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Marvel Rivals, a superhero-themed 6v6 shooter from NetEase Games and Marvel, has dominated the gaming world by storm since its December 6, 2024 release. The free-to-play title is available on Windows PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and it supports cross-platform play, allowing players to team up with legendary characters such as Spider-Man, Groot, and Wolverine.
The action stays fresh thanks to features like destructible locations, dynamic Hero Team-Ups for combo powers, and a strong yearly development strategy that includes new characters and battle passes. As of now, the game’s 37-character roster and 13 distinct maps have pushed its popularity to over 40 million. However, for Mac users, the lack of native macOS compatibility has caused a severe case of FOMO. While pals on consoles and PCs participate in Clone Rumble mode or obtain event rewards such as Black Widow’s Mrs. Barnes skin, Mac users feel excluded from the multiversal mayhem. But the real question: Can you play Rivals on a Mac?
Are there any plans for Marvel Rivals to launch on Mac?
Since Marvel Rivals did not launch on Mac at launch, NetEase has also not expressed any plans or interest to bring the game on Apple devices. The game requires a graphic card and some specific system requirements to run, hence Apple devices don’t find themselves compatible with the said pre-requisites.
However, there’s a workaround method that enables you to play Rivals on any Mac OS device, whether it’s an iMac or a Macbook, using a tool called Crossover by Code Weavers. Here’s how you can use it to play Marvel Rivals.
How to install and use Crossover to play Marvel Rivals on Mac
The first thing you need to do is get a copy of Crossover for your Mac device. Head to the Code Weavers website to download Crossover preview for free, or purchase the software for $24 to get full access to every feature.
You need to download Crossover to play Rivals. Image by VideoGamer.
Copy Crossover to Applications to install it. Image by VideoGamer.
Download Steam in Crossover. Image by VideoGamer.
Install Marvel Rivals on Steam. Image by VideoGamer.
D3DMetal enables porting of the game on Mac. Image by VideoGamer.
You need to enable MSync in Crossover to launch Marvel Rivals. Image by VideoGamer.
Don’t install the latest graphic driver at launch. Image by VideoGamer.
Launch the game with lowest settings. Image by VideoGamer.
You can test out the game by playing the Practice Range. Image by VideoGamer.
Once you’ve done that, unarchive the downloaded program and drag it to the Applications tab to install it. As soon as the installation process finishes, open Crossover and look for Steam in the search bar. Download Steam and install it in your C: drive and follow these steps:
- Launch Steam and look for Marvel Rivals.
- Add it to your Library and install it in the same C: drive where you installed Steam and Crossover.
- As soon as the installation finishes, Exit Steam.
- Then, within Crossover, select Steam in the Bottles sub-menu
- On the right pane under Advanced Settings, change Graphics to D3DMetal.
- Under Synchronization, select MSync.
- On the pop-up menu that appears, click on Reboot Bottle and Enable MSync.
- Then, launch Steam again and click on Marvel Rivals, then Play.
- On the Known Issues With Graphic Driver Screen, click No and disagree to install a new graphics driver.
- Once the game launches, turn your Anti-Aliasing to AMD FSR and Super Resolution Mode to Performance.
- Then set all Graphic Settings to Low.
Once you’ve followed all the steps above, launch Practice Range in Marvel Rivals and enjoy your gameplay on your Mac device.
Is it safe to run Marvel Rivals on a Mac?
Since this isn’t an official version of Marvel Rivals by NetEase Games, of course there’s a high risk playing the game using an emulator on an unsupported device. In the past, NetEase has issued 100-year bans to players who used an emulator to play Rivals.
According to AppleInsider, the CodeWeavers CEO James Ramsey has said the company is making efforts to reach out to NetEase on the matter, seeking an opportunity to let MacOS users play the game. However, they also stated that ultimately it was NetEase’s decision to make, unless the game grows in popularity and both iOS and Mac users push the devs to release a port on the platforms.
About the Author
Marvel Rivals
- Platform(s): macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s): Fighting, Shooter
