Mario Kart World on Mac with nxnative
Mario Kart World reaches a race on an Apple silicon Mac with nxnative: the menus, character and kart selection and the first Grand Prix race, driven with items at 60 fps. Here is what the official notes say about the tested version, the frame rate, memory and what is still open.
How far does it run?
On an M6 Mac with 16 GB, the base game (v0) runs the title, the main menu, the Single Player and Grand Prix menus, character, kart, cup and class selection, the Mushroom Cup’s opening movie and the first race, Mario Bros. Circuit at 50cc, driven with items, at 60 fps. Most frames take about 15.5–16.5 ms; the slowest 5 % take about 21–33 ms.
What to know
- Only the base game (v0) has been run. Update 1.8.0 has a profile derived from the base game’s, but it has not been run yet.
- Some frames still stall: the worst frame in each stretch of 300 is usually 35–65 ms, partly from graphics pipelines compiled the first time they are used (there is no warm-up list yet).
- Memory is tight on a 16 GB Mac: the game is given the Switch 2’s 9 GB layout, and the test Mac used about 6.5 GB of swap during the race. A Mac with more memory has not been measured.
- The game data is large, about 22 GB.
- The engine class screen offers 50, 100 and 150cc in this build. nxnative has no online features, so online races are not available.
- iPhone and iPad are not tested, and no IPA has been built.
What you need
- An Apple silicon Mac. Switch 2 games run on the Mac only for now; Intel Macs are not supported.
- macOS 26.6 or later and Xcode 27.2 to build the app. See nxnative on Mac.
- Your own copy of Mario Kart World. Follow the official README for the build; this guide does not cover how game files are obtained or prepared.
nxnative is not an emulator: it rewrites the game’s own program to run on the Apple chip and rebuilds the Switch 2 graphics on Metal, one game at a time. The other Switch 2 games and how far each runs are on Switch 2 games on Mac.
Mario Kart World on Mac questions
Does Mario Kart World work with nxnative?
Yes, on the Mac. Mario Kart World is on nxnative’s tested list as a Switch 2 game (tested version: Base game (v0)). On an M6 Mac with 16 GB, the base game (v0) runs the title, the main menu, the Single Player and Grand Prix menus, character, kart, cup and class selection, the Mushroom Cup’s opening movie and the first race, Mario Bros. Circuit at 50cc, driven with items, at 60 fps. Most frames take about 15.5–16.5 ms; the slowest 5 % take about 21–33 ms.
Which Mac do I need for Mario Kart World?
An Apple silicon Mac on macOS 26.6 or later, with Xcode 27.2 for the build. Intel Macs are not supported, and iPhone and iPad are untested for Switch 2 games.
Does nxnative include Mario Kart World?
No. You need your own copy of the game; nothing from any game is in the project. This site does not provide or explain how to obtain game files.
Can you play Mario Kart World on a Mac?
On an Apple silicon Mac, yes, as far as the official notes go: the base game reached the first Grand Prix race at 50cc at 60 fps on an M6 Mac with 16 GB. Later races and update 1.8.0 have not been reported as run.
Does Mario Kart World work on iPhone with nxnative?
Not yet. It has only been tested on the Mac; iOS is not tested and there is no IPA.
Which update of Mario Kart World works?
The base game (v0) is the tested version. Update 1.8.0 has a profile, but it has not been run.
Does Mario Kart World online work?
No. nxnative has no online features.
All tested games: nxnative games list. Official per-game notes: GitHub.
