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Streaming

How to play ARC Raiders on Mac

Best played by streaming from the cloud via GeForce NOW.

Overall rating: Tricky to run on Mac Β· 0% of 4 players say it runs well

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Detect your Mac to see whether ARC Raiders will run.

Best played by streaming from the cloud via GeForce NOW.

How to run ARC Raiders on your Mac in 2026

Best path: GeForce NOW

GeForce NOW streams ARC Raiders from an RTX-class GPU straight to your Mac, with high-refresh play and nothing to install locally.

MethodQualityDifficultyCost
GeForce NOWPickEstimateEasyFree / $9.99 /moGet it β†—
CrossOverEstimateMedium$74 / $39/yrGet it β†—
ParallelsEstimateMedium$99/yrGet it β†—
BoosteroidEstimateEasy$9.95 /moGet it β†—
Game Porting ToolkitEstimateAdvancedFreeGet it β†—
ShadowEstimateMediumFrom $9.99 /moGet it β†—
Steam LinkEstimateAdvancedFreeGet it β†—
MoonlightEstimateAdvancedFreeGet it β†—

Heads up: GeForce NOW streams the game but doesn't include a copy β€” you'll still need to own ARC Raiders on a supported store (AllKeyShop).

ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders is a multiplayer extraction adventure, set in a lethal future earth, ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as ARC.

ARC Raiders is currently unsupported for native or local play on macOS due to incompatible anti-cheat software; streaming via GeForce NOW is the only viable solution.

ARC Raiders screenshot 1ARC Raiders screenshot 2ARC Raiders screenshot 3ARC Raiders screenshot 4ARC Raiders screenshot 5ARC Raiders screenshot 6

What the world thinks

Performance

How ARC Raiders runs on your Mac, from our performance model and player reports.

See exactly how ARC Raiders will run on your Mac

Pick your chip and RAM for a personalised estimate.

Best way to play it on Mac

ARC Raiders is currently unsupported for native or local play on macOS due to incompatible anti-cheat software; streaming via GeForce NOW is the only viable solution.

See if this is the right method for your setup

Ways to play ARC Raiders on Mac

GeForce NOW and Boosteroid and Shadow and Steam Link and Moonlight are also available for cloud performance on a strong connection.

Compare methods at a glance

Lower = better

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

  • GeForce NOWCloudTop pick
    Setup
    Simple
    Time
    5 min
    Overhead
    Low
  • BoosteroidCloud
    Setup
    Simple
    Time
    5 min
    Overhead
    Low
  • Steam LinkRemote
    Setup
    Simple
    Time
    5 min
    Overhead
    Low
  • CrossOverTranslation
    Setup
    Moderate
    Time
    15 min
    Overhead
    Medium
  • ParallelsVM
    Setup
    Moderate
    Time
    30 min
    Overhead
    High
  • ShadowCloud
    Setup
    Moderate
    Time
    15 min
    Overhead
    Low
  • MoonlightRemote
    Setup
    Moderate
    Time
    15 min
    Overhead
    Low
  • Game Porting ToolkitTranslation
    Setup
    Complex
    Time
    30 min
    Overhead
    Medium

Where to buy ARC Raiders

Live prices compared across trusted PC key sellers β€” 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 ARC Raiders on Mac with GeForce NOW

EstimateΒ· Streaming

Streaming ARC Raiders through GeForce NOW is the fastest way to start playing on a Mac β€” 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 ARC Raiders.
  4. Search the title in the app and click Play.

Video proof

Start playing on GeForce NOW β†—Affiliate link β€” supports the site at no extra cost.

How to run ARC Raiders on Mac with CrossOver

EstimateΒ· Compatibility

Running ARC Raiders through CrossOver translates its Windows DirectX calls into Metal on Apple Silicon β€” 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 β€” Create a bottle

  1. Open CrossOver β†’ click New Bottle
  2. Name it after the game (e.g. ARC Raiders) 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 β€” Install the game launcher

  1. Inside CrossOver, click Install Application β†’ 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 β€” Install and launch ARC Raiders

  1. Open Steam (or your launcher) inside CrossOver
  2. Install ARC Raiders through the launcher as normal
  3. Launch the game β€” 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 β€” If you hit issues

  • Black screen / stuck in small window: go to Settings β†’ 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 β†—Affiliate link β€” supports the site at no extra cost.

How to run ARC Raiders on Mac with Parallels

EstimateΒ· Compatibility

Using Parallels to play ARC Raiders 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 ARC Raiders.
  4. Enable DirectX 11 in Parallels settings for best 3D performance.

Video proof

Try Parallels Desktop free β†—Affiliate link β€” supports the site at no extra cost.

How to run ARC Raiders on Mac with Boosteroid

EstimateΒ· Streaming

Streaming ARC Raiders through Boosteroid is the fastest way to start playing on a Mac β€” 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. Create a Boosteroid account and pick a plan.
  2. Use the web client or download the macOS app.
  3. Add ARC Raiders from their library (you'll need to own it on Steam/Epic).

Video proof

Get Boosteroid β†—Affiliate link β€” supports the site at no extra cost.

How to run ARC Raiders on Mac with Game Porting Toolkit

EstimateΒ· Compatibility

Running ARC Raiders through Game Porting Toolkit translates the game's Windows DirectX calls into Metal on the fly. Performance is impressively close to a native Windows PC on Apple Silicon, and you stay entirely inside macOS β€” no VM, no rebooting. Expect to spend 10–20 minutes on first-time setup.

Step-by-step

  1. Install Homebrew: /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)".
  2. brew tap apple/apple http://github.com/apple/homebrew-apple then brew install game-porting-toolkit.
  3. Create a Wine prefix and install Steam inside it.
  4. Install ARC Raiders through Steam and launch via gameportingtoolkit.

Video proof

Get Game Porting Toolkit β†—Affiliate link β€” supports the site at no extra cost.

How to run ARC Raiders on Mac with Shadow

EstimateΒ· Streaming

Streaming ARC Raiders through Shadow is the fastest way to start playing on a Mac β€” 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. Subscribe to Shadow PC β€” a full Windows cloud PC.
  2. Install the Shadow macOS app.
  3. Install Steam / your launcher inside Shadow, then install ARC Raiders.

Video proof

Get Shadow β†—Affiliate link β€” supports the site at no extra cost.

How to run ARC Raiders on Mac with Moonlight

EstimateΒ· Streaming

Streaming ARC Raiders through Moonlight is the fastest way to start playing on a Mac β€” 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. Install Moonlight on your Mac and Sunshine (or GeForce Experience) on a host PC.
  2. Pair the devices, then stream ARC Raiders from the host.

Video proof

Get Moonlight β†—Affiliate link β€” supports the site at no extra cost.

Our recommendation

For most Mac players the best way to play ARC Raiders is streaming it through GeForce NOW. Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.

MethodQualityDifficultyCost
GeForce NOWPickEstimateEasyFree tier / $9.99+ per month
CrossOverEstimateMedium$74 one-time / $39/year
ParallelsEstimateMedium$99/year + Windows licence
BoosteroidEstimateEasy$9.95 / month
Game Porting ToolkitEstimateAdvancedFree
ShadowEstimateMediumFrom $9.99 / month
Steam LinkEstimateAdvancedFree
MoonlightEstimateAdvancedFree
Start playing on GeForce NOW

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