Does PAYDAY 2 run on Mac?

PAYDAY 2 doesn't have a native Mac build, but you can play it by streaming from the cloud (GeForce NOW, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Boosteroid or Shadow PC).

Can I play PAYDAY 2 on an M1/M2/M3 MacBook?

Yes. On an M1/M2/M3 MacBook the best route is Boosteroid, which works across the whole Apple Silicon line.

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Streaming

How to play PAYDAY 2 on Mac

Action · 2013

Best played by streaming from the cloud to your Mac.

Overall rating: Runs great on Mac · 100% of 1 players say it runs well

Your setup

Detect your Mac to see whether PAYDAY 2 will run.

Best played by streaming from the cloud to your Mac.

How to run PAYDAY 2 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

Method	Quality	Difficulty	Cost
ParallelsPick	Good	Medium	$99/yr	Get it ↗
Boosteroid	Estimate	Easy	$9.95 /mo	Get it ↗
Xbox Cloud Gaming	Estimate	Easy	$16.99 /mo	Get it ↗
GeForce NOW	Estimate	Easy	Free / $9.99 /mo	Get it ↗

Get Parallels Try Boosteroid Buy on AllKeyShop See all methods & install guide ↓

PAYDAY 2

Metacritic

PAYDAY 2 is an action-packed, four-player co-op shooter that once again lets gamers don the masks of the original PAYDAY crew - Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf and Chains - as they descend on Washington DC for an epic crime spree.

While PAYDAY 2 lacks a native Apple Silicon port, it is highly playable via cloud streaming or through CrossOver with minor configuration tweaks.

Buy on AllKeyShop See how to play it on your Mac

What the world thinks

Install CrossOver and create a new bottle using the 'Windows 10 64-bit' template.
Install Steam into this bottle and download PAYDAY 2.
Vital Step: Right-click the game in Steam > Properties > General > Launch Options and enter -dx9 or -windowed. The game often struggles with modern DirectX transitions on Mac.
If you experience crashes on startup, try installing the d3dx9 and corefonts dependencies via the 'Install Software into Bottle' menu in CrossOver.

Performance

How PAYDAY 2 runs on your Mac, from our performance model and player reports.

See exactly how PAYDAY 2 will run on your Mac

Pick your chip and RAM for a personalised estimate.

Best way to play it on Mac

While PAYDAY 2 lacks a native Apple Silicon port, it is highly playable via cloud streaming or through CrossOver with minor configuration tweaks.

Buy on AllKeyShop See how to play it on your Mac

See if this is the right method for your setup

Ways to play PAYDAY 2 on Mac

Boosteroid and Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce NOW are also available for cloud performance on a strong connection.

Recommended

Parallels

Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.

Difficulty: EasyCost: $9.89/mo (Boosteroid)Estimate

Try Parallels Desktop free How to set up ↓

Boosteroid

Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.

Difficulty: EasyCost: $9.95 / monthEstimate

Get Boosteroid How to set up ↓

Xbox Cloud Gaming

Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.

Difficulty: EasyCost: Game Pass Ultimate subscriptionEstimate

Open Xbox Cloud Gaming How to set up ↓

GeForce NOW

Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.

Difficulty: EasyCost: Free tier / $9.99+ per monthEstimate

Start playing on GeForce NOW How to set up ↓

Compare methods at a glance

Lower = better

How each supported method stacks up on setup effort, time and runtime overhead.

Method

Setup Difficulty

Time Investment

Performance 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 PAYDAY 2

Live prices compared across trusted PC key sellers — updates every few hours.

Platform-by-platform reliability

Loading per-platform notes…

Step-by-step setup guides

Idiot-proof walkthroughs for every method.

How to run PAYDAY 2 on Mac with Parallels

Estimate· Compatibility

Using Parallels to play PAYDAY 2 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 PAYDAY 2.
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 PAYDAY 2 on Mac with Boosteroid

Estimate· Streaming

Streaming PAYDAY 2 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 PAYDAY 2 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 PAYDAY 2 on Mac with Xbox Cloud Gaming

Estimate· Streaming

Streaming PAYDAY 2 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

Get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
Open xbox.com/play in Safari, Chrome, or Edge.
Search PAYDAY 2 and click Play — no install required.

Video proof

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

How to run PAYDAY 2 on Mac with GeForce NOW

Estimate· Streaming

Streaming PAYDAY 2 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

Sign up at GeForce NOW. The free tier works; Ultimate gives 4K/120fps.
Download the GeForce NOW Mac app (Apple Silicon native).
Link your Steam / Epic / Xbox account that owns PAYDAY 2.
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 PAYDAY 2. Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.

Method	Quality	Difficulty	Cost
ParallelsPick	Good	Medium	$99/year + Windows licence
Boosteroid	Estimate	Easy	$9.95 / month
Xbox Cloud Gaming	Estimate	Easy	Game Pass Ultimate subscription
GeForce NOW	Estimate	Easy	Free tier / $9.99+ per month

How to play PAYDAY 2 on Mac

Best path: Parallels

PAYDAY 2

What the world thinks

Performance

Ways to play PAYDAY 2 on Mac

Parallels

Boosteroid

Xbox Cloud Gaming

GeForce NOW

Compare methods at a glance

Where to buy PAYDAY 2

Platform-by-platform reliability

Step-by-step setup guides

How to run PAYDAY 2 on Mac with Parallels

Step-by-step

Video proof

How to run PAYDAY 2 on Mac with Boosteroid

Step-by-step

Video proof

How to run PAYDAY 2 on Mac with Xbox Cloud Gaming

Step-by-step

Video proof

How to run PAYDAY 2 on Mac with GeForce NOW

Step-by-step

Video proof

Our recommendation

Comments

Frequently asked questions