Switch 2 games on Mac
Switch 2 games have started to run natively on Apple silicon Macs with nxnative. As of November 7, 2026, 11 are in the tested list, among them Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza and Pokémon Pokopia. All of them are Mac only for now.
Switch 2 games that run on the Mac
Each game was brought up on one version. How far it was played, from each game’s notes in the official repository:
| Game | Tested version | How far it runs |
|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart World | Base game (v0) | The title, menus, character and kart selection and the first race of the Mushroom Cup at 50cc with items, at 60 fps on an M6 Mac with 16 GB. A profile for update 1.8.0 exists but has not been run. |
| Donkey Kong Bananza | Update v458752 | The opening, the mining tunnel and the areas after it at 60 fps on an M4 Pro; in busy scenes the game drops itself to 30 fps for a few seconds. |
| Pokémon Pokopia | Ver. 2.0.1 | The opening, the character choice and the first area’s tutorial at about 60 fps, including a 31-minute playtest with no crash. Saves load and continue. |
| Splatoon Raiders | Update v65536 | The opening, character creation and the first level on an M4 Pro. 60 fps is not held everywhere yet. |
| Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave | v131072 | The opening movie, the dialogue and the first battle map at 60 fps, and up to 120 fps on a Mac with a 120 Hz screen (107–119 fps on the map). Macs before M3 decode its AV1 movies in software. |
| Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment | Update v196608 | From a new save into the first field; battles not reached yet. On a 16 GB Mac there are long frames every few frames; a Mac with more memory has not been tried. |
| Mario Tennis Fever | Update 1.1.1 | The practice, the main menu, Adventure’s opening and Free Play singles with real rallies at 60 fps on an M4 Pro. |
| Kirby Air Riders | Update v458752 (1.3.3) | The title, menus, a lesson and Air Ride races from start to the results screen, holding 57 to 60 fps after the first run, at about 10 GB of memory on an M4 Pro with 48 GB. Played with scripted input so far. |
| Star Fox | Update v131072 | The title, the prologue cinematic and the tutorial flight at 56 to 60 fps (the cinematic at 30) on an M4 Pro with 48 GB. Flying under player input has not been watched on that Mac yet. |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | Update v131072 | The title, the opening, a new file’s first scene, Link’s house and Kokiri Forest, with saves, at about 59 fps. |
| Yoshi and the Mysterious Book | Update v131072 (Ver. 1.0.2) | From a new save: the opening movie, Chapter 1, the first habitat, walking and jumping, a save and a reload of that save, at 60 fps. |
Switch 2 games not in this table are not supported yet: the build script gives them a provisional profile, which may not boot. The full games list has every Switch and Switch 2 game.
What you need
- An Apple silicon Mac. The games were tested on M4 Pro Macs (one with 48 GB) and on an M6 with 16 GB; Kirby Air Riders used about 10 GB in a race. Intel Macs are not supported.
- macOS 26.6 or later and Xcode 27.2, as for every nxnative build. See nxnative on Mac.
- Your own copy of the game, and plenty of disk space: these games are large (Mario Kart World about 22 GB, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment about 47 GB).
Switch 2 games are built with the same nxnative script into a Mac app. Follow the official README for the build; this guide does not cover how game files are obtained or prepared.
Is this a Switch 2 emulator?
No. nxnative rewrites one game’s own program to run on the Apple chip, replaces the Switch system with a small host and rebuilds the Switch 2 graphics (NVN2) on Metal. That is why it works game by game, and why each game has its own tested version and notes.
iPhone and iPad
Untested. No Switch 2 game has been built for iPhone or iPad yet; for Switch 1 games on iPhone see the requirements.
On Android phones, a separate project ported from nxnative, Banana Native, runs Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokémon Pokopia and Mario Kart World (in progress) on Snapdragon phones.
Switch 2 on Mac questions
Can you play Switch 2 games on a Mac?
Some, yes. As of November 7, 2026, nxnative has 11 Switch 2 games in its tested list: Donkey Kong Bananza, Splatoon Raiders, Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave, Pokémon Pokopia, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, Mario Kart World, Mario Tennis Fever, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Star Fox and Kirby Air Riders. Each is built into a native Mac app for Apple silicon. Only games with a profile in the project work.
Is there a Switch 2 emulator for Mac?
nxnative is not an emulator. It rewrites one specific game’s own code to run on the Apple chip and rebuilds the graphics on Metal, game by game. A Switch 2 game without a profile in the project does not work.
Can I play Mario Kart World on my Mac?
It reaches a race: the menus and the first Mushroom Cup race at 50cc with items ran at 60 fps on an M6 Mac with 16 GB, on the base game. Update 1.8.0 has a profile that has not been run yet.
Do Switch 2 games work on iPhone or iPad?
Not yet. Every Switch 2 game so far was tested on the Mac only; iPhone and iPad are untested and no IPA has been built for them.
How much memory does my Mac need?
The project gives Switch 2 games the console’s 9 GB layout. The games were tested on M4 Pro Macs (Star Fox and Kirby Air Riders on one with 48 GB) and on an M6 with 16 GB. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment has long frames on 16 GB, and more memory has not been tried.
Where do I get the games?
From your own Switch 2 console and your own copies. This guide does not host, link or explain how to obtain game files; see is it legal and safe.
From the official READMEs, checked November 7, 2026. See also which platforms nxnative supports. Back to the nxnative guide.
