Every fact on this page applies to update 1.4.1.1, the one version tested. Other versions may behave differently.
No emulator needed: Celeste runs natively on the Apple chip. How nxnative compares with emulators
Running through nxnative
How Celeste runs
Celeste plays on the iPhone, and its Packed app is under a gigabyte (when the project developers last published sizes, it came to about 0.9 GB). It needed no change to nxnative itself.
How it runs
On the Mac, it plays through the logos, the title, a new file and the prologue, with Madeline walking and jumping and the camera following her, at 60 fps with music and sound and no errors logged. Memory use stayed at about 1.6 to 1.7 GB, flat over five minutes.
Controls
Celeste is played with buttons only. The Packed app starts in the 2D touch layout (left stick, face buttons, shoulders, minus and plus). The layout button at the top centre switches layouts in game, and the app remembers your choice. The game maps its buttons by position, so both B and X jump.
Good to know
- Tested with update 1.4.1.1. The game's title screen shows it as v.1.4.1.0.
Known issues
None reported
Packing command
Run this in your nxnative folder on the Build Mac. Replace the game folder and the keys path with your own. Add --platform mac-app to get a Mac app instead of an iPhone and iPad app.
python3 scripts/build_ipa_from_nsp.py ~/Games/celeste -k ~/keys/prod.keysFAQ
Does Celeste work with nxnative?
Yes. Celeste is tested with nxnative on update 1.4.1.1.
Which iPhone, iPad or Mac do I need to play Celeste?
An iPhone 15 Pro or newer (A17 Pro chip or later) or an iPad with an M1 chip or later, on iOS or iPadOS 26 or later, or a Mac with Apple silicon. iPads with the A17 Pro chip (iPad mini) have the iPhone 15 Pro's chip but are untested by nxnative. Packing needs a Mac with macOS 26.6 or later and Xcode 27.1.
Is Celeste included?
No. Neither this site nor nxnative includes any game. You Pack Celeste from your own copy of the game, with keys dumped from your own Switch.
Does online play work in Celeste?
Online play in Celeste is not confirmed to work, so do not count on it.
