Live tested · MacBook Air M3 · macOS Sequoia

Play AAA Windows
Games on Mac

No Windows. No VM. No dual boot. CrossOver runs games directly on Apple Silicon — real benchmarks from the MacPlanetVN YouTube channel.

CrossOver+ (12 months)
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MACPLANET15
14-day free trial
No Windows needed
M1 / M2 / M3 optimized
Official CodeWeavers affiliate
30+
AAA games tested
M3 24GB
Test hardware
14 days
Free trial
15% OFF
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4.6 ★
CrossOver rating

Featured benchmark

See it before you buy

More videos at youtube.com/@macplanetvn

Test system

Hardware used in benchmarks

Device
MacBook Air M3
Memory
24GB Unified
Storage
1TB SSD
macOS
Tahoe 26
CrossOver
v26 (2026)
Controller
Xbox Series X/S

Game benchmarks

30+ AAA games tested on Mac

Click any game to watch the real benchmark video from MacPlanetVN.

Why CrossOver

The #1 choice for Mac gaming

Not an emulator — CrossOver translates DirectX to Metal directly on Apple Silicon, with no VM overhead.

Highest FPS

DirectX → Metal via D3DMetal & DXVK. No virtualization overhead — consistently 30–50% faster than Parallels in benchmarks.

No Windows needed

No Windows license (~$199). No OS install. CrossOver runs natively on macOS with a one-click bottle profile per game.

Fast setup

One-click bottle profiles for popular games. No manual Wine configuration like Whisky or bare Wine requires.

Steam / Epic / GOG

Install and run games from Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG Galaxy, and Battle.net — no store restrictions.

Official support

CodeWeavers has a dedicated support team and releases regular updates. Unlike Whisky, which is community-only.

Regional pricing

CodeWeavers adjusts prices based on your country's purchasing power. Users in many regions pay significantly less than the US price.

Head-to-head comparison

CrossOver vs Parallels vs Whisky

Benchmarked on MacBook Air M3 24GB · Elden Ring @ 1080p Medium settings.

Criteria CrossOver Recommended Parallels Desktop Whisky (free)
FPS – Elden Ring 1080p 45–60 FPS 28–35 FPS 35–48 FPS
Windows license required? ✓ Not required ✗ Required (~$199) ✓ Not required
Method Compatibility layer (Wine) Full VM (ARM Windows) Wine + GPTK
Game setup One-click profiles Full Windows OS install Manual configuration
DirectX → Metal D3DMetal + DXVK (best) Via VM driver GPTK (limited)
Steam / Epic / GOG ✓ All stores ✓ All stores Some
Support Official (CodeWeavers team) Official (Parallels) Community only
Pricing Regional pricing · 15% OFF with MACPLANET15 $99/yr + Windows license Free
Free trial ✓ 14 days, no credit card 14 days N/A (always free)
Try CrossOver Free for 14 Days

Enter code MACPLANET15 at checkout for 15% off

Community reviews

What Mac gamers are saying

★★★★★

"Bought it to play RDR2 and Witcher 3 on a Mac mini. Works great. Also loaded some older games I bought on sale — AOE2, Batman Arkham series — all running smooth."

🎮
tanginator
Reddit
★★★★★

"Really great performance on the new M4. The M3/M4 handles CrossOver way better than I expected — especially for open-world games. Worth every penny."

💻
ShoonMcgregor
Reddit
★★★★☆

"Not all games work perfectly, but I've had great luck with a variety of titles. No crashes, no lag issues after weeks of use. Great value compared to Parallels."

🕹️
davidneedham
Reddit

Pricing

Start playing Windows games on Mac today

14-day free trial. No credit card. Official CodeWeavers affiliate.

Download CrossOver – 14-Day Trial Watch benchmark videos

Code MACPLANET15 gives you 15% off. Provided by MacPlanetVN as an official CodeWeavers affiliate. Price shown at checkout reflects your region.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

No. CrossOver is a compatibility layer — it translates Windows instructions directly to macOS without needing a Windows OS. You don't need to purchase, download, or install Windows. This is fundamentally different from Parallels or VirtualBox.
Yes. The CrossOver trial is the complete product — no features are locked. No credit card required. After 14 days games will stop running, but all your bottle configurations are saved when you purchase a license.
CrossOver consistently delivers higher FPS — typically 30–50% more than Parallels. This is because CrossOver translates DirectX calls directly to Metal (Apple's graphics API) without the overhead of running a full Windows virtual machine. Parallels has to run an entire ARM Windows OS layer before the game even starts.
CodeWeavers adjusts CrossOver pricing based on the purchasing power of your country. The US base price is $74/year, but users in many countries in Southeast Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and other regions automatically see a lower price at checkout. The 15% OFF coupon MACPLANET15 applies on top of your local regional price.
Yes. You can install Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG Galaxy, and Battle.net inside CrossOver bottles and run games purchased from any of those stores. Check the CrossOver compatibility database at codeweavers.com for specific game support status.
The app continues to run but you stop receiving updates and bug fixes. For long-term use, CrossOver Life offers a one-time payment for lifetime updates — apply code MACPLANET15 for 15% off that too.
Yes, CrossOver supports Intel Macs. However, the best gaming performance is on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) thanks to D3DMetal optimization. MacPlanetVN tests primarily on M3, which is the configuration shown in all benchmarks on this page.