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CrossOver

How to play Anno 1404 on Mac

Strategy · 2009

Plays smoothly through CrossOver on Apple Silicon.

Overall rating: Not enough votes yet

Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether Anno 1404 will run.

Plays smoothly through CrossOver on Apple Silicon.

How to run Anno 1404 on your Mac in 2026

Best path: CrossOver

CrossOver runs Anno 1404 natively on Apple Silicon by translating DirectX to Metal. One-click install, no Windows VM, full local performance.

MethodQualityDifficultyCost
CrossOverPickGoodMedium$74 / $39/yrGet it ↗
ParallelsEstimateMedium$99/yrGet it ↗
GeForce NOWEstimateEasyFree / $9.99 /moGet it ↗
Get CrossOver Try Parallels Buy on AllKeyShop See all methods & install guide ↓

Anno 1404

Relive the captivating gameplay of a true city-building classic with Anno® 1404 History Edition.

The History Edition runs near-perfectly on Apple Silicon via CrossOver or Whisky, providing a native-like experience that avoids the memory crashes of the original release.

Buy on AllKeyShopSee how to play it on your Mac
Anno 1404 screenshot 1Anno 1404 screenshot 2Anno 1404 screenshot 3Anno 1404 screenshot 4Anno 1404 screenshot 5Anno 1404 screenshot 6

What the world thinks

  1. Install CrossOver: Download and install CrossOver 23 or newer.
  2. Create a Bottle: Click 'Install a Windows Application' and search for 'Anno 1404 History Edition' or the 'Ubisoft Connect' / 'Steam' client depending on where you own the game.
  3. Install the Game: Follow the prompts to install the launcher and then the game itself.
  4. Settings Adjustment: In the CrossOver bottle settings, ensure D3DMetal is toggled ON (for M-series chips) as it typically offers better stability than DXVK for this specific title.
  5. DirectX Requirement: If prompted during first launch, allow the game to install the legacy DirectX redistributables.
  • Whisky (Free): You can achieve similar results using Whisky (a community wrapper for Wine/Game Porting Toolkit). Create a Windows 10 bottle, install your launcher, and run the game. Performance is comparable to CrossOver, though support is community-driven.
  • VMware/Parallels: While playable, performance is significantly lower than CrossOver due to the overhead of virtualizing the entire OS. Only use this if you already have a Windows VM set up for work.

Performance

How Anno 1404 runs on your Mac, from our performance model and player reports.

See exactly how Anno 1404 will run on your Mac

Pick your chip and RAM for a personalised estimate.

Best way to play it on Mac

The History Edition runs near-perfectly on Apple Silicon via CrossOver or Whisky, providing a native-like experience that avoids the memory crashes of the original release.

Buy on AllKeyShopSee how to play it on your Mac
See if this is the right method for your setup

Ways to play Anno 1404 on Mac

Here are all the options available, ranked by what we recommend first.

Compare methods at a glance

Lower = better

How each supported method stacks up on setup effort, time and runtime overhead.

  • CrossOverTranslationTop pick
    Setup
    Moderate
    Time
    15 min
    Overhead
    Medium
  • GeForce NOWCloud
    Setup
    Simple
    Time
    5 min
    Overhead
    Low
  • ParallelsVM
    Setup
    Moderate
    Time
    30 min
    Overhead
    High

Where to buy Anno 1404

Live prices compared across trusted PC key sellers — updates every few hours.

Platform-by-platform reliability

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Step-by-step setup guides

Idiot-proof walkthroughs for every method.

How to run Anno 1404 on Mac with CrossOver

Good· Compatibility

Running Anno 1404 through CrossOver translates its Windows DirectX calls into Metal on Apple Silicon — no reboot, no Windows license, no virtual machine. Most setup time is spent on first-time bottle configuration and installing the game launcher (Steam, Epic, etc.) inside CrossOver. Once that's done, launching feels close to native. Expect 15–30 minutes of setup on the first run.

Step-by-step

Step 1 — Create a bottle

  1. Open CrossOver → click New Bottle
  2. Name it after the game (e.g. Anno 1404) and choose Windows 10 64-bit
  3. Open the bottle's Settings and set:

- Graphics: D3DMetal (not DXVK)

- Synchronization: ESync

- High Resolution Mode: Off

Step 2 — Install the game launcher

  1. Inside CrossOver, click Install Application → search for Steam (or Epic Games Launcher if you own it there)
  2. Install it into the same bottle you just created
  3. Launch Steam, log in, and let it fully update before proceeding

Step 3 — Install and launch Anno 1404

  1. Open Steam (or your launcher) inside CrossOver
  2. Install Anno 1404 through the launcher as normal
  3. Launch the game — use the launcher's Play button, not CrossOver directly
  4. First launch may take 30–90 seconds to show a window. Don't force-quit unless it hangs for several minutes.

Step 4 — If you hit issues

  • Black screen / stuck in small window: go to Settings → Graphics in-game, set Screen Type to Fullscreen, then restart
  • Resolution resets on every launch: find the game's config/settings file and set the resolution values manually, then mark the file Read-Only to prevent the game overwriting it
  • Crashes on startup: try switching the bottle's Synchronization from ESync to MSync, or vice versa

Video proof

Try CrossOver free for 14 days ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.

How to run Anno 1404 on Mac with Parallels

Estimate· Compatibility

Using Parallels to play Anno 1404 means running a full copy of Windows 11 ARM inside macOS. This is the most "it just works" approach for games that don't behave under CrossOver, and DirectX 11 is hardware-accelerated. You'll need a Windows license and roughly 80 GB of disk space.

Step-by-step

  1. Buy / start a trial of Parallels Desktop.
  2. Install Windows 11 ARM via the one-click wizard.
  3. Inside Windows, install Steam / Xbox app and Anno 1404.
  4. Enable DirectX 11 in Parallels settings for best 3D performance.

Video proof

Try Parallels Desktop free ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.

How to run Anno 1404 on Mac with GeForce NOW

Estimate· Streaming

Streaming Anno 1404 through GeForce NOW is the fastest way to start playing on a Mac — there's nothing to install, no Windows VM, no compatibility layer. The game runs on a remote GPU and your Mac just receives the video, which means even a base M1 MacBook Air can play the most demanding AAA titles at high settings. The tradeoff is that you need a stable internet connection (ideally wired or 5GHz Wi-Fi with 25+ Mbps down) and a subscription.

Step-by-step

  1. Sign up at GeForce NOW. The free tier works; Ultimate gives 4K/120fps.
  2. Download the GeForce NOW Mac app (Apple Silicon native).
  3. Link your Steam / Epic / Xbox account that owns Anno 1404.
  4. Search the title in the app and click Play.

Video proof

Start playing on GeForce NOW ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.

Our recommendation

For most Mac players we recommend CrossOver as the fastest, smoothest way to play Anno 1404. One-click local install, official support.

MethodQualityDifficultyCost
CrossOverPickGoodMedium$74 one-time / $39/year
ParallelsEstimateMedium$99/year + Windows licence
GeForce NOWEstimateEasyFree tier / $9.99+ per month
Try CrossOver free for 14 days

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