Every fact on this page applies to update 1.1.1, the one version tested. Other versions may behave differently.
No emulator needed: Pokémon Legends: Arceus runs natively on the Apple chip. How nxnative compares with emulators
Running through nxnative
How Pokémon Legends: Arceus runs
Pokémon Legends: Arceus plays on the Mac at 30 fps, as on the Switch. Testing ran from the first boot through the language and name screens, Arceus's questions, the fall through the rift and waking on the beach, to meeting Professor Laventon and the three starter Pokémon and walking through the grass toward the first marker. The iPhone app is about 4.2 GB and has not been tested on a device.
How it runs
Two problems had to be solved first. The game reserves a very large memory region at startup, which needed a general fix to fit; and a few seconds into the language screen, Apple's graphics compiler crashed on one of the game's post-processing effects. nxnative now supports the blending technique those effects use, for every game.
In the project developers' first run some frames took much longer when new graphics were prepared for the first time. That run predates a setting that lets the Mac build prepare them in advance, and the developers have not measured the route since.
Bring update 1.1.1
Tested with update 1.1.1. Put it in the same folder as the base game before you Pack.
Controls
The Packed app starts in the 3D touch layout, as the camera is on the right stick. Touch an empty spot in the right third of the screen to turn it.
Good to know
- The game had not saved yet at the end of the test run, so saving and loading are unchecked.
Known issues
- It has not yet been played on iPhone.
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/pokemon-legends-arceus -k ~/keys/prod.keysFAQ
Does Pokémon Legends: Arceus work with nxnative?
Yes. Pokémon Legends: Arceus is tested with nxnative on update 1.1.1.
Which iPhone, iPad or Mac do I need to play Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
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 Pokémon Legends: Arceus included?
No. Neither this site nor nxnative includes any game. You Pack Pokémon Legends: Arceus from your own copy of the game, with keys dumped from your own Switch.
Does online play work in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?
Online play in Pokémon Legends: Arceus is not confirmed to work, so do not count on it.
