It is a bummer that Mac users cannot play Diablo 4, a game that everyone should try. Fortunately, there are other ways to play the game from Blizzard Entertainment for individuals who use Apple laptops, and we’ll discuss them. Here are a couple of methods for playing Diablo 4 on a Mac. It should be noted that each of these approaches is different, so you’ll need to carefully consider each one because some require you to buy a subscription or free up a ton of storage space.
Diablo IV is an action role-playing game (ARPG) developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment and is the fourth part of the Diablo series. The game was first revealed in November 2019 and was made available for pre-order and open beta before its official release on June 6, 2023.
Is It Possible To Play Diablo 4 On Mac?
You cannot use Boot Camp to play Diablo 4 on an Apple Silicon M1, M2, or M3 Mac because it is only compatible with Intel Macs. While there are alternative ways to run Windows on Apple Silicon Macs, none of them support DirectX 12, which is necessary to play Diablo 4 (DirectX 11 is supported by virtual environments like Parallels). Previous releases of Diablo, like Diablo Immortal, only require DirectX 11, so they can be played with Parallels on Intel Macs or Apple Silicon Macs.
Nevertheless, OneCast, which streams Xbox games to Macs, allows you to play Diablo 4 on Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 Macs. However, this requires an Xbox, in which case you might as well play the Xbox version of Diablo. As an alternative, you can try the cloud gaming services Shadow or Air GPU, or you can use Remote Desktop software to play it on a Mac remotely.
As we’ll explain later, if you’re a developer and a part of the Apple Developer Program, you may also use the new macOS Sonoma Game Porting Kit to port Diablo 4 to run on a Mac. However, this is mostly intended for testing purposes rather than actual gameplay.
Guide To Play Diablo 4 on Mac
Play Diablo 4 Using Crossover
Without installing a complete version of Windows, Crossover enables Mac users to run Windows-only programs and games. The most recent version of Crossover 23, which supports DirectX 12, lets users play Diablo 4 on a Mac. Crossover 23 is currently available for download from the Crossover website and was formally released to all users in August 2023. The greatest and simplest method to play Diablo IV on any Mac is via Crossover, which is compatible with both Intel and Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 Macs.
Crossover is available for free trial download, but a complete license costs $74. Programs made for Windows can operate on other operating systems using Crossover thanks to a modified version of Wine, an open-source compatibility layer. Crossover simplifies the complex setup and operation of Wine, making it a breeze for Mac users to install and utilize Windows applications.
Crossover has a benefit over alternative ways to run Windows on a Mac, including virtual machines, in that it doesn’t involve installing a copy of Windows on the Mac. As a result, Crossover uses less space on the disk and saves you the trouble of having to dual-boot a Mac.
Play Diablo 4 Using Boot Camp (Intel Macs Only)
Installing Windows using Boot Camp on an Intel Mac is by far the best way to play Diablo 4 on a Mac. To boot your Mac in either macOS or Windows, you can use Boot Camp to install Windows on a different partition of your hard drive. Most significantly for Diablo 4, Boot Camp makes it possible to install DirectX 12, which Diablo 4 requires, in Windows on a Mac.
This technique of playing Diablo 4 on a Mac does not function on Apple Silicon Macs since, as previously mentioned, Boot Camp is not accessible for Apple Silicon Macs. Here’s how to set up an Intel Mac to run Diablo 4. You must first use Boot Camp to install Windows on your Mac. Installing Windows 11 over Windows 10 is highly advised as the latter will no longer be supported.
Next, you must download Battle.net to your Mac using Windows. Don’t forget to download the Windows client rather than the Mac version. After that, you must buy Diablo 4 from Battle.net. Please take note that Diablo 4 will only be accessible in open beta from March 24–26, 2023. To make sure Diablo 4 can be played on a Mac, we advise reducing the graphics settings to medium after the game has been installed.
When compared to playing it on a PC or other platform, you could still notice glitches in the textures, lighting, and colors even if you down the graphics settings.
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Stream Diablo 4 Using OneCast
This alternative method of playing Diablo 4 on a Mac is the least advised since it necessitates the ownership of an Xbox, which negates the need to play Diablo 4 on a Mac in any case. On the other hand, OneCast may be used to stream Diablo 4 from your Xbox to your Mac if you purchased the game on Xbox. One of the few ways to play Diablo 4 on Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 chip Macs is using OneCast, which is also compatible with Apple Silicon Macs.
While there are other ways to play Xbox games on a Mac, the only option to play Diablo 4 is via OneCast. If both the Xbox Series X/S and the Mac are connected to the same WiFi network, OneCast can stream any game from the Xbox Series X/S to the Mac. If you bought Diablo 4 for your Xbox and would like to play it on a Mac, follow these instructions to use OneCast.
Play Diablo 4 on Mac via the macOS Sonoma Game Porting Kit
At the WWDC, Apple unveiled the release of macOS Sonoma along with the Game Porting Toolkit, which makes it easier for developers to convert Windows games to Mac. The major announcement is that developers can now translate games like Diablo 4 to run on macOS thanks to the Game Porting Kit’s support for DirectX 12.
It’s crucial to understand that only developers who are enrolled in the Apple Developer Program may access the Game Porting Kit and that this is a somewhat complicated process. Using the Game Porting Kit, some developers on Reddit have described how they were able to get Diablo 4 to run on a Mac.The Game Porting Kit converts DirectX 12 to run on a Mac by using the free and open-source Wine emulator.
This is incompatible with Intel Macs and only functions on Apple Silicon Macs.
Play On Boosteroid
Boosteroid is a cloud gaming platform that streams gameplay to you as games are played on upscale faraway devices. The benefit of using this method is that you can play Diablo 4 on a Mac straight from your browser. Additionally, you can broadcast your games on YouTube using this service.
Although the subscription cost for this cloud gaming platform is not free, it is reasonable given how simple it is to use. To play Diablo 4, no software download is required. It is crucial to remember that to play the game comfortably, you will need a strong internet connection.
Concluding Remarks
We can tell you right away that using Crossover is by far the best way to play Diablo 4 on a Mac, so you can reliably go for it. Playing Windows-only games on a Mac is made possible with Crossover, and more importantly, Crossover 23 supports DirectX 12, which is required to play Diablo 4.
Although it takes longer to set up, Intel Mac owners can also play the PC version of Diablo 4 by installing Windows on a Mac via Boot Camp.
Diablo 4 on macOS can only be played through Boot Camp and Crossover, even though there are other ways to run Windows on a Mac. This is because DirectX 12, a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) needed for many games to function, is required for Diablo 4 to run.
Additionally, Boot Camp or Crossover are the only ways to run DirectX 12 on a Mac. The new Game Porting Toolkit in macOS Sonoma, which Apple recently unveiled, enables developers to test Mac versions of games that need DirextX 12, albeit it’s not intended to be a long-term fix for Mac users to play Windows-only titles.
FAQs
Diablo 4 is presently available for pre-order on the platforms listed below. It was only published on June 6, 2023, for Windows, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, and PS5.
We typically advise using Parallels, a virtual computer, as the best method for running Windows on a Mac. Nevertheless, DirectX 12, which is needed to play Diablo 4, cannot be used with Parallels.
You cannot play Diablo 4 on a Mac in Xbox Cloud since it will not be distributed on the service.
You cannot play Diablo 4 on a Mac using GeForce Now For Mac since the game will not be released on GeForce Now.
You can play Diablo 4 on a Mac with Shadow if you have the PC version of the game on Battle.net and a membership to the Shadow Cloud gaming service. However, the speed of the game will be dependent on your internet connection and the server’s latency.
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