Parallels
Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.
Difficulty: MediumCost: $74 (CrossOver)Estimate
Parallels
How to play The Expanse: A Telltale Series on Mac
Best in a Windows 11 ARM virtual machine via Parallels.
Overall rating: Runs great on Mac · 100% of 1 players say it runs well
Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether The Expanse: A Telltale Series will run.
Best in a Windows 11 ARM virtual machine via Parallels.
How to run The Expanse: A Telltale Series 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
The Expanse: A Telltale Series
Take on the role of Camina Drummer and explore the dangerous, uncharted edges of the Belt. From scavenging wrecked ships in a zero-g environment, to combating fearsome pirates, you make the difficult choices in this latest Telltale adventure. All five episodes playable at launch!
The game runs well on Apple Silicon when using D3DMetal via CrossOver or Whisky. Users must enable DirectX 12 translation to avoid a black screen on launch.
What the world thinks
- Install CrossOver 24 or newer from the CodeWeavers website.
- Create a new bottle and name it The Expanse.
- Select the Windows 10 64-bit bottle type.
- Install the Epic Games Store or Steam into this bottle depending on where you own the game.
- In the bottle settings sidebar, toggle the switch for D3DMetal to On.
- Toggle the switch for MS Sync or ESync to On.
- Launch the game through the store client within the bottle.
Performance
How The Expanse: A Telltale Series runs on your Mac, from our performance model and player reports.
See exactly how The Expanse: A Telltale Series will run on your Mac
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Best way to play it on Mac
The game runs well on Apple Silicon when using D3DMetal via CrossOver or Whisky. Users must enable DirectX 12 translation to avoid a black screen on launch.
See if this is the right method for your setup
Ways to play The Expanse: A Telltale Series on Mac
Here are all the options available, ranked by what we recommend first.
CrossOver
One-click local install, official support.
Difficulty: MediumCost: $74 one-time / $39/yearEstimate
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
- CrossOverTranslationSetupModerateTime15 minOverheadMedium
Where to buy The Expanse: A Telltale Series
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 Expanse: A Telltale Series on Mac with Parallels
Estimate· CompatibilityUsing Parallels to play The Expanse: A Telltale Series 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 Expanse: A Telltale Series.
- 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 Expanse: A Telltale Series on Mac with CrossOver
Estimate· CompatibilityRunning The Expanse: A Telltale Series through CrossOver translates its Windows DirectX calls into Metal on Apple Silicon — no reboot, no Windows license, no virtual machine. Most setup time is spent on first-time bottle configuration and installing the game launcher (Steam, Epic, etc.) inside CrossOver. Once that's done, launching feels close to native. Expect 15–30 minutes of setup on the first run.
Step-by-step
Step 1 — Create a bottle
- Open CrossOver → click New Bottle
- Name it after the game (e.g.
The Expanse: A Telltale Series) and choose Windows 10 64-bit - Open the bottle's Settings and set:
- Graphics: D3DMetal (not DXVK)
- Synchronization: ESync
- High Resolution Mode: Off
Step 2 — Install the game launcher
- Inside CrossOver, click Install Application → search for Steam (or Epic Games Launcher if you own it there)
- Install it into the same bottle you just created
- Launch Steam, log in, and let it fully update before proceeding
Step 3 — Install and launch The Expanse: A Telltale Series
- Open Steam (or your launcher) inside CrossOver
- Install The Expanse: A Telltale Series through the launcher as normal
- Launch the game — use the launcher's Play button, not CrossOver directly
- First launch may take 30–90 seconds to show a window. Don't force-quit unless it hangs for several minutes.
Step 4 — If you hit issues
- Black screen / stuck in small window: go to Settings → Graphics in-game, set Screen Type to Fullscreen, then restart
- Resolution resets on every launch: find the game's config/settings file and set the resolution values manually, then mark the file Read-Only to prevent the game overwriting it
- Crashes on startup: try switching the bottle's Synchronization from ESync to MSync, or vice versa
Video proof
Try CrossOver free for 14 days ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.
Our recommendation
For most Mac players the best way to play The Expanse: A Telltale Series on Mac is Parallels. Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| ParallelsPick | Good | Medium | $99/year + Windows licence |
| CrossOver | Estimate | Medium | $74 one-time / $39/year |
Comments
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