FPS on CrossOver, capped by the game's engine. Anything from before about 2018 will probably run flawlessly.

What we like about CrossOver

The 2025 to 2026 development pace has been the strongest in years. CodeWeavers shipped major performance improvements with CrossOver 25 and 26, expanded compatibility significantly, and the team is genuinely engaged with the community on Discord and Reddit.

The Wine relationship matters. CodeWeavers contributes meaningfully to Wine's development. When you buy CrossOver, some of that money funds Wine improvements that benefit the broader open-source community, including projects like Steam's Proton on Linux and the open-source Whisky that built on top of CrossOver's work. It's the rare commercial product that's also good for the open-source community it depends on.

The user experience is genuinely simple. Install CrossOver, search for your game in the built-in compatibility database, click install, point it at your Steam or GOG account, play. For the vast majority of titles, this works the first time.

What we don't like

The annual licence model frustrates some users. $74 every year for ongoing game support is not a small amount, especially given the historical norm of paid software being one-time purchases. CodeWeavers' justification (it funds active development including the Wine contribution) is defensible but the cost adds up.

Support quality has been inconsistent in our experience. Most issues get resolved quickly via the Discord community, but the official support queue can be slow during major release periods.

Some recent games take weeks or months to become CrossOver-compatible after launch. If you're the person who must play a brand new Windows AAA on launch day, cloud streaming is a more reliable bet than waiting for CrossOver to catch up.

Where it fits

CrossOver is the right pick for: anyone who plays single-player or PvE Windows games on Mac, anyone with a back catalogue of older Windows titles, anyone who values local installation over cloud streaming, anyone who wants a one-stop solution for "I bought this on Steam, will it work on my Mac."

CrossOver is not the right pick for: people who only play competitive multiplayer with anti-cheat (use cloud streaming instead), people who play exclusively native Mac titles (you don't need it), or people who want the absolute newest AAA on launch day (cloud is faster).

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Parallels Desktop: the Windows VM option

Parallels Desktop runs a full copy of Windows 11 ARM inside macOS. You install Windows just like you would on a PC, then install games inside that Windows installation. From the game's perspective, it's running on real Windows. From your perspective, Windows runs in a window on your Mac, and you can switch between macOS and Windows freely without rebooting.

What you pay

Parallels Desktop pricing as of 2026 (verified from Parallels' own site):

• Parallels Desktop Standard: $99.99 annual subscription, or $219.99 one-time perpetual licence
• Parallels Desktop Pro: $119.99 annual subscription only
• Parallels Desktop Business: $149.99 annual subscription per user
• Student/Educator discount: Standard at $49.99 per year, Pro at $59.99 per year (verified .edu email required)

The Standard perpetual licence is interesting. At $219.99 it's expensive upfront but you own that version forever. If you don't need new features, the perpetual licence breaks even against the subscription in about 2.5 years.

Then you also need a Windows 11 ARM licence. Microsoft sells these at around £120 for Windows 11 Home or £200 for Windows 11 Pro. Some Parallels users get away without paying for Windows (Windows 11 will run for personal use with limited functionality without activation) but for proper, supported use, you want a licence. Your total first-year cost is therefore around $220 to $320 depending on Windows tier.

What it runs

In theory, Parallels runs anything that runs on Windows 11 ARM. In practice, the picture is more nuanced.

Windows ARM-native applications: These run brilliantly. Most productivity software, browsers, and increasingly more games have ARM-native Windows builds.

Windows x86/x64 applications: Windows 11 ARM includes its own x86 emulation layer (essentially Microsoft's version of Rosetta 2). Most x86 Windows games will run, but they're being translated by Microsoft's layer on top of macOS, which sometimes produces performance variance. A game that's perfectly tuned might run smoothly. A game with quirky requirements might struggle.

Games with kernel anti-cheat: Mostly still don't work, but for different reasons than CrossOver. Anti-cheat detects the virtualised environment and blocks the game. So Parallels doesn't solve the Valorant problem either.

Games where CrossOver's translation has compatibility issues: This is where Parallels genuinely wins. If a specific game runs strangely on CrossOver (graphical glitches, performance issues, crashes), it often runs cleanly on Parallels because Windows is genuinely running underneath.

Performance reality

For modern AAA games, Parallels generally underperforms CrossOver because you're translating twice (Apple Silicon to ARM Windows to x86 game). Performance variance is also higher; some games run great, others mysteriously stutter.

For productivity software and games that have ARM-native Windows versions, Parallels is excellent.

For older games and games where CrossOver doesn't work, Parallels is the reliable backup that often does work.

What we like about Parallels

It just works. Set up Windows, install your game like you would on a Windows machine, play. No compatibility database to check, no Wine bottles to configure, no Terminal commands. The mental model is "Windows but on Mac" and that's exactly what it delivers.

The non-gaming uses are legitimate. If you need Windows for work software (specialised business apps, certain creative tools that haven't been ported, anything Windows-only), Parallels covers that and the gaming use is a bonus. For people in this situation, Parallels is by far the cheapest "Windows PC plus Mac gaming" solution because you're paying for one piece of software that handles both needs.

Apple Silicon performance has improved dramatically since the M1 launch. The current Parallels Desktop Pro on an M3 Max with sufficient RAM allocation produces a Windows experience that's frankly better than many entry-level Windows laptops.

What we don't like

You're paying for Windows on top of Parallels. The total annual cost (Parallels subscription plus Windows licence amortised) is meaningfully higher than CrossOver.

Storage cost is real. A useful Windows 11 ARM installation with a few games will eat 100 to 200 GB of your Mac's SSD. On a 256 GB MacBook Air, this is a problem.

Gaming performance for modern AAA is generally lower than CrossOver despite the higher complexity. You're paying more and getting less for the specific use case of running new Windows games.

The "Standard" tier limits virtual machines to 8 GB of RAM. For demanding games this is a real constraint. You probably want the Pro tier for serious gaming use, which pushes annual cost up.

Where it fits

Parallels is the right pick for: people who need Windows for non-gaming reasons (work, specific apps) and want gaming included; people for whom specific games don't work on CrossOver but do work on Parallels; people who value reliability over peak performance.

Parallels is not the right pick for: people whose only use case is gaming (CrossOver is cheaper and usually faster); people on Mac models with limited storage; people who play current AAA on launch day where CrossOver might have caught up.

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Apple Game Porting Toolkit (GPT): the developer tool

Apple's Game Porting Toolkit, currently in version 3 as announced at WWDC 2025, is technically a compatibility layer like CrossOver. It's built on Wine and adds Apple's D3DMetal translation layer that converts DirectX 12 calls to Metal in real time. The technology is genuinely impressive. The experience of using it as a player is significantly less so.

What Apple positions it as

GPT is a developer tool. Apple's official messaging is consistent: GPT exists for game developers to evaluate whether their Windows games would run well on Mac, with the goal of encouraging proper native ports afterwards. It's not marketed at end users.

The Apple Developer site explicitly says GPT is for testing how games might run before doing real porting work. The recommended path is: developer uses GPT to check feasibility, then ports the game properly to Metal. GPT itself is not the destination.

What it actually is for players

In practice, technically savvy Mac gamers have been using GPT as a free CrossOver alternative since Apple released it in 2023. The setup involves installing the GPT package via Homebrew, configuring a Wine prefix manually, installing the Steam Windows client into that prefix via Terminal commands, then running games through that.

It works. People run [[game:DOOM Eternal]], Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition, Elden Ring, and dozens of other titles on GPT regularly. Performance is roughly comparable to CrossOver, sometimes slightly better because Apple's D3DMetal is genuinely well-optimised.

What it's not is user-friendly. There's no graphical installer, no "search for your game and click install" workflow, no built-in compatibility database. You're managing Wine prefixes from the command line.

Cost

Free. Apple distributes GPT at no charge. Unlike CrossOver's annual licence or Parallels' subscription, GPT costs nothing.

What we like

The price. Free is hard to argue with.

The performance is excellent for the games that work. Apple's D3DMetal is a legitimately impressive piece of engineering and often matches or beats CrossOver on specific titles.

The principle. Apple is putting actual effort into Mac gaming infrastructure, and GPT is part of that. Even though it's developer-aimed, the existence of GPT pressures developers to think about Mac as a viable platform.

What we don't like

The setup process is genuinely difficult for non-technical users. If "open Terminal and run brew install apple/apple/game-porting-toolkit" sounds unfamiliar, you'll struggle. The community has produced helper scripts and unofficial guides but none of it is officially supported.

No automatic compatibility database. With CrossOver you can search "Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition" and see whether it works and what configuration is recommended. With GPT you have to find a forum thread or YouTube video for your specific game.

No customer support. If a game doesn't work, you're on your own (or relying on community Discord help).

Apple's commitment to GPT as an ongoing project is less clear than CodeWeavers' commitment to CrossOver. GPT updates have been slower than CrossOver's. The May 2025 to May 2026 cadence on GPT was modest compared to CrossOver's two major version releases in the same period.

Where it fits

GPT is the right pick for: technically confident Mac users who genuinely enjoy command-line setup, people who specifically want a free option and can't or won't pay for CrossOver, developers actually evaluating game ports.

GPT is not the right pick for: anyone who values their time, anyone uncomfortable with Terminal, anyone who wants to play games rather than tinker with configuration.

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Whisky: discontinued, included for context

Whisky was a free graphical front-end for Wine on Mac, created by Isaac Marovitz starting in 2023. It used Apple's GPT underneath and provided the user-friendly interface that GPT itself lacks. For about 18 months, it was the obvious recommendation for budget-conscious Mac gamers.

In April 2025, Marovitz announced that Whisky's development was ending. The reasons he gave are worth understanding because they shape our recommendation in 2026.

Marovitz explicitly said Whisky had become "parasitic" to the Wine project. CrossOver funds Wine development on Mac. Whisky competed with CrossOver while contributing "practically zero" back to Wine development. As Whisky's user base grew, the risk was that CodeWeavers would lose enough revenue to scale back Wine work, which would hurt the entire Mac compatibility scene (including Whisky itself, which depended on Wine).

This is a remarkable thing for a developer to say about their own project. Marovitz could have continued maintaining Whisky and let CrossOver figure out its own commercial sustainability. Instead, he shut down a project with significant user love because he thought the long-term community health mattered more.

CodeWeavers responded with grace; their CEO published a blog post commending Marovitz's work and decision rather than gloating.

What this means for you in 2026

Existing Whisky installations continue working but won't be updated. Don't install Whisky fresh in 2026; it's increasingly likely to break with new macOS versions or game patches, and there's no maintenance coming.

The Whisky story also implicitly validates our top recommendation. The developer of the leading free alternative looked at the situation and concluded that paying for CrossOver was the right choice for the community. We agree.

If you currently use Whisky and want to migrate, CrossOver can usually import existing Wine prefixes. The migration is non-trivial but possible.

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Honourable mentions

A few smaller options worth mentioning briefly.

UTM is a free virtualisation tool similar to Parallels but with a much rougher user experience and no commercial polish. Genuinely useful for running unusual operating systems (older Linux distros, BSD, niche use cases) but not really practical for gaming. The performance overhead is higher than Parallels and the gaming-specific optimisations don't exist.

VMware Fusion is the long-running Parallels competitor. VMware made Fusion Pro free for personal use in 2024, which is genuinely generous. For non-gaming Windows use it's a viable Parallels alternative. For gaming specifically, Fusion has historically lagged Parallels on Apple Silicon graphics performance, though the gap has narrowed.

Heroic Games Launcher is a free open-source launcher for GOG and Epic games on Mac. It uses Wine and works for many games, particularly older ones. As a complement to CrossOver it's actually useful (it manages your GOG/Epic libraries cleanly) rather than a replacement. Worth knowing about if you have a significant GOG collection.

PortingKit and Wineskin are very old Mac Wine wrappers that haven't been actively maintained for years. We don't recommend them in 2026.

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Side-by-side comparison

Direct comparison across the major options:

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Our recommendation for most Mac gamers in 2026

Buy CrossOver. $74 a year. The 14-day free trial means you can verify your specific games work before paying anything. CodeWeavers has been on a roll in 2025-2026 with major improvements every few months. Helldivers 2, Diablo IV, and Overwatch all became playable on CrossOver in the past four months alone.

Yes, we earn commission when you sign up through our link. We also genuinely use it ourselves. The decision tree for Mac gaming compatibility in 2026 ends at CrossOver for the vast majority of users.

Consider Parallels Desktop if:

• You also need Windows for non-gaming reasons (work software, specific apps)
• A specific game you really want to play doesn't work on CrossOver but does work on Parallels
• You have plenty of Mac storage and don't mind allocating 100+ GB to a Windows install

Consider Apple Game Porting Toolkit if:

• You're technically confident and enjoy Terminal-based setup
• You specifically need a free option and can't pay for CrossOver
• You want to understand the technology rather than just use it

Don't consider Whisky:

• Development ended April 2025
• Existing installations will increasingly break with new macOS and game versions
• Migrate to CrossOver if you currently use it

Don't bother with VMware Fusion or UTM for gaming specifically:

• They work for non-gaming Windows use but lack Parallels' gaming optimisations
• Fusion is genuinely good for non-gaming Windows on Mac; just not for games

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The Mac gaming compatibility scene in 2026

Stepping back from the product comparison: 2025 and 2026 have been the best years for Mac gaming compatibility in two decades. CrossOver has shipped two major versions with significant compatibility improvements. Apple's Game Porting Toolkit reached v3 with Metal 4 support. The Whisky shutdown clarified the project sustainability argument. Several major native Mac ports landed (Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition finally got a native version, [[game:Resident Evil 4 Remake]], Death Stranding 2).

If you've been waiting to take Mac gaming seriously, this is the moment. The infrastructure has matured. A CrossOver licence plus an existing Mac (M1 Pro or higher recommended for serious AAA work) plus a Boosteroid cloud subscription handles essentially every Windows game that's playable on any consumer Mac solution. The Mac is not a Windows gaming PC, but it doesn't need to be to play almost anything you'd want to play.

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Where to go next

• Read our overview: Gaming on Mac in 2026: Everything You Need to Know
• The 10 Best FPS Games to Play on Mac in 2026 (cloud and CrossOver tested)
• Boosteroid vs GeForce Now vs Amazon Luna: The Best Cloud Gaming for Mac in 2026
• Best Mac-native games of 2026 (coming soon)

Search any specific Windows game on our homepage to see whether it runs on CrossOver, what the recommended setup is, and where to buy it.

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Last updated: May 2026. We re-test compatibility on every major macOS, CrossOver, and Parallels release. Found something out of date or incorrect? Submit a correction at willitrunonmac.com/submit.

Disclosure: Some links on this site are affiliate links, and we may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Our recommendations are based on Mac compatibility and game quality first. Where multiple options work equally well, we lead with the one that supports us through affiliate revenue, but we never recommend a solution that isn't actually a good option for the user.