Mac compatibility
Can you play Paralives on a Mac?
Short answer: There's a native Mac version on Steam — that's the easy route. The Windows version lists DirectX 11, which Grapple's DXMT layer covers, but we haven't tested it.
What we know
Steam ships a macOS build of Paralives. Its Mac requirements call for an Apple processor: macOS Big Sur 11 or newer, an Apple M2 and 12 GB of memory at minimum. If your Mac meets those requirements, the native version is the better route — nothing is being translated.
Steam lists the game for Windows and macOS. Its Windows requirements 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.
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.
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FAQ
Can I play Paralives on a Mac?
Steam ships a macOS build of Paralives. Its Mac requirements call for an Apple processor: macOS Big Sur 11 or newer, an Apple M2 and 12 GB of memory at minimum. 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.
What might stop Paralives from working?
There's a native Mac version too — this expectation is about the Windows version run through Grapple.
Which DirectX does Paralives use?
Paralives'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 Paralives?
Steam ships a macOS build of Paralives. Its Mac requirements call for an Apple processor: macOS Big Sur 11 or newer, an Apple M2 and 12 GB of memory at minimum.
Sources
Every factual claim on this page comes from these. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
- Steam store page — system requirements, platforms and anti-cheat disclosure (checked 28 September 2026)
Try Paralives 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.
Paralives is a trademark of its owner and is named here only to identify the game. Grapple isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Alex Massé and team.