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macOS Version
October 15, 2026 at 03:18 PM
Updated the Charting the Unknown launch date in the Mac App Store availability note
Crimson Desert launched on macOS on March 19, 2026, alongside its PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows PC releases. This makes Crimson Desert a rare AAA title to receive a day-one Mac launch, as most big-budget games either arrive on Mac months or years later or skip the platform entirely. The macOS version is available through both the Mac App Store and Steam, and requires an Apple Silicon Mac. Intel Macs are not supported. The macOS version runs on Pearl Abyss's proprietary BlackSpace Engine, which has been adapted to take full advantage of Apple's M-series hardware and Metal API. Pearl Abyss stated that the Mac version will "take full advantage of Apple's M series hardware" through the engine.
The macOS version was first announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2025, where Crimson Desert was featured as part of a nine-game lineup showing Mac gaming. Apple highlighted the game as a demonstration of how Apple Silicon and Metal API technologies can deliver AAA gaming experiences on Mac hardware. Pearl Abyss also showcased new gameplay footage around the same time at Summer Game Fest 2025.
Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
Operating System | macOS 15 (Sequoia) | macOS 15 (Sequoia) |
Processor | Apple M2 Pro | Apple M4 Pro |
Graphics | M2 Pro integrated GPU | M3 Pro or later |
RAM | 16 GB | 16 GB |
Storage | 150 GB | 150 GB |
The Mac App Store listing reports a download size of approximately 167.9 GB. Apple Silicon is mandatory; M-series chips from M2 Pro and newer (M2 Pro, M3, M4, and their Pro, Max, and Ultra variants) are supported, but Intel-based Macs cannot run the game. The recommended specs list an M4 Pro processor with an M3 Pro GPU, suggesting the game is demanding on Mac hardware.
The macOS version takes advantage of several Apple Silicon and Metal API capabilities to deliver high-quality visuals and performance.
Feature | Details | Hardware |
|---|---|---|
MetalFX Upscaling | Renders at a lower internal resolution and uses machine learning to upscale to the display resolution, significantly improving frame rates while maintaining visual quality. | All Apple Silicon (M1+) |
MetalFX Frame Generation | Generates intermediate frames between rendered frames to increase perceived smoothness and frame rate. Similar to DLSS Frame Generation and FSR ML Frame Generation on PC. | All Apple Silicon (M1+) |
MetalFX Denoiser | Cleans up noise from ray-traced effects (global illumination and reflections), producing cleaner lighting at lower computational cost. | All Apple Silicon (M1+) |
Hardware Ray Tracing | Hardware-accelerated ray tracing for realistic lighting, reflections, and shadows. Provides the same ray-traced global illumination and reflections available on the PC version. | M3 and M4 families only |
Mesh Shading | Advanced rendering technique that improves geometric detail and efficiency. Allows the engine to render complex environments with better performance. | M3 and M4 families only |
Spatial Audio | 3D positional audio support for immersive sound design. Audio adjusts based on the player's position and orientation in the game world. | All Apple Silicon (M1+) |
HDR | High dynamic range display support for wider color gamut and improved contrast on compatible displays. | All Apple Silicon (M1+) |
M3 and M4 chips offer the most complete feature set, with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading on top of the MetalFX Upscaling, spatial audio, and HDR available to all Apple Silicon Macs. M1 and M2 users can still play the game but will not have access to hardware ray tracing.
Running macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later enables frame interpolation, which allows 60 FPS performance across all resolution tiers regardless of native rendering speed. This is a system-level feature that works with MetalFX Frame Generation to deliver smoother gameplay even on lower-end Apple Silicon hardware.
macOS Game Mode, introduced in macOS Sonoma 14, activates automatically when any game runs in native full-screen mode on Apple Silicon Macs. Game Mode gives the game highest priority access to the CPU and GPU, lowering resource usage for background tasks. It also doubles Bluetooth sampling rates for wireless controllers and AirPods, reducing input latency. Since Crimson Desert requires macOS 15.0 or later and Apple Silicon, Game Mode is available to all players running the game.
Feature | M1 / M2 | M3 / M4 |
|---|---|---|
Game playable | Yes | Yes |
MetalFX Upscaling | Yes | Yes |
MetalFX Frame Generation | Yes | Yes |
MetalFX Denoiser | Yes | Yes |
Spatial Audio | Yes | Yes |
HDR | Yes | Yes |
Hardware Ray Tracing | No | Yes |
Mesh Shading | No | Yes |
The game can be purchased through two storefronts on Mac.
Storefront | Details |
|---|---|
Mac App Store | Direct download through Apple's storefront. Supports Family Sharing for up to 6 family members. |
Steam | The Steam version includes both Windows PC and macOS support as a single purchase. |
The macOS version supports over 25 languages, matching the other platform versions. See Supported Languages and Localization for details.
Day-one Mac releases for major AAA games remain uncommon. Crimson Desert's simultaneous Mac launch, announced at Apple's own WWDC event, demonstrates both Pearl Abyss's focus on broad platform availability and the growing viability of Apple Silicon as a gaming platform. The fact that a game running on a custom engine (BlackSpace) rather than Unity or Unreal was ported to Metal further signals confidence in the Mac gaming ecosystem.
Patch 1.04.00 delivered a substantial round of Mac-specific improvements. Stuttering during gameplay was reduced, a new MetalFX Denoising Upscaler option was added on macOS Tahoe and later, and HDR quality was improved with HDR enabled by default on compatible displays. The patch also fixed the dark-screen issue that occurred when disabling HDR, fixed a Mac display switching bug, and resolved a Mac resolution issue at launch. The Mac App Store version of Patch 1.04.00 was still rolling out at the time of release; players on the App Store should check for the update separately from the main 1.04.00 launch. See Patch 1.04.00 for the full Mac change list.
Hotfix 1.16.02 (August 3, 2026) fixed a crash when running the game on a Mac with the MetalFX Denoising Upscaler option enabled. The Mac build of that hotfix arrived slightly after the PC build; other 1.16-series patches shipped on both platforms at the same time.
The first paid expansion, Charting the Unknown, is sold on Steam for both PC and Mac, but Pearl Abyss has stated it will not be available on the Mac App Store at launch on October 29, 2026 (the release was moved from October 15 on September 30, 2026). Players who bought Crimson Desert through the Mac App Store therefore cannot buy the expansion there on release day. The studio has said it will publish a separate announcement if Mac App Store release plans are confirmed later.
Patch 2.02.00, released on September 11, 2026, added the cross-save feature on Mac. Cross-save itself is older: it arrived in patch 1.14.00 on July 16, 2026 covering PlayStation, Xbox, Steam and the Epic Games Store, which left Mac as the last platform without it. Patch 2.02.00 shipped to both Mac storefronts, Steam and the Mac App Store, on the same day.
Patch 2.03.00 (September 18, 2026) and hotfixes Patch 2.03.01 (September 21) and Patch 2.03.02 (September 23) were listed as available on Steam for Mac on their release days. For the Mac App Store, each rollout table read "Patch available at a later time (in-progress)", and all three notices still showed that status when read on September 27, 2026. Until that rollout completes, the Mac App Store build can trail the Steam Mac build.
Two Mac-specific problems are open on the official known-issues notice as last updated on September 21, 2026, the same two that were listed when 2.02.00 went live on September 11.
Issue | Details |
|---|---|
Cursor offset when placing furniture | At certain resolutions with keyboard and mouse, the cursor position differs from the actual furniture placement point. |
Colorblind filter not applied to the interface | The colorblind filter is not applied to the UI when Colorblind Mode is enabled. |
Both are listed as open with no published workaround. See Known Issues for the cross-platform list.