CodeWeavers CrossOver for Mac review: Run Windows apps without Windows

• Best for: Mac gamers who want to avoid buying Windows and for running older Windows apps.
• Not for: Users who need guaranteed compatibility and Apple Silicon users who want fully native performance – CrossOver requires Rosetta to work on Apple Silicon and some apps don’t work.

CrossOver is based on WINE, which is one of the best options for running Windows software on your Mac. And, like WINE, it uses a compatibility layer that allows Windows apps to run on the Mac without actually requiring a full version of Windows to be installed as well. That can save you a lot of money, as you do need to buy a copy of Windows for use with virtualisation programs such as Parallels Desktop and VMware Fusion.

But although WINE is a free, open-source program, it’s too complicated for most non-technical users, so the team at CodeWeavers developed CrossOver as a more straightforward and user-friendly alternative – that comes with technical support to help with installing a wide variety of Windows games and software. However, there are tradeoffs in comparison with full virtual machine options like Parallels and VMware, with compatibility not guaranteed, and some apps unable to run at all.

See how CrossOver compares to other Mac Virtual Machines we have tested in: Best Virtual Machine for Mac.

Our review is updated for 2026 to take account of the new version: CrossOver 26.

CrossOver Performance

At the moment, CrossOver is based on code that was originally written for Intel processors, so it relies on Apple’s Rosetta to run on Macs with Apple Silicon, but performance still seems to be pretty good, and CodeWeavers states that it is working on native support for Apple Silicon for the future.

CrossOver works with a wide range of Windows software and apps, but many CrossOver users are dedicated Mac gamers, so much of CodeWeavers’ work is focused on getting it to work with popular Windows games. And, in fact, the Game Porting Kit that Apple provides to help games developers produce Mac versions of their games is based on open-source code from CodeWeavers – so these guys really know what they’re doing. There’s also a database on their web site that provides compatibility information and advice for running hundreds of Windows apps and games.

CrossOver Usability

CrossOver has always aimed to be more user-friendly than WINE, by allowing you to install Windows apps into ‘bottles’ – which are self-contained files that can be launched and run on your Mac without requiring a full copy of Windows. You can create lots of different bottles for different apps, and bottles can even be configured to provide compatibility with different versions of Windows. This is useful as it allows you to create bottles that are suitable for older games and software that might require a particular version of Windows in order to run properly.

Even so, CrossOver can still be quite complicated at times, so version 22 introduced a new interface that was redesigned to be more Mac-like, and also to provide more help when installing many Windows apps and games. When you launch CrossOver you see the main Install window, which lists some popular Windows apps and games, such as The Witcher 3 and Diablo IV, and even productivity tools such as the Quicken accounting software for business users.

There’s also a search tool that provides information on hundreds of other Windows apps, and an indication of how well they run with CrossOver. But, as we discovered, there are degrees of compatibility here, with some apps that run well, while others may run with problems – and some may simply not work with CrossOver at all. But, somewhat to my surprise, I was able to install and run a 20-year old copy of Microsoft Publisher from an old DVD with no trouble at all, and also Icewind Dale II, an old favourite of mine that doesn’t seem to be widely available these days.

Latest CrossOver updates

CrossOver continues to receive regular updates, many of which focus on improving support for specific Windows games. The most recent update came in February 2026:

What’s new in CrossOver 26

CrossOver 26 was released in February 2026. Whilst there aren’t many major new features, this update does provide numerous technical updates that focus on improving performance for running Windows apps – and games in particular.

Core engine update: As we’ve mentioned, CrossOver is based on the open-source WINE software, which allows Windows apps and games to run on macOS as well as other Linux-based operating systems. CrossOver 26 now adopts the latest Wine 11.0, which, according to the developers at CodeWeavers, introduces more than 6,000 technical improvements, and fixes hundreds of bugs.

Gaming and graphics: Apple makes a contribution too, as its Game Porting Toolkit (GPT) – which uses open-source elements taken from both WINE and CrossOver – also includes a feature developed by Apple itself, called D3DMetal. This is designed to improve compatibility between games that use the Windows D3D graphics system and Apple’s own Metal graphics software, and CrossOver 26 now supports the latest version of D3DMetal 3.0, which should help to improve compatibility and graphics performance with many Windows games. 

Interface changes: There are also some interface updates in CrossOver 26 to help it work more smoothly with the Liquid Glass interface in macOS Tahoe. And, of course, there are some fixes for a number of popular games that may not have worked well with CrossOver in the past. These include recent, big-name titles such as Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, The Outer Worlds 2 and – right at the top of my own gaming wishlist – the multi-award-winning Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

What was new in CrossOver 25

The March 2025 launch of CrossOver 25 was one of the biggest updates of recent years, with CrossOver promising to bring “next level gaming to the Mac”.

Core engine update: Some of the new features in v25 were under-the-bonnet changes, such as adopting the latest version of the underlying WINE technology, which CodeWeavers claims includes thousands of programming updates to improve performance and compatibility.

Gaming and graphics: This update also introduced a new graphics technology, called DXMT that, according to CodeWeavers, provides better performance for less powerful Mac models when running Windows games that use DX11 graphics. The update added improved compatibility with lots of big-name Windows games, allowing you to play games such as Path Of Exile 2, Dragon’s Dogma 2, and Fallout 76 for the first time. And, along with Steam, CrossOver 25 now supports the Windows versions of the GoG and Epic game stores so that you can download games that you own from those stores.

Installation process improvements: CodeWeavers also continues to further streamline the installation process for Windows games and apps for new users who may not have a lot of technical experience. As well as providing a list of popular games and other apps that work well with CrossOver, this new version now has the ability to connect to the compatibility database stored on the CodeWeavers website, and can automatically apply the best graphics and audio settings for a variety of different games.

CrossOver Price

That technical support means that CrossOver isn’t free, costing $74/£60 for a license that provides 12 months of technical support and updates, or you can pay $494/£414 for lifetime support.

However, there’s a 14-day free trial available, so that you can see if it works with the Windows software and games that you want to run before buying (and there’s also a version of CrossOver available for Linux as well).

Should you buy CodeWeavers CrossOver?

The sheer effort that the CodeWeavers team puts into providing regular updates for CrossOver is impressive, and we’ve had good experiences using their tech support to get help running the Windows version of Steam on our ageing office iMac. Even so, CrossOver can still be rather complicated for new users, so it’s definitely worth downloading the trial version to see how well it works with your favourite Windows games and other Windows software.