Parallels
Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.
Difficulty: MediumCost: $99/year + Windows licenseGood
CrossOver
How to play Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition on Mac
Action · 2020
Plays smoothly through CrossOver on Apple Silicon.
Overall rating: Runs great on Mac · 92% of 12 players say it runs well
Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition will run.
Plays smoothly through CrossOver on Apple Silicon.
How to run Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition on your Mac in 2026
Best path: Parallels
Runs in a full Windows 11 ARM virtual machine — the universal fallback for Windows games. Demanding 3D titles may need lower settings.
- Heads up on Parallels: Requires a Parallels licence and a Windows 11 ARM install
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition
90
Metacritic
Niko Bellic, Johnny Klebitz and Luis Lopez all have one thing in common - they live in the worst city in America. Liberty City worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don't.
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition runs on Mac through CrossOver, a Windows compatibility layer that translates DirectX calls into Metal on Apple Silicon.
What the world thinks
Performance
What each M-series Mac can realistically handle. Tap any chip to report your experience.
M1 chip
Medium
~60 fps
M2 chip
Medium
~60 fps
M3 chip
Ultra
~60 fps
M4 chip
Ultra
~120 fps
M5 chip
Ultra
~120 fps
Best way to play it on Mac
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition runs on Mac through CrossOver, a Windows compatibility layer that translates DirectX calls into Metal on Apple Silicon.
See if this is the right method for your setup
Ways to play Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition on Mac
Here are all the options available, ranked by what we recommend first.
CrossOver
One-click local install, official support.
Difficulty: MediumCost: $74 one-time / $39/yearGood
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
- ParallelsVMTop pickSetupModerateTime30 minOverheadHigh
- CrossOverTranslationSetupModerateTime15 minOverheadMedium
Where to buy Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition
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Step-by-step setup guides
Idiot-proof walkthroughs for every method.
How to run Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition on Mac with Parallels
Good· CompatibilityUsing Parallels to play Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition 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 Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition.
- 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 Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition on Mac with CrossOver
Good· CompatibilityRunning Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition 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.
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition) 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 Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition
- Open Steam (or your launcher) inside CrossOver
- Install Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition 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.
Our recommendation
For most Mac players we recommend Parallels as the fastest, smoothest way to play Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition. Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| ParallelsPick | Excellent | Medium | $99/year + Windows license |
| CrossOver | Good | Medium | $74 one-time / $39/year |
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