Parallels
Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.
Difficulty: MediumCost: $39.99Estimate
Streaming
How to play Sea of Thieves on Mac
Adventure · 2018
Best played by streaming from the cloud to your Mac.
Overall rating: Runs well with the right setup · 66% of 218 players say it runs well
Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether Sea of Thieves will run.
Best played by streaming from the cloud to your Mac.
How to run Sea of Thieves 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 ↗ |
| Xbox Cloud Gaming | Estimate | Easy | $16.99 /mo | Get it ↗ |
| GeForce NOW | Estimate | Easy | Free / $9.99 /mo | Get it ↗ |
Sea of Thieves
69
Metacritic
9.0
Metacritic Users
Embark on a shared-world adventure as a pirate, seeking legendary treasures and battling fearsome foes. The emergent gameplay focuses on teamwork and player interaction creating a unique and unpredictable pirate experience.
Sea of Thieves runs on Mac through CrossOver, a Windows compatibility layer that translates DirectX calls into Metal on Apple Silicon.
What the world thinks
Performance
How Sea of Thieves runs on your Mac, from our performance model and player reports.
See exactly how Sea of Thieves will run on your Mac
Pick your chip and RAM for a personalised estimate.
Best way to play it on Mac
Sea of Thieves 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 Sea of Thieves on Mac
Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce NOW are also available for cloud performance on a strong connection.
Xbox Cloud Gaming
Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.
Difficulty: EasyCost: Game Pass Ultimate subscriptionEstimate
GeForce NOW
Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.
Difficulty: EasyCost: Free tier / $9.99+ per 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
- ParallelsVMTop pickSetupModerateTime30 minOverheadHigh
- Xbox Cloud GamingCloudSetupSimpleTime5 minOverheadLow
- GeForce NOWCloudSetupSimpleTime5 minOverheadLow
Where to buy Sea of Thieves
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 Sea of Thieves on Mac with Parallels
Estimate· CompatibilityUsing Parallels to play Sea of Thieves 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 Sea of Thieves.
- 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 Sea of Thieves on Mac with Xbox Cloud Gaming
Estimate· StreamingStreaming Sea of Thieves 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 Sea of Thieves and click Play — no install required.
Video proof
Open Xbox Cloud Gaming ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.
How to run Sea of Thieves on Mac with GeForce NOW
Estimate· StreamingStreaming Sea of Thieves 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 Sea of Thieves.
- 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 Sea of Thieves. Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| ParallelsPick | Good | Medium | $99/year + Windows licence |
| Xbox Cloud Gaming | Estimate | Easy | Game Pass Ultimate subscription |
| GeForce NOW | Estimate | Easy | Free tier / $9.99+ per month |
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