Guides / Rosetta after macOS 27
Rosetta 2 after macOS 27: what it means for Windows games on a Mac
Apple says Rosetta 2 stays fully available through macOS 27, and from macOS 28 only a subset remains for older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks. Wine-based tools such as CrossOver, Vermut and Bridgeplay run x86-64 Windows games under Rosetta today, and Apple hasn’t said whether they fall inside that subset. CodeWeavers is testing native ARM64 CrossOver builds that use its own version of the FEX translator. On macOS 26 or 27 you don’t need to do anything yet; watch for updates from the tool you use.
What Apple has said
Apple’s developer documentation says Rosetta “will be available through macOS 27 — as a general-purpose tool for Intel apps to help developers complete the migration of their apps. Beyond this timeframe, we will keep a subset of Rosetta functionality aimed at supporting older unmaintained gaming titles, that rely on Intel-based frameworks.”[1] Apple’s support article says the same for users: starting with macOS 28, Rosetta will only support “certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks.”[2] Apple first announced the plan in June 2025.[5]
The macOS 27 release notes add some detail:[3]
- “All Intel-based software will no longer be compatible with macOS 28.0, excluding legacy games.”
- Settings › General lists Intel-based apps that will be incompatible with macOS 28, and Get Info marks them too.
- During macOS 27 betas,
sudo game-test-tool enablepreviews the legacy-game behavior. Apple notes that this “disables Rosetta,” that non-game processes might crash, and that the tool isn’t available outside beta releases.
On Apple’s developer forums, a developer asked whether the parts of Rosetta that Wine and CrossOver need will be kept. An Apple engineer replied that “x86_64 macOS games should continue to work as they do on macOS 26” and pointed to game-test-tool, without addressing Wine or Windows games.[4]
Which Windows game tools use Rosetta today
Windows games are compiled for x86-64. On Apple Silicon, Wine-based tools have run them by letting Rosetta 2 translate the Wine process and the game together.
| Tool | What its own documentation or coverage says |
|---|---|
| CrossOver | Has relied on Rosetta to run x86 Windows software on Apple Silicon since 2020; the current stable release still depends on it.[8] |
| Vermut | Offers to install Rosetta 2 on first launch.[7] |
| Bridgeplay | Games run in Wine under Rosetta 2; the Setup Assistant installs Rosetta.[6] |
| NotProton | Supports both the FEX and the Rosetta versions of CrossOver Preview 20261006, with Rosetta suggested as the default and FEX chosen per game.[9] |
The Whisky community fork’s README doesn’t say how it handles Rosetta, so it isn’t listed here.[10]
What CodeWeavers has said about Apple Silicon-native builds
CodeWeavers announced native ARM64 support in CrossOver Preview on 31 July 2026.[11] It built its own version of FEX, an open-source x86-to-ARM translator, so that CrossOver can run x86 Windows programs without Rosetta.[8] [11] Bridgeplay’s engine is built from CodeWeavers’ open-source WineCX.[6] Neither CodeWeavers nor Bridgeplay has said whether or when that ARM64 work will reach the open-source WineCX code.
Known and unknown
| Question | Status |
|---|---|
| Is full Rosetta available on macOS 26 and 27? | Known: yes, per Apple.[1] [2] |
| Does macOS 28 keep anything? | Known: a subset aimed at older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks.[1] |
| Will Wine-based tools running Windows games qualify for that subset? | Open question. Apple hasn’t said. Its forum answer covered x86-64 macOS games only.[4] |
| Will native ARM64 builds perform as well as Rosetta? | Open question. CodeWeavers’ ARM64 builds are still in Preview.[11] |
| When will Bridgeplay run without Rosetta? | Open question. Current Bridgeplay releases run their engine under Rosetta 2, and no release without Rosetta has been announced. |
What to do now
- On macOS 26 or 27 you don’t need to do anything. Rosetta is fully supported, and your Windows games keep working as they do today.
- After a macOS upgrade, make sure Rosetta is still installed. The macOS 27.0 release notes say Rosetta wasn’t automatically restored after upgrading;[3] MacTrast reports that macOS 27.2 no longer removes it.[5] If Windows games stop launching, reinstall it with
softwareupdate --install-rosettain Terminal, as Apple describes.[2] Bridgeplay’s Setup Assistant also checks for it. - Before you install macOS 28, check that the tool you use has announced support for it. Watch CodeWeavers’ blog, your tool’s release notes, and the Bridgeplay changelog.
Bridgeplay itself needs an Apple Silicon Mac and macOS 26 or later. See macOS version requirements for why.
Sources
- Apple Developer Documentation: About the Rosetta translation environment (checked 29 October 2026)
- Apple Support: Using Intel-based apps on a Mac with Apple silicon (checked 29 October 2026)
- Apple Developer Documentation: macOS 27 Golden Gate Release Notes (Gaming, Rosetta, Deprecation Information) (checked 29 October 2026)
- Apple Developer Forums: Are there details about what Rosetta functionality for “older unmaintained gaming titles” will be kept? (checked 29 October 2026)
- MacTrast: Upgrading to macOS 27 No Longer Removes Rosetta from Your Mac (27 October 2026) (checked 29 October 2026)
- Bridgeplay README (checked 29 October 2026)
- Vermut README on GitHub (checked 29 October 2026)
- iThinkDifferent: CrossOver Preview Lands Native ARM64 Support Ahead of Rosetta 2’s End (2 August 2026) (checked 29 October 2026)
- NotProton README on GitHub (checked 29 October 2026)
- Whisky community fork README on GitHub (checked 29 October 2026)
- CodeWeavers blog: CrossOver Preview, the right to bear ARM64 on Mac (31 July 2026) (checked 29 October 2026)