Mac compatibility
Can you play Middle-earth: Shadow of War on a Mac?
Short answer: Likely to work, but not tested yet — Middle-earth: Shadow of War lists DirectX 11, which Grapple's DXMT layer translates to Metal. Try it on the Free plan and tell us how it went.
What we know
Steam lists Middle-earth: Shadow of War for Windows only. Its minimum and recommended requirements both call for DirectX 11.
Grapple translates DirectX 10 and 11 to Metal — through Apple's D3DMetal or the open-source DXMT — so on paper this is a reasonable candidate. That's an expectation, not a result — we haven't tested it yet.
Steam lists Denuvo Antitamper as third-party DRM for this game.
Grapple settings
Nothing verified yet. Where to start, based on its DirectX version (in the app, the same options are in the game's settings):
- 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 Steam graphics dxmt - To see frame rates, turn on the Metal HUD:
grapple set Steam hud on
Test record
None yet.
Played it on Grapple?
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FAQ
Can I play Middle-earth: Shadow of War on a Mac?
Likely to work — not tested yet, but nobody has tested it with Grapple yet. That's what the game's published facts suggest, not a result. The page changes to Works once players report it working.
Which DirectX does Middle-earth: Shadow of War use?
Middle-earth: Shadow of War's requirements list DirectX 11. Grapple starts it on D3DMetal, Apple's DirectX 11 and 12 translator, which Grapple includes and uses by default.
Is there a Mac version of Middle-earth: Shadow of War?
Steam doesn't offer a macOS build of Middle-earth: Shadow of War; it's listed for Windows only.
Sources
Every factual claim on this page comes from these. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
- Steam store page — system requirements and supported platforms (checked 28 September 2026)
Try Middle-earth: Shadow of War yourself
Grapple's Free plan runs one game, forever, so you can find out on your own Mac without paying. Then tell us how it went with the buttons above, so the next player knows.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a trademark of its owner and is named here only to identify the game. Grapple isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Monolith Productions.