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How to play Grounded on Mac

Survival · 2022

Best played by streaming from the cloud to your Mac.

Overall rating: Runs great on Mac · 100% of 2 players say it runs well

Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether Grounded will run.

Best played by streaming from the cloud to your Mac.

How to run Grounded 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 ↗
BoosteroidEstimateEasy$9.95 /moGet it ↗
Xbox Cloud GamingEstimateEasy$16.99 /moGet it ↗
GeForce NOWEstimateEasyFree / $9.99 /moGet it ↗
Get Parallels Try Boosteroid Buy on AllKeyShop See all methods & install guide ↓

Grounded

The world is a vast, beautiful and dangerous place – especially when you have been shrunk to the size of an ant. Can you thrive alongside the hordes of giant insects, fighting to survive the perils of the backyard?

Grounded runs remarkably well on Apple Silicon via CrossOver with D3DMetal enabled, though base-model Mac users may prefer the stability of Boosteroid cloud gaming.

Buy on AllKeyShopSee how to play it on your Mac
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What the world thinks

  1. Install CrossOver: Download and install CrossOver 24. Ensure you have the latest version to benefit from D3DMetal support.
  2. Create a Bottle: Create a new 'Windows 10 64-bit' bottle named 'Grounded'.
  3. Install Steam: Install the Windows version of Steam into this bottle.
  4. Enable Settings: Before launching the game, look at the right-hand sidebar in CrossOver and toggle D3DMetal (GPTK) and Esync to the 'On' position. This is crucial for performance and fixing visual artifacts.
  5. Install Grounded: Launch Steam, log in, and download Grounded.
  6. Controller Support: Ensure your controller (Xbox or DualSense) is connected via Bluetooth before launching Steam to ensure native button mapping works.

If you have a base M1/M2 chip with limited RAM (8GB) or lack a CrossOver license, Boosteroid is the recommended alternative.

Performance

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

See exactly how Grounded will run on your Mac

Pick your chip and RAM for a personalised estimate.

Best way to play it on Mac

Grounded runs remarkably well on Apple Silicon via CrossOver with D3DMetal enabled, though base-model Mac users may prefer the stability of Boosteroid cloud gaming.

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

Ways to play Grounded on Mac

Boosteroid and Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce NOW 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.

  • ParallelsVMTop pick
    Setup
    Moderate
    Time
    30 min
    Overhead
    High
  • BoosteroidCloud
    Setup
    Simple
    Time
    5 min
    Overhead
    Low
  • Xbox Cloud GamingCloud
    Setup
    Simple
    Time
    5 min
    Overhead
    Low
  • GeForce NOWCloud
    Setup
    Simple
    Time
    5 min
    Overhead
    Low

Where to buy Grounded

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 Grounded on Mac with Parallels

Estimate· Compatibility

Using Parallels to play Grounded 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 Grounded.
  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 Grounded on Mac with Boosteroid

Estimate· Streaming

Streaming Grounded through Boosteroid 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. Create a Boosteroid account and pick a plan.
  2. Use the web client or download the macOS app.
  3. Add Grounded from their library (you'll need to own it on Steam/Epic).

Video proof

Get Boosteroid ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.

How to run Grounded on Mac with Xbox Cloud Gaming

Estimate· Streaming

Streaming Grounded through Xbox Cloud Gaming 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. Get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
  2. Open xbox.com/play in Safari, Chrome, or Edge.
  3. Search Grounded and click Play — no install required.

Video proof

Open Xbox Cloud Gaming ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.

How to run Grounded on Mac with GeForce NOW

Estimate· Streaming

Streaming Grounded 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 Grounded.
  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 Parallels as the fastest, smoothest way to play Grounded. Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.

MethodQualityDifficultyCost
ParallelsPickGoodMedium$99/year + Windows licence
BoosteroidEstimateEasy$9.95 / month
Xbox Cloud GamingEstimateEasyGame Pass Ultimate subscription
GeForce NOWEstimateEasyFree tier / $9.99+ per month
Try Parallels Desktop free

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