6 Ways to Play Borderlands 4 on Mac + Performance

Borderlands 4 isn’t natively on Mac, which is frustrating if you’re like me and wanted to jump straight in. Still, there are ways around it. I tested multiple options myself, and in this article, I’ll share my experiences, the pros and cons, and some honest guidance.

Can You Play Borderlands 4 on Mac?

The short answer is no, not natively. Borderlands 4 has no Mac release and won’t launch out of the box on macOS. But that doesn’t mean you’re locked out. I’ve tried several workarounds, and while each has quirks, they all let you play in different ways.

Boosteroid was my most balanced experience. It’s a cloud solution that’s grown a lot, offering stable streams and fair pricing. If you’re aiming for 4K, it’s cheaper than GeForce Now. The catch is server availability – doesn’t have as many worldwide locations.
GeForce Now, by contrast, feels more premium. It has more servers, more customization, and smooth performance. The problem? Price. 4K and 120 fps streaming come at a steep cost, and its library leaves out some big titles.
Xbox Cloud Gaming is the budget-friendly angle if you’re already on Game Pass Ultimate. The downside: no 4K, lower streaming quality than Boosteroid or GeForce, and no mouse and keyboard. You’re basically playing the Xbox version.
CrossOver was the best local method on my Mac. Performance is decent, and while there’s occasional jank, nothing broke the experience. You’ll need a strong Apple Silicon machine for this to shine.
Kegworks and Whisky are the free GitHub cousins of CrossOver. They work, but are jankier, require technical know-how, and issues are more frequent.

Click here for a more detailed breakdown of all the methods.

	Boosteroid, XCloud, and GFN	CrossOver	Kegworks/Whisky
Requirements	≥ 15 Mbps Internet speed (Boosteroid, XCloud) ≥ 25 Mbps Internet speed (GFN)	M2 Pro MacBook Pro, 24 GB, or better	M2 Pro MacBook Pro, 24 GB, or better
Must Own Game	Yes	Yes	Yes
Supported game stores	Steam	Steam	Steam
Setup Difficulty	1/5 – 🍼 Child’s Play	4/5 – 🧩 Moderate Challenge	3/5 – 🎯 Some Focus Required
Time to Set Up	~ 10 min	~ 20-30 min	~ 30-40 min
Performance	4/5 – near native experience	4/5 – near native experience	4/5 – near native experience
Stability	4/5 – only minor hiccups	4/5 – only minor hiccups	3/5 – a bit finicky

Now let’s move on to how to use those methods.

How to Play Borderlands 4 on Mac

After testing every available method myself, I figured it made sense to lay out a clear guide for anyone who wants to try Borderlands 4 on Mac. Each option comes with its own quirks, requirements, and setup steps, so following the right process is important. Whether you’re leaning toward cloud gaming or experimenting with local tools, these instructions should help you avoid frustration and get the game running smoothly.

Play Borderlands 4 With Boosteroid

How to Play Borderlands 4 on Mac With Boosteroid

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Click the Boosteroid button above. Create an account or sign up with Google.
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Go to your profile page(top-right), click Subscribe, select a preferred plan, and start your subscription.
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Search for “Borderlands 4”, choose your preferred version of the game (Steam, Epic, etc.) and click Play (or Install and Play).
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Click OK, Let’s go, and wait for the game to load.
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Log into your game store account. Borderlands 4 will launch directly in your browser.

Play Borderlands 4 With GeForce Now

How to Play Borderlands 4 on Mac With GFN

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Click the GeForce Now link → Join Now → sign up for your preferred plan.
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Go to the Downloads page. Download GeForce Now for macOS.
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Double-click the installer. Drag the app to your Applications folder.
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Launch GFN and log in.
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Click the menu in the top left → Settings → connect your respective game store account.
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Click the menu again → Games → search for Borderlands 4, and click Play.
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Wait for the connection test. If you get a weak connection warning, you can ignore it by clicking Continue and still play the game.
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Wait for the game to load and start playing.

Play Borderlands 4 With XCloud

How to Play Borderlands 4 on Mac With Xbox Cloud Gaming

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Download Microsoft Edge (the best browser for XCloud).
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Open Edge, click the provided XCloud link, sign up, and subscribe to the Game Pass Ultimate plan.
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If you have a game controller, connect it to your Mac.
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If you don’t have a controller, install this Edge extension, pin it to your Toolbar, and turn it on before starting the game.
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Search for Borderlands 4 in the XCloud site and click Play.
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If you are using the Mouse and keyboard extension, click the center of your screen when the game starts to enable it.
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When the game loads, you can start playing.

Play Borderlands 4 With CrossOver

How to Play Borderlands 4 on Mac With CrossOver

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Click the CrossOver button, download the app (the free 14-day trial or the paid version), and install it.
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Open CrossOver → Bottle (top-left) → New Bottle → Create (Windows 10, 64-bit compatibility).
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Right-click the new bottle → Install Software → search for Steam and install it.
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Open Steam, log in, search for Borderlands 4 in your library, and install it.
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After it installs, exit Steam, enable E-Sync, and D3DMetal, and Reboot the bottle.
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Start Steam again and launch Borderlands 4 from your library.

How to Run Borderlands 4 on Mac With Kegworks

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Visit the Homebrew website and copy the installation command by clicking the button next to it.
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Press Command + Space to open Spotlight, type “Terminal,” and hit Enter.
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Paste the Homebrew command into Terminal using Command + V, then press Enter.
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Enter your Mac password when prompted (input remains invisible), and press Enter again to continue.
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Wait for the installation to proceed, then press Enter once more when prompted to complete the Homebrew installation.
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Visit the Kegworks site, copy the installation command, paste it into Terminal, and press Enter to install it.
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Once installed, open Kegworks from the Applications folder and click the + button to install a Wine engine (try Game Porting Toolkit first).
I recommend experimenting with different engines to see which one works best for a given game.
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Select the installed engine, click “Create New Blank Wrapper,” name it, click OK, then open it via “View Wrapper in Finder.”
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Then go to this Steam page and click the Windows logo below Install Steam to download the Windows version of Steam.
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In the wrapper config window, click Browse, find the downloaded Steam installation file, click it, and click Choose.
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Close the Config window, then open it again and it will launch the Steam Windows installer. Follow the prompts to install Steam.
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Once Steam is installed, log in, find the game in your library, click Install, and install it without changing the installation directory.
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Once this is done, you are ready to start playing. For future gamign sessions, just open the same Steam wrapper and start the game from there.

Play Borderlands 4 With Whisky

How to Download Borderlands 4 on Mac With Whisky

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Click the Whisky button above and download the latest version.
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Double-click the downloaded .zip file and drag and drop the extracted Whisky to your Applications folder.
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Start Whisky. Click Open when asked to confirm the action. Click Next to install.
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Select Create a Bottle and create one with Windows 10 compatibility.
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Open this Steam page and click the Windows logo (under Install Steam) to download the Windows version.
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In Whisky, click Open C: drive. Drag and drop the SteamSetup.exe file into C:.
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Click Run in Whisky, find SteamSetup.exe, open it, and follow the prompts.
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When Steam installs, log in and click Allow when asked if you want the application to accept incoming connections.
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In Steam, find Borderlands 4, click Install, and launch the game when it’s ready.

Borderlands 4 on Mac – Performance

Trying each method myself gave me a clear picture of what Borderlands 4 actually feels like on a Mac. Specs and promises only go so far – you need to see how these options hold up in practice. Some surprised me with stability, others stumbled where I expected more. If you’re deciding which route to try first, my hands-on notes should help you figure out where to start without wasting time.

Streaming Borderlands 4 on MacBook With Boosteroid

Testing Borderlands 4 in the cloud felt surprisingly close to native in some cases. Boosteroid impressed me the most as an all-around solution. With a stable wired connection, performance held steady, and the fact that 4K is included without extra cost makes it hard to beat for value.

GeForce Now had a slicker interface and more customization knobs to tweak, and on higher tiers the performance was excellent, but I felt the pricing for 4K streaming stung more than it should.

Xbox Cloud Gaming worked fine with a controller – honestly, it felt natural that way – but the browser extension for keyboard and mouse was rough and made the whole thing less enjoyable. If you stick to gamepad play, though, it’s still a convenient option.

Across all three, the takeaway was clear: each service can run Borderlands 4 well, but they shine in slightly different ways.

Running Borderlands 4 on Mac With CrossOver and Whisky

Running Borderlands 4 on my M3 Max through CrossOver gave me mixed but mostly solid results. At 1080p, I saw the game hovering around 48 FPS in lighter scenes and closer to 30 FPS when things got heavy. Memory usage was high -16-18 GB for the game plus another 7–8 GB for Metal – so it’s definitely pushing the machine, but nothing game-breaking happened. It felt playable, even if it wasn’t flawless.

Kegworks, being the free GitHub fork of CrossOver, runs the same underlying tech but with more rough edges. Expect similar frame rates but with greater instability: crashes, glitches, and more user setup. Whisky sits in the same camp but is no longer supported, meaning fewer fixes and even less stability over time.

On weaker Apple Silicon Macs like the base M1 or M2, I’d expect frame rates to dip under 30 FPS consistently, making it a slog without serious tweaks. Mid-tier chips like M1 Pro or M2 Pro should get you closer to stable 30 FPS gameplay. The M3 Max handled things best, but even then it struggled in heavier scenes. In short: CrossOver is the most practical local option, but you’ll need high-end Apple hardware to make it worthwhile.

Borderlands 4 on Mac – Conclusion

Borderlands 4 isn’t a native Mac title, but that doesn’t mean you’re locked out. Cloud options like Boosteroid, GeForce Now, and Xbox Cloud Gaming all worked, each with their own strengths. CrossOver gave me the best local results, though it pushed hardware hard and demanded an M3 Max to stay comfortably above 30 FPS. Kegworks and Whisky technically run the game too, but with more headaches. If you want the smoothest ride without tinkering, cloud streaming is the safer bet. For local play, only the higher-end Apple Silicon Macs really make it worthwhile.