How To Download And Play Genshin Impact On Mac (M1 And Intel)

Genshin Impact is one of those games that just grabs you instantly – big open world, gorgeous visuals, and endless content. But no, it’s not natively available on Mac. That didn’t stop me. I tested every possible workaround and on this page, I’ll walk you through each method, from experience.

Can You Play Genshin Impact on Mac?

Officially? No, Genshin Impact does not have a native Mac version. That means you can’t just download it and start playing the way Windows users can. But I wasn’t ready to give up that easily. After trying out every viable workaround I could find, I can confidently say: yes, you can play Genshin on a Mac. The trick is knowing which method works best for you.

• Boosteroid ended up being the best all-around solution for me. It works on literally every Mac I tested – from an older Intel model to an M2 – and let me play the game at high settings with almost no setup fuss. It’s also surprisingly efficient when it comes to bandwidth. You can get up to 4K resolution and 120 FPS if your connection and display support it.
• GeForce Now is right there with Boosteroid in terms of quality. It’s a little more expensive, but it offers more control over game settings and a broader range of server locations, which might matter depending on where you live. It also supports 4K/120 FPS, so the performance ceiling is equally high.
• Xbox Cloud Gaming (XCloud) is another option, but only if you’re using a controller. No support for mouse and keyboard here, which made it a no-go for me personally. It also doesn’t offer the same high-end visuals as Boosteroid or GeForce Now, so it’s more of a fallback.
• For local play, CrossOver worked decently. It had bugs at first, but most of them seem resolved now.
• Whisky is the free cousin of CrossOver – still works for some people, but it’s no longer maintained and buggier in general. I’d only recommend it if you must go free.
• Then there’s YAAGL (Yet Another Anime Game Launcher). It’s free, stable, and by far the best local method for Genshin.
• And finally, BlueStacks lets you run the mobile version. It’s a decent option if you’re on a lower-end Mac and just want to play casually.

Lastly, there’s also BootCamp as an honorable mention. The method itself is perfectly fine, but it only works on Intel machines, and nowadays very few people still use them. That being said, it is the closest you can get to a native experience with Genshin Impact because you are literally running the game in a Windows environment using this method.

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

How to Play Genshin Impact on Mac

Alright, so now that you know what your options are, let’s get into the actual steps. I’ve gone through each of these methods myself – some were smooth, others took a bit of trial and error. But I’ve broken it all down so you don’t have to figure it out alone. Whether you’re aiming for top-tier performance or just want a free way to log in daily, here’s how to get Genshin Impact running on your Mac.

Play Genshin Impact With Boosteroid

How to Play Genshin Impact on Mac With Boosteroid

How to Play Genshin Impact on Mac With Boosteroid1
1. 1 1.1Click the Boosteroid button above. Create an account or sign up with Google.
2. 2 1.2Go to your profile page(top-right), click Subscribe, select a preferred plan, and start your subscription.
3. 3 1.3Search for “Genshin Impact”, choose your preferred version of the game (Steam, Epic, etc.) and click Play (or Install and Play).
4. 4 1.4Click OK, Let’s go, and wait for the game to load.
5. 5 1.5Log into your game store account. Genshin Impact will launch directly in your browser.

Play Genshin Impact With GeForce Now

How to Play Genshin Impact on Mac With GFN

How to Play Genshin Impact on Mac With GFN1
1. 1 1.1Click the GeForce Now link → Join Now → sign up for your preferred plan.
2. 2 1.2Go to the Downloads page. Download GeForce Now for macOS.
3. 3 1.3Double-click the installer. Drag the app to your Applications folder.
4. 4 1.4Launch GFN and log in.
5. 5 1.5Click the menu in the top left → Settings → connect your respective game store account.
6. 6 1.6Click the menu again → Games → search for Genshin Impact, and click Play.
7. 7 1.7Wait for the connection test. If you get a weak connection warning, you can ignore it by clicking Continue and still play the game.
8. 8 1.8Wait for the game to load and start playing.

Play Genshin Impact With XCloud

How to Play Genshin Impact on Mac With Xbox Cloud Gaming

How to Play Genshin Impact on Mac With Xbox Cloud Gaming1
1. 1 1.1Download Microsoft Edge (the best browser for XCloud).
2. 2 1.2Open Edge, click the provided XCloud link, sign up, and subscribe to the Game Pass Ultimate plan.
3. 3 1.3If you have a game controller, connect it to your Mac.
4. 4 1.4If you don’t have a controller, install this Edge extension, pin it to your Toolbar, and turn it on before starting the game.
5. 5 1.5Search for Genshin Impact in the XCloud site and click Play.
6. 6 1.6If you are using the Mouse and keyboard extension, click the center of your screen when the game starts to enable it.
7. 7 1.7When the game loads, you can start playing.

Play Genshin Impact With CrossOver

How to Play Genshin Impact on Mac With CrossOver

How to Play Genshin Impact on Mac With CrossOver1
1. 1 1.1Click the CrossOver button, download the app (the free 14-day trial or the paid version), and install it.
2. 2 1.2Open CrossOver → Bottle (top-left) → New Bottle → Create (Windows 10, 64-bit compatibility).
3. 3 1.3Right-click the new bottle → Install Software → search for Steam and install it.
4. 4 1.4Open Steam, log in, search for Genshin Impact in your library, and install it.
5. 5 1.5After it installs, exit Steam, enable E-Sync, and D3DMetal, and Reboot the bottle.
6. 6 1.6Start Steam again and launch Genshin Impact from your library.

Play Genshin Impact With Whisky

How to Download Genshin Impact on Mac With Whisky

How to Download Genshin Impact on Mac With Whisky1
1. 1 1.1Click the Whisky button above and download the latest version.
2. 2 1.2Double-click the downloaded .zip file and drag and drop the extracted Whisky to your Applications folder.
3. 3 1.3Start Whisky. Click Open when asked to confirm the action. Click Next to install.
4. 4 1.4Select Create a Bottle and create one with Windows 10 compatibility.
5. 5 1.5Click this link to download an older version of Steam for Windows.

   In Whisky, click Open C: drive. Drag and drop the downloaded SteamSetup.exe file into C:

6. 6 1.6In Whisky, click Open C: drive. Drag and drop the SteamSetup.exe file into C:.
7. 7 1.7Click Run in Whisky, find SteamSetup.exe, open it, and follow the prompts.
8. 8 1.8When Steam installs, log in and click Allow when asked if you want the application to accept incoming connections.
9. 9 1.9In Steam, find Genshin Impact, click Install, and launch the game when it’s ready.

How to Play Genshin Impact on Mac With YAAGL

How to Play Genshin Impact on Mac With YAAGL1
1. 1 1.1Go to the launcher’s GitHub page and download the latest release.

   Choose either the Chinese or international version based on the server you want to play on.

2. 2 1.2Double-click the downloaded archive to extract its contents. Move the extracted file to your Applications folder.
3. 3 1.3Launch the app. If your Mac blocks it, Command-click the app, select Open, and confirm.
4. 4 1.4Wait for the installation to begin. When prompted, enter your Mac’s Admin password.Once installation finishes, click Restart the program.
5. 5 1.5Click Install game, choose a directory, and begin the game installation. Make sure you have at least 200 GB of free space.
6. 6 1.6If your internal drive is full, consider using an external one. When the game download completes, you’re ready to play.
7. 7 1.7If you already have CrossOver installed, click the cog icon, go to the Wine tab, and set Wine Distribution to CrossOver.
8. 8 1.8If you already have CrossOver installed, click the cog icon, go to the Wine tab, and set Wine Distribution to CrossOver.
9. 9 1.9This usually improves performance – even with the 14-day free trial version of CrossOver.

Play Genshin Impact with BlueStacks

Play Genshin Impact with BlueStacks1
1. 1 1.1Go to the official BlueStacks website and click the Download BlueStacks Air button.
2. 2 1.2Download the BlueStacks .pkg installer for macOS. You can do it from this link.
3. 3 1.3Double-click the downloaded file and go through the install process: click Continue, then Install, and enter your Mac password when prompted.
4. 4 1.4Once installation is complete, go to your Applications folder and open BlueStacks.
5. 5 1.5Use the search bar to find Genshin Impact. Click the game, then hit the Install button.
6. 6 1.6Log in with your Google Account when prompted to proceed with the installation.
7. 7 1.7Once the installation finishes, click Play to launch the game.
8. 8 1.8If your Mac requests system permissions, go ahead and grant them to continue.
9. 9 1.9Sign in with your HoYoVerse account. The Android version of Genshin Impact will now load on your Mac and you’re good to go.

How to Run Genshin Impact on Mac With Bootcamp

How to Run Genshin Impact on Mac With Bootcamp1
1. 1 1.1Head to Microsoft’s official site and download the latest Windows 10 ISO file.
2. 2 1.2Next, open Boot Camp Assistant (found in Applications > Utilities), click Continue → Choose, pick your downloaded Windows ISO file, then click Open.
3. 3 1.3Adjust the slider to give your Windows partition at least 50 GB storage, then click Install → Next.
4. 4 1.4The installation begins. Follow the prompts, skip the product key prompt by selecting “I don’t have a product key”, then finish setting up Windows as guided.
5. 5 1.5Once Windows is installed and set up, download Steam, install it, and use it to download Genshin Impact. Once that’s done, you are ready to play.

Genshin Impact on Mac – Conclusion

Genshin Impact doesn’t run natively on Mac, but that doesn’t mean you’re locked out. Whether you want the smoothest cloud experience with Boosteroid or GeForce Now, or prefer to keep things local with YAAGL or CrossOver, there’s definitely a way to make it work.

I’ve tested all of these myself, and while some options are better than others, you’ve got real choices. Pick what fits your setup and your budget, and you’ll be exploring Teyvat on your Mac in no time.