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Parallels

How to play Beat Saber on Mac

· 2019

Best in a Windows 11 ARM virtual machine via Parallels.

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Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether Beat Saber will run.

Best in a Windows 11 ARM virtual machine via Parallels.

How to run Beat Saber on your Mac in 2026

Best path: Parallels

Should run in a Windows 11 ARM virtual machine (Parallels). This is an estimate — not a verified report. Demanding 3D titles may need lower settings.

  • Heads up on Parallels: Estimated compatibility — no verified report yet
MethodQualityDifficultyCost
ParallelsPickGoodMedium$99/yrGet it ↗
Get Parallels Buy on AllKeyShop See all methods & install guide ↓

Beat Saber

Beat Saber is a VR rhythm game where you slash the beats of adrenaline-pumping music as they fly towards you, surrounded by a futuristic world.

Beat Saber on Apple Silicon is functional but limited by the overhead of virtualization; it is best enjoyed on high-tier M-series chips (Max/Ultra) with a wired VR headset.

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

What the world thinks

Performance

How Beat Saber runs on your Mac, from our performance model and player reports.

See exactly how Beat Saber will run on your Mac

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Best way to play it on Mac

Beat Saber on Apple Silicon is functional but limited by the overhead of virtualization; it is best enjoyed on high-tier M-series chips (Max/Ultra) with a wired VR headset.

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

Ways to play Beat Saber 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.

  • ParallelsVMTop pick
    Setup
    Moderate
    Time
    30 min
    Overhead
    High

Where to buy Beat Saber

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Step-by-step setup guides

Idiot-proof walkthroughs for every method.

How to run Beat Saber on Mac with Parallels

Estimate· Compatibility

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

Video proof

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Our recommendation

For most Mac players the best way to play Beat Saber on Mac is Parallels. Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.

MethodQualityDifficultyCost
ParallelsPickGoodMedium$99/year + Windows licence
Try Parallels Desktop free

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