Every fact on this page applies to update 1.0.0, the one version tested. Other versions may behave differently.
No emulator needed: Pokémon Violet runs natively on the Apple chip. How nxnative compares with emulators
Running through nxnative
How Pokémon Violet runs
Pokémon Violet is playable on the Mac in its base version, 1.0.0, at 30 fps, as on the Switch. It runs on the same setup as Pokémon Scarlet. No iPhone app has been built yet.
How it runs
On the Mac, testing covered the language, look and name selection, the academy settings, the opening and the flyover of Paldea, getting up in the bedroom, walking with camera control, the main menu and autosave, and reloading that save. On the Mac it used up to about 4.7 GB of memory.
Outdoor exploration and battles have not been tested yet.
Bring the base game only
nxnative supports version 1.0.0 only. If your game folder also holds an update, the packing script picks the newest version by default, so add -p v0 to pack the base game instead.
Controls
The Packed app starts in the 3D touch layout, which gives the right stick for the camera and the D-pad. Touch controls on the iPhone have not been tested yet.
Good to know
- One graphics feature the game uses, conservative rasterization, is not implemented in nxnative yet, as on Pokémon Scarlet.
- Turning the camera into the wall by the bed shows a black screen for about 3 seconds until the player moves. It looks like the game's own camera behaviour, but the project developers have not compared it with a Switch.
- In one early run the game stopped responding for about 40 seconds once. Later runs did not repeat it.
Known issues
- No iPhone app has been built or tested yet.
- Outdoor exploration and battles have not been tested yet.
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-violet -k ~/keys/prod.keysFAQ
Does Pokémon Violet work with nxnative?
Yes. Pokémon Violet is tested with nxnative on update 1.0.0.
Which iPhone, iPad or Mac do I need to play Pokémon Violet?
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 Violet included?
No. Neither this site nor nxnative includes any game. You Pack Pokémon Violet from your own copy of the game, with keys dumped from your own Switch.
Does online play work in Pokémon Violet?
Online play in Pokémon Violet is not confirmed to work, so do not count on it.
