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| Alt text: Resident Evil Requiem running on M3 Max MacBook Pro via CrossOver 26 with frame generation enabled. |
The survival horror community is currently deep in the trenches with the launch of Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem on PC and consoles. While Windows users are busy tweaking their ray tracing settings, a significant portion of the gaming community has been left in the lurch: Mac users. An official macOS version has yet to materialize, leaving Apple Silicon owners wondering if they will ever get to experience the latest chapter in the RE saga.
However, if you own a high-end M3 or M4 Mac, you might not have to wait much longer. Thanks to the latest advancements in translation layers, the game is already running on macOS—just not in the way you might expect.
The CrossOver Breakthrough
Recent testing conducted by YouTube channel Andrew Tsai reveals that Resident Evil Requiem can be forced to run on Apple Silicon using CrossOver 26. For the uninitiated, CrossOver is a commercial compatibility layer that allows Windows applications to run on macOS without a Windows license. Under the hood, it leverages Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit (GPTK) to translate DirectX 12 commands into Metal.
The results are surprisingly promising, but they come with a major hardware caveat: you need a recent Mac to get in the game.
The M1 and M2 Wall: A Mesh Shader Problem?
According to the testing data, the news is not great for users rocking the base Apple silicon models. Attempts to launch Resident Evil Requiem on M1 and M2 chips reportedly result in immediate crashes.
Andrew Tsai suggests that the culprit is likely the lack of hardware-based mesh shader support on these older chips. Resident Evil Requiem appears to be built on Capcom’s RE Engine with a heavy reliance on mesh shading—a rendering technique that helps create complex geometry efficiently. While the M1 and M2 support mesh shading via software, the hardware acceleration required for this specific title seems to be a dealbreaker, causing the game to fail at startup.
M3 Max: Native-Like Performance at 1080p
If you are lucky enough to own a newer machine, the future looks bright. The benchmark tests were conducted on an M3 Max MacBook Pro, equipped with 48 GB of unified memory and a 40-core GPU.
At 1080p with default graphics settings, the game runs remarkably well. With MetalFX (Apple’s upscaling technology) and frame generation disabled, the M3 Max pushed a steady 70 FPS in an open street scene. Frame times hovered around a comfortable 14 ms, and the system utilized approximately 10.5 GB of GPU memory. This suggests that at 1080p, the game runs natively within the hardware’s sweet spot without relying on upscaling tricks.
Indoor environments, which are typically less demanding, saw a slight bump in performance, climbing to 73-75 FPS with frame times dropping to 13 ms.
Pushing the Limits: 1440p, MetalFX, and Frame Gen
For those wanting to push higher resolutions, the M3 Max still holds its ground, though it requires the assistance of modern rendering techniques.
When the resolution was bumped to 1440p using MetalFX Quality (rendering internally at 1708x960 before upscaling) and frame generation turned off, the game settled at around 50 FPS. Here, frame times increased to roughly 19 ms, and GPU memory usage sat at 11.2 GB.
This is where Frame Generation becomes the star of the show. When toggling frame generation on in the same 1440p/MetalFX Quality scenario, the performance jumped to a smooth 87 FPS. It is important to note the overlay showed a "render FPS" of only 34-35, meaning the actual rendered frames are lower, but the frame generation technology is successfully interpolating the extra frames to create a fluid motion. This did come at a higher memory cost, with GPU usage climbing to 13.1 GB and application memory hitting 19.3 GB.
For a detailed visual breakdown of these settings and the performance overlay, you can watch the full setup and testing process in the video below:
Watch: Resident Evil Requiem on Mac - CrossOver 26 Performance Test
Can the MacBook Air Run It?
Perhaps the most surprising result comes from the fanless M4 MacBook Air. While you won't be maxing out the graphics, gaming on the Air is possible.
To get the game running at a playable level, the settings required significant adjustment. By dropping to 1080p, the lowest graphics preset, and enabling both MetalFX Ultra Performance and frame generation, the MacBook Air managed to hit a consistent 60 FPS. Frame times sat at 16 ms.
Just like on the M3 Max, the render FPS lagged behind at roughly 31 FPS, but the frame generation filled in the gaps effectively. Memory usage was far more conservative here, with GPU memory sitting at 5.3 GB and application memory at 9.1 GB, making it viable for the 16 GB base models.
The Verdict
While an official native port would always be preferable (offering better battery life and efficiency), the fact that Resident Evil Requiem runs this well on high-end Apple silicon via CrossOver is a testament to how far Mac gaming has come. It proves that the hardware is capable; it just needs developers and translation layers to catch up.
For now, if you have an M3 Pro, M3 Max, or M4 machine, you can technically play Resident Evil Requiem on your Mac today. Just be prepared to tweak your settings and keep an eye on your memory usage.
Source: Andrew Tsai via YouTube
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| Resident Evil Requiem running on M3 Max MacBook Pro via CrossOver 26 at 1080p default settings showing around 70 FPS. |
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| Resident Evil Requiem running on M3 Max MacBook Pro via CrossOver 26 at 1080p default settings showing about 73 FPS in an indoor scene. |
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| Resident Evil Requiem running on M4 MacBook Air via CrossOver 26 at 1080p lowest settings with MetalFX Ultra Performance and frame generation showing about 60 FPS. |
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| Resident Evil Requiem running on M3 Max Mac via CrossOver 26 at 1440p with MetalFX Quality showing about 50 FPS. |
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| Resident Evil Requiem running on M3 Max Mac via CrossOver 26 at 1440p with MetalFX Quality and frame generation showing about 87 FPS. |