For Final Fantasy XIV, there are actually 2 options with how to play on mac. There’s a few things to know:
- If you have windows version already you’ll want to use option #2 unless you want to buy all expansions all over again for mac.
- Option #1 installs a 3rd party launcher. This has been checked by us and other devs, but there is always potential for foul play so if you don’t want to risk it, go with Option #2.
Option #1: Custom Launcher + FFXIV mod capable
For this you’ll need a program called “Crossover”. This is not a free program, but runs amazingly well and is worth investing in as a mac user so that you can use other programs in the future as well.
- Crossover 21 or later: https://www.codeweavers.com/crossover/#mac(Free Trial recommended to try first!) $59.95 after trial
- Grab the latest zip file from here: https://github.com/marzent/ffxiv-on-mac/archive/refs/heads/main.zip
- Note, this link COULD change in the future, the guide I got this from is here: https://github.com/seathasky/FF14-MAC_ModSupport#setup-guide
- Get Crossover moved into your Applications folder, registered and setup. You do NOT need to make a bottle as this installer will do it for you.
- From the zip, extract it and open the
install.commandfile. Bear in mind, this will prompt you the first time saying its unsafe. Simply hit OK and try opening it again and it gives you the option to Open file. - Hit Y/Yes to the questions as they pertain to you.
- Once it asks you to load
Untrusted CrossTie Fileyou hit load/yes.- These files are specifically just a list of things telling crossover to download and setup. Think of it like a preloaded installer that installs EVERYTHING you need to get running.
- Hit
Install. This will go through all prompts for things like Visual C++ and .NET installs. Hitrestartwhen prompted after these and it quickly moves onto the next thing installing. - It eventually gets to a screen its running patches. This will take a LONG time, so can let it run here. I got an error about server congestion, but I wrote this in December 2021 so its possible to not be an issue once you try.
- And voila once that update is done, you’re good to play normally.
Option #2: Square Enix official FFXIV Launcher
This launcher is actually an OLD Crossover Wine Bottle built to launch on its own. Because of how old the version of Crossover is that made it, it simply doesn’t have the GPU power and speed to function as well as option #1. That being said, official clients often work best stable wise. The other one can have glitches and are likely unrelated to FFXIV itself moreso the conversion method for forcing it to work.
Simply download the launcher here and run to get started. Very quick and easy!
https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/mac/download/ (North America)
https://eu.finalfantasyxiv.com/mac/download/ (Europe)
https://jp.finalfantasyxiv.com/mac/download/ (Japanese)
https://fr.finalfantasyxiv.com/mac/download/ (French)
Happy Gaming!