Every fact on this page applies to update 1.3.2, the one version tested. Other versions may behave differently.
No emulator needed: Pokémon Sword runs natively on the Apple chip. How nxnative compares with emulators
Running through nxnative
How Pokémon Sword runs
Pokémon Sword plays on the iPhone at 30 fps, the same as on the Switch. Its iPhone app came to about 12.4 GB in the last published sizes.
How it runs
On the Mac, the game holds 30 fps with sound and uses little power, about 42% of one CPU core. Memory use was about 2.4 GB after 17 minutes of exploring new areas.
Several visible problems are fixed, including a crash as the player first walks out of the house and frame times that crept up as the game kept re-uploading textures that had not changed.
Pokémon Shield is the same game with a different main program, and it was brought up from Sword's work.
Controls
The Packed app starts in the 3D touch layout, with the camera on the right stick.
Good to know
- The Poké Ball Plus accessory is not supported: nxnative tells the game that none is connected.
- At about 12.4 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 1.3.2. 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/pokemon-sword -k ~/keys/prod.keysFAQ
Does Pokémon Sword work with nxnative?
Yes. Pokémon Sword is tested with nxnative on update 1.3.2.
Which iPhone, iPad or Mac do I need to play Pokémon Sword?
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 Sword included?
No. Neither this site nor nxnative includes any game. You Pack Pokémon Sword from your own copy of the game, with keys dumped from your own Switch.
Does online play work in Pokémon Sword?
Online play in Pokémon Sword is not confirmed to work, so do not count on it.
