Every fact on this page applies to update 1.1.1, the one version tested. Other versions may behave differently.
No emulator needed: Pikmin 4 runs natively on the Apple chip. How nxnative compares with emulators
Running through nxnative
How Pikmin 4 runs
Pikmin 4 plays on the iPhone at 30 fps, the same as on the Switch. Its iPhone app came to about 10.8 GB in the last published sizes.
How it runs
The game advances by a fixed step every frame, so running it faster than 30 fps would speed up the game rather than smooth it. That is why there is no 60 fps update for Pikmin 4.
On the Mac, testing covered the boot, the title with its animated logo, the main menu, a new game, the shadow-play story opening, the cutscenes with Olimar and Moss, the Olimar prologue, and Continue from a save. Everything ran at 30 fps with sound and no errors, and the title appears about 25 seconds after launch.
An earlier build sometimes stopped on a black loading screen during boot. The cause was in how nxnative answered the game's offline network check, and it is fixed; in a stress test, 12 boots out of 12 reached the title.
Controls
The Packed app starts in the 3D touch layout, with the free camera on the right stick. The game plays with the controller, so a connected controller works well.
Good to know
- At about 10.8 GB, the Packed app may be too big for some sideloading setups. nxnative's packing script can keep the game files out of the app with
--romfs separate; see the install guide. - Tested with update 1.1.1. Other versions may behave differently.
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/pikmin-4 -k ~/keys/prod.keysFAQ
Does Pikmin 4 work with nxnative?
Yes. Pikmin 4 is tested with nxnative on update 1.1.1.
Which iPhone, iPad or Mac do I need to play Pikmin 4?
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 Pikmin 4 included?
No. Neither this site nor nxnative includes any game. You Pack Pikmin 4 from your own copy of the game, with keys dumped from your own Switch.
Does online play work in Pikmin 4?
Online play in Pikmin 4 is not confirmed to work, so do not count on it.
