How to Play Skyrim Special Edition on Mac
- Sven Frese
- Games
- August 27, 2024
Skyrim has been released on almost everything, but never on the Mac. The Special Edition on Steam only runs on Windows.
With CloudDeck you can play Skyrim Special Edition on your Mac.
| Skyrim Special Edition at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Developer | Bethesda Game Studios |
| Steam release | Oct 27, 2016 |
| Mac version | No |
| Steam Deck rating by Valve | Verified |
| Player rating on ProtonDB | Gold (1002 reports) |
| Steam reviews | Very Positive (about 378,000 reviews) |
| Disk space needed | 12 GB |
| Controller support | Partial |
Sources: Steam store page, ProtonDB, Are We Anti-Cheat Yet. Checked on October 1, 2026.
What you get with the Special Edition
The Special Edition from 2016 is a remaster of the 2011 game and includes its add-ons. According to PCGamingWiki, it brought higher-quality textures, new lighting effects and full 64-bit support.
It also has mods built in. Through Bethesda’s Creations menu you can add new quests, weapons and more from inside the game.
Play Skyrim on your Mac with CloudDeck
CloudDeck is a gaming PC in the cloud. Skyrim runs on our servers and is streamed to your Mac.
Valve rates the Special Edition as Verified on the Steam Deck, the best rating there is. CloudDeck runs Windows games with the same technology. On ProtonDB, where players report how well games run, it has a Gold rating based on about 1,000 reports.
Here is how to get started:
- Create your CloudDeck account and start your subscription.
- Install Moonlight , a free streaming app, on your Mac and connect to your CloudDeck.
- Log in to Steam and install The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition.
- Start the game and play.
You need to own The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on Steam. CloudDeck is available in Europe, the United States and Canada. The streaming app needs macOS 10.13 or newer.
Our help center has a step-by-step guide with screenshots for connecting with Moonlight.
Tips for playing on a Mac
You can play with a controller or with mouse and keyboard.
The game needs 12 GB of disk space, and your saves are stored in Steam Cloud.
Set the right resolution. If you see black bars above and below the picture, the stream doesn't match your screen. For most MacBooks we recommend 1680x1050. Our guide on removing black bars shows where to set it.
Check your keyboard layout. CloudDeck starts with a US keyboard layout. If you use a German, French or other keyboard, some keys won't match until you change the layout.
If the picture stutters, connect your Mac by cable or 5 GHz Wi-Fi and turn off location services in macOS. There are more tips in our guide on lag and stutters.
To end a session, press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Q in Moonlight.
What about mods?
CloudDeck is a full PC with a desktop mode, so you are not limited to the mods in the Creations menu.
We haven’t tested mod managers for Skyrim on CloudDeck.
Other ways to play on a Mac
CrossOver is an app that runs some Windows games directly on your Mac, without streaming. It is a paid app with a 14-day free trial. CodeWeavers keeps a compatibility database where you can look up the current rating for Skyrim before you buy.
We haven’t tested Skyrim with CrossOver. It runs the game on your own Mac, so it costs less in the long run if it works for you. CloudDeck is the better choice if you want to skip the setup, or if you also want to play Windows games that need more power than your Mac has.
What it costs
CloudDeck costs $19.99 per month, and you can cancel anytime. We don't offer a free trial. If you're not happy and have used your CloudDeck for less than 4 hours, we'll refund you. You can sign up here.
