An unofficial, plain-English guide to nxnative, the open-source tool that turns a Nintendo Switch game you own into a native iPhone, iPad or Apple silicon Mac app. It is not an emulator: the game's own code runs on the Apple chip, and the Switch graphics are rebuilt on Metal.
The full guide lives at nxnative.org. This repository only collects the links and a short summary.
Not affiliated with seedds, Nintendo or Apple. No files, games, keys or apps are hosted here or on the site, and neither explains how to obtain them. Use only games you own.
- Games: 143 games tested on Mac or iPhone, 26 of them with 60 fps notes (two of those, Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave and Mario & Luigi: Brothership, offer up to 120 fps on a Mac with a 120 Hz screen). See the nxnative compatibility list.
- Switch 2 on Mac: 11 Switch 2 games are in the tested list, among them Mario Kart World, Pokémon Pokopia, Kirby Air Riders, Star Fox and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. They run on Apple silicon Macs only; iPhone and iPad are untested. See Switch 2 games on Mac.
- Recently tested on the Mac: Sonic Superstars, Minecraft Dungeons II, ŌKAMI HD, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS 2, DAVE THE DIVER and Super Mario 3D All-Stars (Super Mario 64 and Sunshine). See nxnative on Mac.
- Play on: iPhone 15 Pro or newer (iOS 26+), M1 iPad or newer (iPadOS 26+), or an Apple silicon Mac.
- Build on: a Mac on macOS 26.6+ with Xcode 27.2. Full list on the requirements page.
- Install: sideload the IPA with AltStore, Sideloadly or LiveContainer. Steps in how to use nxnative.
- Controls: touch layouts are built in; a controller hides them. See controllers for nxnative.
| Topic | Page |
|---|---|
| What nxnative is | nxnative.org |
| Games list with 60 fps notes | /games/ |
| Devices and Mac you need | /requirements/ |
| Build, sideload and play | /install/ |
| In-game settings explained | /settings/ |
| Controllers, gyro and rumble | /controllers/ |
| MacNativeGames (Zelda on Mac) | /macnativegames/ |
| nxnative on Mac | /mac/ |
| Switch 2 games on Mac | /switch-2/ |
| Windows, Android or Intel Mac? | /platforms/ |
| Is it legal? | /is-it-legal/ |
| Guía en español | /es/ |
| 한국어 가이드 | /ko/ |
Per-game notes: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe · Tears of the Kingdom · Breath of the Wild · Super Mario Odyssey · Pokémon Legends: Z-A · Mario Kart World · Pokémon Pokopia
- nxnative: https://github.com/seedds/nxnative
- MacNativeGames: https://github.com/ly05010419/MacNativeGames
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