Xbox Cloud Gaming
Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.
Difficulty: EasyCost: $9.89/mo (Boosteroid)Good
Streaming
How to play The Alters on Mac
Adventure · 2025
Best played by streaming from the cloud via Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Overall rating: Runs great on Mac · 100% of 1 players say it runs well
Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether The Alters will run.
Best played by streaming from the cloud via Xbox Cloud Gaming.
How to run The Alters on your Mac in 2026
Best path: Xbox Cloud Gaming
Stream The Alters via Game Pass Ultimate from any browser — no install required.
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox Cloud GamingPick | Good | Easy | $16.99 /mo | Get it ↗ |
| Parallels | Estimate | Medium | $99/yr | Get it ↗ |
| Boosteroid | Estimate | Easy | $9.95 /mo | Get it ↗ |
| GeForce NOW | Estimate | Easy | Free / $9.99 /mo | Get it ↗ |
The Alters
85
Metacritic
Explore an emotional sci-fi game with a unique blend of survival, adventure, and base-building elements. Help Jan Dolski, the sole survivor of an ill-fated space expedition, create alternative versions of himself to escape a hostile planet and tackle personal turmoils with this unconventional crew.
The Alters is not natively supported on macOS; streaming via Boosteroid offers the most stable experience, while CrossOver is a viable local option for users with Pro or Max series chips.
What the world thinks
- Install CrossOver 24 or newer.
- Create a new bottle using the 'Windows 10 64-bit' template.
- Enable D3DMetal (GPTK) and Msync in the bottle settings sidebar.
- Install the Steam client into the bottle and download The Alters.
- If crashes occur, add
-dx11to the Game Launch Options in Steam, though DX12 is preferred for visual features.
Performance
How The Alters runs on your Mac, from our performance model and player reports.
See exactly how The Alters will run on your Mac
Pick your chip and RAM for a personalised estimate.
Best way to play it on Mac
The Alters is not natively supported on macOS; streaming via Boosteroid offers the most stable experience, while CrossOver is a viable local option for users with Pro or Max series chips.
See if this is the right method for your setup
Ways to play The Alters on Mac
Boosteroid and Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce NOW are also available for cloud performance on a strong connection.
Parallels
Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.
Difficulty: MediumCost: $99/year + Windows licenceEstimate
Boosteroid
Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.
Difficulty: EasyCost: $9.95 / monthEstimate
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
- Xbox Cloud GamingCloudTop pickSetupSimpleTime5 minOverheadLow
- BoosteroidCloudSetupSimpleTime5 minOverheadLow
- GeForce NOWCloudSetupSimpleTime5 minOverheadLow
- ParallelsVMSetupModerateTime30 minOverheadHigh
Where to buy The Alters
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 The Alters on Mac with Xbox Cloud Gaming
Good· StreamingStreaming The Alters 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 The Alters and click Play — no install required.
Video proof
Open Xbox Cloud Gaming ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.
How to run The Alters on Mac with Parallels
Estimate· CompatibilityUsing Parallels to play The Alters 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 The Alters.
- 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 The Alters on Mac with Boosteroid
Estimate· StreamingStreaming The Alters 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 The Alters 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 The Alters on Mac with GeForce NOW
Estimate· StreamingStreaming The Alters 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 The Alters.
- 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 the best way to play The Alters is streaming it through Xbox Cloud Gaming. Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox Cloud GamingPick | Good | Easy | Game Pass Ultimate subscription |
| Parallels | Estimate | Medium | $99/year + Windows licence |
| Boosteroid | Estimate | Easy | $9.95 / month |
| GeForce NOW | Estimate | Easy | Free tier / $9.99+ per month |
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