MacNativeGames: Zelda natively on Mac and iPhone
MacNativeGames is a sister project to nxnative that runs your own copy of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild natively on Apple silicon Macs, and also on iPhone and iPad. It is not an emulator either.
What MacNativeGames supports
| Game | Versions | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom | 1.0.0, 1.2.1, 1.4.3 | Mac, iPhone, iPad |
| The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | 1.6.0, 1.9.0 | Mac (1.6.0 also iPhone) |
| Super Mario Odyssey 1.3.0 | early community port | Mac |
From the project’s README and update history, checked October 25, 2026.
Mac features
- A real 21:9 ultrawide mode, with the HUD kept in a central 16:9 area.
- Native 2K rendering and frame interpolation options in Breath of the Wild.
- Tears of the Kingdom renders its 3D scene at the canvas resolution, 1920×1080 at 1080p.
- Local tests on M4 MacBook Air and Mac mini reported about 90 fps after shaders warm up, up to 120 fps in menus. The project notes these are local observations, not a promise.
The shared shader list
Stutter on Mac comes from compiling new shaders. MacNativeGames keeps a shared list of shader identifiers that players contribute from their own games, so every new build has them ready. The list holds identifiers only, never game data, and the game never uploads anything by itself.
What you need
- An Apple silicon Mac on macOS 26 or later; 16 GB of memory or more recommended.
- About 25 GB of free disk space for the work folder.
- Your own Tears of the Kingdom or Breath of the Wild files and your own
prod.keys. - For iPhone or iPad builds: full Xcode 26 or later, iOS/iPadOS 26 and an iPhone 14 or newer.
The app you build contains your game, so the project says it is for your own use only and must not be shared.
nxnative or MacNativeGames?
| nxnative | MacNativeGames | |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 62 tested games | Zelda TOTK and BOTW (Odyssey early) |
| Focus | iPhone and iPad (Mac app possible) | Mac first, iPhone and iPad too |
| Minimum iPhone | iPhone 15 Pro | iPhone 14 |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
MacNativeGames questions
What is MacNativeGames?
An open-source project by ly05010419 that runs your own copy of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild natively on Apple silicon Macs, iPhone and iPad. Like nxnative, it is not an emulator.
How is MacNativeGames different from nxnative?
MacNativeGames focuses on the two Zelda games and on the Mac, with Mac-only features such as 21:9 ultrawide and a shared shader list to reduce stutter. nxnative covers many more games and focuses on iPhone and iPad. MacNativeGames credits nxnative for its one-script packing approach.
Which versions does MacNativeGames support?
Tears of the Kingdom 1.0.0, 1.2.1 and 1.4.3 on Mac, iPhone and iPad, and Breath of the Wild 1.6.0 and 1.9.0 on Mac, with 1.6.0 also on iPhone.
What Mac do I need?
An Apple silicon Mac on macOS 26 or later; 16 GB of memory or more is recommended, plus about 25 GB of free disk space for the work folder.
Does it run on iPhone 14?
MacNativeGames says its iOS build needs iOS/iPadOS 26 and an iPhone 14 or newer. nxnative’s own requirement is higher: iPhone 15 Pro or newer.
Back to the nxnative guide.