CrossOver
One-click local install, official support.
Difficulty: EasyCost: $74 (CrossOver)Good
CrossOver
How to play DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin on Mac
Best played through CrossOver on Apple Silicon.
Overall rating: Runs great on Mac · 100% of 2 players say it runs well
Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin will run.
Best played through CrossOver on Apple Silicon.
How to run DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin on your Mac in 2026
Best path: CrossOver
CrossOver runs the Windows version of DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin on Apple Silicon by translating DirectX to Metal. One-click install, no Windows virtual machine, full local performance.
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin brings the franchise’s renowned obscurity & gripping gameplay to a new level. Join the dark journey and experience overwhelming enemy encounters, diabolical hazards, and unrelenting challenge.
The game runs exceptionally well on Apple Silicon through translation layers. Users should expect a stable experience that matches or exceeds the original console performance.
What the world thinks
Performance
How DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin runs on your Mac, from our performance model and player reports.
See exactly how DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin will run on your Mac
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Best way to play it on Mac
The game runs exceptionally well on Apple Silicon through translation layers. Users should expect a stable experience that matches or exceeds the original console performance.
See if this is the right method for your setup
Ways to play DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin on Mac
Here are all the options available, ranked by what we recommend first.
Parallels
Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.
Difficulty: MediumCost: $99/year + Windows licenceEstimate
Compare methods at a glance
Lower = betterHow each supported method stacks up on setup effort, time and runtime overhead.
Method
Setup Difficulty
Time Investment
Performance Overhead
- CrossOverTranslationTop pickSetupModerateTime15 minOverheadMedium
- ParallelsVMSetupModerateTime30 minOverheadHigh
Where to buy DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin
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Step-by-step setup guides
Idiot-proof walkthroughs for every method.
How to run DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin on Mac with CrossOver
Good· CompatibilityRunning DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin 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
- Open CrossOver → click New Bottle
- Name it after the game (e.g.
DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin) and choose Windows 10 64-bit - Open the bottle's Settings and set:
- Graphics: D3DMetal (not DXVK)
- Synchronization: ESync
- High Resolution Mode: Off
Step 2 — Install the game launcher
- Inside CrossOver, click Install Application → search for Steam (or Epic Games Launcher if you own it there)
- Install it into the same bottle you just created
- Launch Steam, log in, and let it fully update before proceeding
Step 3 — Install and launch DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin
- Open Steam (or your launcher) inside CrossOver
- Install DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin through the launcher as normal
- Launch the game — use the launcher's Play button, not CrossOver directly
- 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 DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin on Mac with Parallels
Estimate· CompatibilityUsing Parallels to play DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin 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
- Buy / start a trial of Parallels Desktop.
- Install Windows 11 ARM via the one-click wizard.
- Inside Windows, install Steam / Xbox app and DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin.
- 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.
Our recommendation
For most Mac players the best way to play DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin on Mac is CrossOver. One-click local install, official support.
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| CrossOverPick | Good | Medium | $74 one-time / $39/year |
| Parallels | Estimate | Medium | $99/year + Windows licence |
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