September was one of the busiest months for Mac gaming in a long time. macOS 27 Golden Gate arrived with Game Porting Toolkit 4, Apple confirmed the timetable for retiring Rosetta 2, CodeWeavers pushed on with a native Apple Silicon version of CrossOver, and Remedy said CONTROL Resonant is coming to Mac. There was also a heavy slate of Windows releases that Mac owners can already play through the cloud.
This roundup covers the stories that matter if you game on a Mac, with a plain answer on what each one means for you.
macOS 27 Golden Gate is out, and it is Apple Silicon only
Apple released macOS 27 Golden Gate on 14 September. It is the first version of macOS that does not support Intel Macs at all. macOS 26 Tahoe was the last release for Intel machines, so if you are still gaming on an Intel MacBook or iMac, this is the point where local gaming starts to fall behind and cloud streaming becomes the dependable option.
For Apple Silicon owners the upgrade is a sensible one for gaming. Rosetta 2 still works in full on Golden Gate, and CodeWeavers has confirmed that CrossOver runs on it. As always, update CrossOver and any game launchers before you upgrade macOS, not after.
Rosetta 2 has one year left in its current form
Golden Gate is the final version of macOS where Rosetta 2 translates any Intel app you give it. From macOS 28 in 2027, Apple will keep only what it calls "a subset of Rosetta functionality aimed at supporting older unmaintained gaming titles, that rely on Intel-based frameworks."
That is better news for gamers than for anyone else, because Apple has singled out older games for continued support. What the subset covers in practice will not be known until the macOS 28 betas next summer. We track 164 games on this site that run through an Intel only Mac build today. Our explainer on what the end of Rosetta means for Mac gaming goes through the detail, including why it affects CrossOver users too.
Game Porting Toolkit 4 brings big early gains
Apple released Game Porting Toolkit 4 alongside macOS 27. GPTK contains D3DMetal, the layer that translates DirectX 11 and 12 into Metal, and it is the same technology CrossOver uses for most modern Windows games.
Early testing reported by several outlets showed Grand Theft Auto V climbing from around 106 frames per second to around 176 on an M4 Pro MacBook Pro, a gain of roughly 66 percent. One result is not a trend, and GPTK is a toolkit for developers rather than something most players install. The improvements usually reach players through a CrossOver update a few months later. Our GTA V on Mac guide explains which version of that game you can still run locally.
CrossOver goes native on Apple Silicon, with a catch for older games
CodeWeavers has an early native Apple Silicon build of CrossOver in public preview, ahead of CrossOver 27 in early 2027. Today's CrossOver is itself an Intel app running through Rosetta, so this change is what keeps Windows gaming on the Mac alive after Rosetta's general retirement.
The preview is rough. It has no Direct3D 12 support yet, many game launchers do not work in it, and existing bottles cannot be converted. Keep your main games on CrossOver 26 for now.
The catch is that CrossOver 27 drops 32-bit Windows programs completely. CodeWeavers' words are blunt: "32-bit bottles will no longer run, full stop." Most modern games are 64-bit and will not notice. Older titles that only ever shipped as 32-bit will need to stay on CrossOver 26, which CodeWeavers says will keep working, or move to Parallels. CrossOver 27 will also need macOS Sonoma or newer and an Apple Silicon Mac.
The current stable release is still CrossOver 26.3 from July, which fixed problems with Diablo IV, the Epic Games Launcher and GOG Galaxy. If you are weighing CrossOver against a virtual machine, our CrossOver vs Parallels comparison sets out the trade-offs.
Parallels Desktop 27 lands with Golden Gate support
Parallels shipped Parallels Desktop 27 in late August, ready for macOS 27 and M5 Macs. The headline change is a new Metal-based graphics driver that brings hardware-accelerated OpenGL 4.3 to Windows virtual machines, with Parallels quoting up to 160 percent faster OpenGL performance on M3 and newer chips.
That is aimed mainly at professional software, and Parallels did not announce any DirectX gaming improvements in this release. For games, Parallels remains the route for titles whose anti-cheat blocks CrossOver, at the cost of a Windows licence and some performance.
CONTROL Resonant launches today, with a Mac version to follow
Remedy's CONTROL Resonant launched on 24 September on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Remedy has confirmed that "the Mac version via Steam and the App Store will follow later in 2026." There is no date yet.
In the meantime, CONTROL Resonant is available on GeForce NOW from launch, so you can stream it on any Mac today. If you have not played the first game, Control Ultimate Edition already has a native Mac version with ray tracing support on M4 and newer chips, and it is the best way to catch up before the sequel's Mac release.
Apple's September event: no new Macs
Apple's 9 September event covered the iPhone 18 Pro, the foldable iPhone Duo, new Apple Watch models and AirPods 5. There was no new Mac hardware and no new M-series chip. If you are waiting to upgrade your Mac for gaming, our Mac model comparison tool will show you how the current line up handles the games you care about, and the My Mac page gives a verdict for every game in our database against the machine you already own.
The biggest September releases and how to play them on Mac
Almost every major release this month launched on Windows only, which makes cloud streaming the day one answer for Mac players.
The Blood of Dawnwalker, the dark fantasy RPG from Rebel Wolves, arrived on 3 September and is on both Boosteroid and GeForce NOW. NBA 2K27 launched the same day on both services, and GeForce NOW is streaming it with DLSS 5 on its RTX 5080 tier. Halloween: The Game and SpeedRunners 2: King of Speed are also on Boosteroid and GeForce NOW.
Capcom's Onimusha: Way of the Sword, Train Sim World 7 and Bus Simulator 27 are all Windows only on Steam, and all three joined GeForce NOW in September.
If you are choosing between the two main services, our GeForce NOW vs Boosteroid comparison breaks down price, image quality and library. For a wider look at this year's big releases, see the biggest 2026 PC releases you can play on a Mac.
Apple Arcade additions
Apple Arcade added Block Blast!+ and Art of Fauna: Cozy Puzzles+ on 3 September. Five more arrive on 1 October: Terraria+, Touchgrind BMX 2+, River City Survivors, Pusheen's Place and 4 Pics 1 Word+. Terraria+ is the standout for Mac players. Not every Arcade game supports the Mac, so check the App Store listing before you plan to play on your laptop.
What changed on Mac Game Guide this month
We ran a full accuracy audit and corrected 21 game verdicts. The biggest was The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which we had wrongly listed with a native Mac version. There is no Mac version of The Witcher 3, but it runs very well through CrossOver, and our new guide to The Witcher 3 on Mac shows what players are getting on each M-series chip. We also reclassified seven games whose Mac builds are Intel only from native to Rosetta, ahead of the changes coming in macOS 28.
If you spot a verdict that looks wrong, use the report button on any game page. Every report goes into our review queue.
Frequently asked questions
Can I install macOS 27 on an Intel Mac?
No. macOS 27 Golden Gate supports Apple Silicon Macs only. macOS 26 Tahoe is the final version for Intel Macs.
Will my Rosetta games stop working on macOS 27?
No. Rosetta 2 works in full on macOS 27. The change comes with macOS 28 in 2027, when Apple will keep a reduced version of Rosetta aimed at older games.
Does CrossOver work on macOS 27?
Yes. CodeWeavers has confirmed CrossOver runs on macOS 27 Golden Gate. Update to the latest version before you upgrade.
Is CONTROL Resonant on Mac?
Not yet. Remedy has confirmed a Mac version through Steam and the Mac App Store later in 2026. Until then you can stream it on GeForce NOW.
What is the best way to play new Windows games on a Mac?
For brand new releases, cloud streaming through Boosteroid or GeForce NOW is usually the first thing that works, because the game runs on real Windows hardware. CrossOver support often follows weeks or months later for single player games.