Native
Runs directly on Apple Silicon — no extra software.
Difficulty: EasyCost: $24.99Excellent
Rosetta
How to play Oxygen Not Included on Mac
Simulation · 2019
Not officially supported, but there are workarounds below.
Overall rating: Runs great on Mac · 100% of 2 players say it runs well
Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether Oxygen Not Included will run.
Not officially supported, but there are workarounds below.
How to run Oxygen Not Included on your Mac in 2026
Best path: Native Mac build
Oxygen Not Included has a native Apple Silicon build — full Metal acceleration, best battery life, zero faff.
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NativePick | Excellent | Easy | Game price only | |
| Boosteroid | Estimate | Easy | $9.95 /mo | Get it ↗ |
Oxygen Not Included
Oxygen Not Included is a space-colony simulation game. Deep inside an alien space rock your industrious crew will need to master science, overcome strange new lifeforms, and harness incredible space tech to survive, and possibly, thrive.
Oxygen Not Included is fully compatible with Apple Silicon via its native Intel macOS build and runs flawlessly under Rosetta 2. The Mac build is Intel-only (x86_64) and runs on Apple Silicon through Rosetta 2 translation — it's a Mac app, but not a true arm64 native one. Expect a ~10–15% performance tax versus a real native port.
What the world thinks
Oxygen Not Included has a high-quality native macOS build available via Steam and the Epic Games Store. Because it is optimized for the platform and utilizes a CPU-heavy simulation engine rather than intense 3D graphics, it runs exceptionally well via Rosetta 2 on M1 through M4 chips.
- Purchase and install the game via Steam.
- In your Steam Library, right-click the game > Properties > General.
- Ensure your resolution matches your display, but consider running at 1080p (1920x1080) even on Retina screens to maintain 60 FPS during late-game colony expansions.
- (Optional) For the best experience, disable 'Flash' effects in the game's graphical settings if you find the UI notifications too intrusive.
Performance
How Oxygen Not Included runs on your Mac, from our performance model and player reports.
See exactly how Oxygen Not Included will run on your Mac
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Best way to play it on Mac
Oxygen Not Included is fully compatible with Apple Silicon via its native Intel macOS build and runs flawlessly under Rosetta 2. The Mac build is Intel-only (x86_64) and runs on Apple Silicon through Rosetta 2 translation — it's a Mac app, but not a true arm64 native one. Expect a ~10–15% performance tax versus a real native port.
See if this is the right method for your setup
Ways to play Oxygen Not Included on Mac
Here are all the options available, ranked by what we recommend first.
Boosteroid
Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.
Difficulty: EasyCost: $9.95 / monthEstimate
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
- NativeNativeTop pickSetupSimpleTime5 minOverheadLow
- BoosteroidCloudSetupSimpleTime5 minOverheadLow
Where to buy Oxygen Not Included
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 Oxygen Not Included on Mac with Native
Excellent· NativeOxygen Not Included has a native Apple Silicon build, which is the gold standard for playing on a Mac. You get full Metal acceleration, best battery life, and no compatibility weirdness. Just buy it from the Mac App Store or Steam for Mac and play.
Step-by-step
- Use the verified store link on this page, or open the store where you already own Oxygen Not Included.
- Confirm the product page lists macOS / Apple Silicon support.
- Install and launch — no extra tools needed.
Video proof
How to run Oxygen Not Included on Mac with Boosteroid
Estimate· StreamingStreaming Oxygen Not Included 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
- Create a Boosteroid account and pick a plan.
- Use the web client or download the macOS app.
- Add Oxygen Not Included 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.
Our recommendation
For most Mac players we recommend Native as the fastest, smoothest way to play Oxygen Not Included. Runs directly on Apple Silicon — no extra software.
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| NativePick | Excellent | Easy | Game price only |
| Boosteroid | Estimate | Easy | $9.95 / month |
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