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Grapple

Mac compatibility

Can you play XCOM 2 on a Mac?

Likely to work — not tested yetUpdated

Short answer: Feral's official Mac version is part of the same Steam purchase — an Intel build. The Windows version through Grapple is untested.

What we know

Steam lists XCOM 2 for Windows and macOS, with Feral Interactive credited as the Mac developer and publisher. The Mac build is included with the purchase.

The Mac requirements list macOS 10.13.6 and Intel hardware, so on an Apple Silicon Mac the port runs through Rosetta 2. Feral also lists the specific Mac models it supports — worth checking first.

The Windows requirements list DirectX 11, which Grapple's DXMT layer translates to Metal. We haven't run the Windows version through Grapple, so anything about it here is an expectation, not a result.

Grapple settings

Nothing verified for this game yet — but here's where to start, based on its DirectX version. If you get somewhere, tell us and we'll put the real settings here. You can change the same options in the app; from the command line, replace <bottle> with the name of the Windows environment the game runs in — bottle is the CLI's technical term for it.

  • DirectX 10/11: a new install is set to Automatic, which picks D3DMetal or DXMT for you. If the game won't start or renders wrongly, naming a layer is the usual next try: grapple set <bottle> graphics dxmt
  • To see frame rates, turn on the Metal HUD: grapple set <bottle> hud on

Test record

Empty until someone runs it. A record here lists the Mac, macOS and Grapple versions, the engine and graphics layer, the settings and every check — yours can fill it, or ours will.

FAQ

Can I play XCOM 2 on a Mac?

Feral Interactive's macOS version is included on the same Steam app. It's an Intel build (macOS 10.13.6 and up), so Apple Silicon Macs run it through Rosetta 2. Likely to work — not tested yet. DirectX 11 games are squarely what Grapple translates to Metal — through Apple's D3DMetal, which comes with the app, or the open-source DXMT. That's what the game's published facts suggest, not a result. We publish a verified status only after running the game on a real Mac.

What might stop XCOM 2 from working?

There's a native Mac version too — this expectation is about the Windows version run through Grapple.

Is there a Mac version of XCOM 2?

Feral Interactive's macOS version is included on the same Steam app. It's an Intel build (macOS 10.13.6 and up), so Apple Silicon Macs run it through Rosetta 2.

How can I try XCOM 2 myself?

Grapple's Free plan runs one game, forever — enough to settle this one. Add Steam in one click (launchers and Windows tools never count as your game), install the game and launch it: that first launch is what claims it, and you can swap it for a different game once every 30 days. If it won't start, try the other graphics layer in the game's settings. Then send us the result — the game and where you bought it, your Mac model and macOS version, the engine and graphics layer it ran on (grapple info <bottle>), your in-game settings, the frame rate from the Metal HUD, and screenshots of any error or a diagnostics report (grapple report <bottle>) — and we'll publish it here once it's a real test run.

Sources

Every factual claim on this page comes from these. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.

  1. Steam store page — system requirements and supported platforms (checked 23 September 2026)
  2. Feral Interactive — Mac games catalogue (checked 23 September 2026)

Try XCOM 2 yourself — and tell us

Grapple's Free plan runs one game, forever — exactly enough to settle XCOM 2. It's claimed the first time you play it, launchers and Windows tools don't count towards it, and you can swap it for another game once every 30 days. Install it, play for a bit, and send us what you saw. Every result — working or broken — decides what we test next, and verified results get published here with credit if you want it.

What to send

  • The game and where you bought it (Steam, GOG, Epic…)
  • Your Mac model, chip and macOS version
  • The engine and graphics layer the game ran ongrapple info <bottle>
  • The resolution and graphics preset you played at
  • Frame rate from the Metal HUD, and the scene you measured it ingrapple set <bottle> hud on
  • Screenshots of any error, plus a diagnostics reportgrapple report <bottle>

In those commands, <bottle> is the CLI's term for the Windows environment the game runs in — type its name instead. How to create a diagnostics report — it collects the game's settings, versions and logs into one zip, with your username removed.

XCOM 2 is a trademark of its owner and is named here only to identify the game. Grapple isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Firaxis Games (Mac version by Feral Interactive).