#+date: <2025-10-06 Mon 13:11:00>
#+title: Playing Rocket League on macOS via CrossOver
#+description: Learn how to play Rocket League on macOS via CrossOver.
#+slug: rocket-league-macos

#+caption: Rcoket League on macOS
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20251006-rocket-league-macos/launch.png]]

* Intro

Rocket League isn’t natively supported on macOS, but you can run it using
CrossOver, a compatibility layer that lets Windows applications run on macOS.
This guide walks you through installing CrossOver, setting up the Epic Games
Store (or Steam), and getting Rocket League up and running.

* Install CrossOver

To start, we will install CrossOver with [[https://brew.sh][Homebrew]].

#+begin_src shell
brew install --cask crossover
#+end_src

Once installed, launch CrossOver and select the Try Now button. CrossOver offers
a 14‑day free trial. After the trial, a full license costs $74 USD.

* Set Up the Epic Games Store (or Steam)

After opening CrossOver, click the Install button and install the Epic Games
Store (or Steam, if you have Rocket League on Steam). You will need to agree to
the installation prompts that pop up and it should install in just a couple
minutes.

When the installer finishes, you’ll see a bottle (a sandboxed Windows
environment) like the one below:

#+caption: Epic Games Store Bottle
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20251006-rocket-league-macos/bottle.png]]

You can now launch the Epic application. Epic will update itself and then
present the login screen:

#+caption: Epic Updater
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20251006-rocket-league-macos/updater.png]]

#+caption: Epic Login
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20251006-rocket-league-macos/login.png]]

* Install Rocket League

Sign in to your Epic account, locate Rocket League in your library, and click
Install. The download and installation process will complete shortly (depending
on your internet connection), and then you should be ready to play.

* Play the Game

Last but not least, launch the game from the Epic Games Store once you install
it. It may take a minute or two when launching for the first time.

Take a look at the screenshots I was able to capture while playing on my M2
MacBook Pro with a PS5 Dualsense Edge controller:

#+caption: Main Menu
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20251006-rocket-league-macos/menu.png]]

#+caption: In-Game
[[https://img.cleberg.net/blog/20251006-rocket-league-macos/game.png]]

* Tips & Troubleshooting

Overall, the controller support for my PS5 Dualsense Edge controller worked out
of the box and the performance was excellent. However, issues can happen and I
gathered some tips, in case they do.

- *Game runs slowly*: In CrossOver, edit the bottle’s settings → Graphics → enable
  “Use DirectX 11” and increase the allocated RAM.
- *Controller not detected*: Install the Windows driver for your controller inside
  the bottle (e.g., Xbox 360 driver).
- *Epic Store won’t update*: Delete the EpicGamesLauncher cache folder inside the
  bottle (C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Local\EpicGamesLauncher\Saved) and restart the
  launcher.
- *Crashes on launch*: Ensure you have the latest macOS updates and that CrossOver
  is up‑to‑date (check “Check for Updates” in the app menu).

* Conclusion

That's it! It's a simple process that allows you to try out Rocket League on
macOS for 14 and determine if you enjoy this solution enough to pay for it.

If you know a way to do this for free without paying for CrossOver, please reach
out and let me know! I am hesitant to pay $74 simply to play Rocket League, but
we shall see.

Happy boosting!