Wooloomooloo2 / bloodborne_mac_port

# bloodborne_mac_port: Bloodborne on macOS (Apple Silicon)
A **work-in-progress macOS port** of the native Bloodborne PC port. It runs the original PS4
executable of *Bloodborne* (CUSA03173, version 1.09) on Apple Silicon Macs: the game's own
x86-64 code executes directly under **Rosetta 2**, PS4 system libraries are replaced by a
lightweight HLE runtime written in C, and GPU command buffers are translated by a
**shadPS4-derived video core** into **native Metal** (since 0.5.0; MoltenVK before).
This is not an emulator and contains no game code: the loader and runtime run your own copy of
the game as an x86-64 process under Rosetta 2, and rendering happens in a separate native arm64
process.
> **No game files or copyrighted assets are included, and none will ever be distributed.**
> You must provide your own legally dumped and decrypted copy of Bloodborne (CUSA03173 v1.09).
> This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sony Interactive Entertainment,
> FromSoftware, or AMD.
## Status (2026-10-19)
**Current version: mac-v0.5.2** (download the app, or build it as below).
**Work in progress, playable.** On an Apple M4 Max the game boots, character creation works,
saves load, and the game runs at a **locked 60 FPS** at 1080p and 1440p native, or upscaled with
MetalFX, FSR 3.1 or TAA, through its own **native Metal renderer**. Expect occasional rendering
glitches (see Known issues).
The target is a locked 60 FPS (the game's physics run at 30 Hz), with even frame pacing, at the
highest resolution each Mac allows; 90 and 120 FPS caps are there for ProMotion displays.
### Benchmarks: 0.4.0 → 0.5.0
Apple M4 Max (48 GB), frame rate uncapped, FPS while standing still (30 s), 2026-10-17/18. Each
cell is mac-v0.4.0 (MoltenVK) → mac-v0.5.0 (native Metal); "Quality" upscales 1.5× (for example
1280×720 → 1920×1080).
| Scene | 1080p native | 1440p native | 1440p MetalFX Quality | 1440p TAA | 1080p FSR 3.1 Quality | 1440p FSR 3.1 Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Yharnam, first lamp | 97.5 → **97.7** | 66.2 → **75.1** | 95.1 → **95.7** | 61.9 → **69.9** | 117.0 → **119.5** | 95.6 → **98.0** |
| Cathedral Ward | 103.2 → **104.8** | 72.0 → **82.7** | 99.5 → **102.3** | 67.0 → **78.3** | 122.0 → **126.6** | 98.8 → **108.6** |
| Upper Cathedral Ward | 78.5 → **83.2** | 57.2 → **65.2** | 76.7 → **81.0** | 54.4 → **61.7** | 92.0 → **97.7** | 75.7 → **84.8** |
| Hunter's Dream, headstone | 98.0 → **104.3** | 69.5 → **82.0** | 92.6 → **100.9** | 64.9 → **76.1** | 108.0 → **120.2** | 92.6 → **99.0** |
0.5.0 is ahead in every case, by **12–18% at 1440p**. With the 60 FPS cap both hold a steady 60
(every frame 16.7 ms). Uncapped, 0.5.0 occasionally has a single longer frame (20–40 ms) that
0.4.0 does not; it does not occur with a frame cap (backlog).
### From 22 to 120 FPS
The first playable build (2026-10-11) ran the first level at **~22 FPS** at native 1080p. What
got it to 60 and beyond, in order:
| Version | Change | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0.3.0 |