Overview

We have outsourced the development of a client port of Arma 3 to Mac. This port is available as a complementary service to anyone who owns Arma 3 for Windows. It is not guaranteed the port will ever be fully featured without limitations, so it is considered experimental.

While we have previously also offered a similar experimental client port for Linux, we have now decided to stop its development. This outdated port is no longer available on Steam. Players on Linux can use the crowdsourced Proton solution. Our thanks go out to Valve and Proton's excellent community of people who continuously improve Proton itself, as well as game support. Please see this guide on how to use this solution for Linux.

We will do our best to monitor how Arma 3 works on these platforms and to solve issues where feasible.

Limitations

• Restricted update cycle - the port has been updated to version 2.16, and we strive to keep it up-to-date, but we cannot make any guarantees.
• Limited multiplayer compatibility - the port technically supports multiplayer connections with the Windows version. However, the server and clients need to be the same version. We offer special legacyports branches on Steam for Windows to downgrade to the compatible version (access code: Arma3LegacyPorts for Arma 3 and Arma 3 Server).
• No Launcher - the game's own launcher is not available.
  • Please refer to this guide on how to load optional (Creator) DLC and mods on Mac.
• No Advanced Flight Model - helicopter simulation via RotorLib is not available.
• No custom extensions - various mods use their own DLL extensions for advanced functionality. Unfortunately these do not work on Mac due to strict notarization required by Apple. This also applies to head-tracking libraries.
• No Steam branches - it may be possible to select different branches, such as Dev-Branch, but most of them will not download data or be incompatible.
• Limited User-Generated Content compatibility - custom scenarios and mods technically can work in the ports, but it is likely their authors will pursue compatibility with the primary Windows version instead.
• Non-native - the ports use specialized porting technology developed by our partners Virtual Programming.
  • There is an even more experimental native Mac port available, but it does not support BattlEye anti-cheat, so multiplayer is more restricted. Curious players can try this port via the Steam launch options window when launching the game on Mac.
• Performance - based on our tests, you may experience up to 30% degraded performance in comparison to the Windows version.
• Requirements - please check the modified minimum requirements for the Mac port.

Access

The Mac port is published as the Arma 3 main branch on Steam for this platform. If you own Arma 3 and install it on Mac, Steam will download the data for this platform. No special Steam branch needs to be selected. More installation help can be found here.

For Linux, we refer you to this Proton guide.

F.A.Q.

LINUX SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

MAC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS