Following the discontinuation of Whisky, Highball offers Mac users an open-source solution to run Windows games on Apple Silicon with enhanced compatibility and ease of use.
Whisky, the well-known wrapper that made it easier to run Windows games on a Mac without manually wrestling with Wine, is no longer maintained. Its repository has been archived, and its own README warns that any game launched through it may stop working at any time. For Mac users who have relied on it as a bridge into Windows gaming, that leaves a clear gap.
Highball is emerging as one of the more credible attempts to fill it. According to the project’s own site, it is a free, open-source macOS app for Apple Silicon machines that automates the setup of Wine, DXMT and DXVK, then connects to Steam or Epic Games libraries so users can launch Windows titles with less manual configuration. The project is built on Wine, Gcenx engine builds, DXVK, DXMT and Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit, and it is licensed under GPL-3.0, with the developers saying there will never be a paid tier.
The application is designed to reduce the trial-and-error that has long defined Windows gaming on macOS. Its compatibility database is intended to tell users in advance which renderer to use for a given game and which titles are likely to fail because they rely on kernel-level anti-cheat systems. That matters because anti-cheat support remains one of the main practical barriers to broad compatibility, regardless of how polished the wrapper layer looks on the surface.
Installation is relatively straightforward. The project says Highball can be installed from a disk image or via Homebrew, after which it can fetch Rosetta if required, download the engine and prepare the Windows environment automatically. The first launch of Steam can still take a while, especially under Rosetta, and Highball keeps its files in the user library so removal is effectively handled by deleting that folder. The project requires macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon, while Apple’s D3DMetal component is not bundled and must be accepted through the Game Porting Toolkit licence before it is downloaded separately.
In practical use, Highball appears to be working best with established titles and mainstream launchers. The project says Steam and Epic integrate cleanly, while Rockstar and EA launchers can get as far as sign-in and then start their games, even if GOG Galaxy still presents a black screen. Community reports and the compatibility listings suggest the tool can already handle some older or less demanding games well, but performance remains title-specific, and some games described as playable may still feel rough on real hardware. That is why the compatibility notes are likely to be as important as the launcher itself: they help set expectations before a user spends time downloading a game that may never run properly.
Disclaimer: This content is intended for informational purposes only. Readers are advised to exercise their own judgement, conduct due diligence, or consult a qualified expert before acting on any information provided.
