Visual novels
Visual novels that were only ever released for Windows can often run natively on a Mac, because most visual-novel engines are interpreters: the game is a set of script and asset archives, and the engine reads them. Fan and preservation communities have written open-source interpreters for many of these engines, and MacLauncher builds and manages them for macOS, with proper fonts, audio and fullscreen.
Ren’Py, the most popular modern engine, is covered on the desktop engines page, and Tyrano runs with the other web games there.
Game types and runtimes
Section titled “Game types and runtimes”Each engine below is its own game type, linked to its guide.
| Game type | Runtime on macOS |
|---|---|
| KiriKiri (KAG) | krkrsdl2 with KAG3 |
| Siglus / RealLive (Key, Visual Arts) | siglus_rs, or RLVM for RealLive |
| NScripter | ONScripter-Yuri, or MacLauncher’s port of ONScripter-EN |
| AliceSoft (System 1–4) | System3, xsystem35 or xsystem4, depending on the engine generation |
| MAGES. | Impacto |
| Nitroplus | NPengine with libnpa |
| Minori | MacLauncher’s port of ReMinori |
| FAVORITE / FVP | RFVP |
| AI5WIN (elf) | MacLauncher’s port of AI5-SDL2 |
| VNDS (Nintendo DS conversions) | VNDS-LOVE |
| BGI / Ethornell | No native interpreter; see below |
| CatSystem2 | No native interpreter; see below |
When a game includes a compatible Windows executable, its game type also offers Sikarugir and CrossOver as runtimes.
Support depends on the engine and its format, and the same game can use different engines or formats across platforms and re-releases. To find out which engine a release uses, VNDB, the visual novel database, lists the engine on many release pages. Each interpreter supports the formats its own project supports, and some engines changed formats over the years, so the guides list exactly which variants work.
What to expect
Section titled “What to expect”Interpreters such as siglus_rs and RFVP keep their own save files, separate from the original Windows engine’s. Your Windows saves stay where they were, and MacLauncher’s save tools show where the new ones are.
Fonts and languages
Section titled “Fonts and languages”Many visual novels are Japanese and expect Japanese system fonts. The native interpreters handle text shaping and fonts themselves, and fan translations and patches that the engine supports keep working.
Script tools
Section titled “Script tools”Most of these game types come with tools for reading the script. KiriKiri scripts export as readable TJS and KAG, AliceSoft and Siglus scenarios can be decompiled, and RealLive, NScripter, Nitroplus, Minori and CatSystem2 scripts can be exported. BGI, FAVORITE and MAGES. games have message and text exporters. See Decompilers and extractors.
Engines without a native interpreter
Section titled “Engines without a native interpreter”BGI (also called Ethornell) and CatSystem2 have no native interpreter. MacLauncher still recognizes their games and offers their archive and script tools, and it plays the original Windows executable through CrossOver or Sikarugir.