Every fact on this page applies to update 2.1.0, the one version tested. Other versions may behave differently.
No emulator needed: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 runs natively on the Apple chip. How nxnative compares with emulators
Running through nxnative
How Xenoblade Chronicles 2 runs
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 plays on the Mac through its opening. A test run won the King Crustip battle, played the Chapter One cutscene, went through the field tutorials and walked around Argentum. A save made in Argentum also reloaded correctly. When the project developers last published sizes, its iPhone app came to about 17.1 GB. It has not been tested on a device.
How it runs
The game runs at about 30 fps on the Mac. Early builds drew dark, inside-out scenery because the game set up the screen in a different order from other titles. This is fixed in nxnative itself rather than with a rule for this game, so lighting and geometry now look right.
Two more visual problems are fixed. Indoors and under decks, hard-edged dark boxes no longer cover the scene, and characters no longer stretch for a frame into wedges or sheets that reach across to other characters.
A fifteen-minute session ran without a crash. The game itself hides its title logo on a brand-new save; the logo appears once a save exists.
Bring update 2.1.0
Tested with update 2.1.0, with the add-on content included. Put them in the same folder as the base game before you Pack. Add-on content is packed in, but its story content has not been played.
Controls
The Packed app starts in the 3D touch layout, with both sticks and the D-pad. Touch an empty spot in the right third of the screen for the camera stick.
Good to know
- At about 17.1 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. - Later chapters have not been checked.
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/xenoblade-chronicles-2 -k ~/keys/prod.keysFAQ
Does Xenoblade Chronicles 2 work with nxnative?
Yes. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is tested with nxnative on update 2.1.0.
Which iPhone, iPad or Mac do I need to play Xenoblade Chronicles 2?
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 Xenoblade Chronicles 2 included?
No. Neither this site nor nxnative includes any game. You Pack Xenoblade Chronicles 2 from your own copy of the game, with keys dumped from your own Switch.
Does online play work in Xenoblade Chronicles 2?
Online play in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is not confirmed to work, so do not count on it.
