Skip to content
Guide

Running RSLExtreme on a Mac

RSLExtreme is a Windows app. On a Mac you run it the way Windows software has always run on a Mac — inside Windows, with Parallels Desktop. RAID goes into that same Windows install, and from there it is an ordinary setup. Here is what you need, in what order, and the handful of Mac-specific settings worth changing before you start.

The shape of it

How the pieces fit

One Mac, one Windows install, and both the game and RSLExtreme inside it.

How RSLExtreme fits on a Mac Your Mac runs macOS. Parallels Desktop runs on macOS. Windows 11 runs inside Parallels Desktop. Plarium Play and RSLExtreme both sit inside that Windows 11 install, side by side. macOS Your Mac Parallels Desktop Windows 11 One desktop Plarium Play RAID: Shadow Legends The official PC client Windowed, signed in RSLExtreme Your licence key pasted in Same Windows desktop as the game side by side
RAID and RSLExtreme both live inside the Windows install. That is the part worth getting right.
Before you start

What you need

Parallels Desktop

The Mac app that runs Windows. It is the Microsoft-authorized way to get Windows 11 onto an Apple Silicon Mac.

Windows 11

It runs inside the virtual machine. Windows is Microsoft software and licensing it is between you and Microsoft.

Plarium Play, inside Windows

RAID's official PC client, installed in the virtual machine rather than on the Mac side.

RSLExtreme, inside Windows

Downloaded and run in that same Windows desktop, alongside the game.

A free key

An email address and a password. It does not expire and there is no trial period.

Getting started

Four steps

Most of the time here is the Windows setup.

01

Install Parallels Desktop

Download it from Parallels and install it on your Mac like any other app.

02

Set up Windows 11

Follow Parallels' own setup to get Windows 11 running in the virtual machine.

03

Install Plarium Play in Windows

Open Windows, install Plarium Play there, and sign in to RAID as you normally would.

04

Add RSLExtreme in Windows

Still inside Windows, get RSLExtreme from the download page and paste your key into the Licence box.

Install Plarium Play inside the virtual machine. There is a Mac build of Plarium Play, and it is a separate app — it is not the one RSLExtreme works with. The game and RSLExtreme belong in the same Windows desktop.
Mac-specific

Three settings to change first

These are the ones a Mac gets wrong by default. Everything else you can leave alone.

  • Set the display to Scaled, and Windows to 100% In Parallels, open Configure, then Hardware, then Graphics, and set the resolution mode to Scaled. Then in Windows, set display scaling to 100%. On a Retina Mac the default is a Retina mode, so this is the one that actually needs changing.
  • Make F12 reach Windows F12 halts everything instantly, and macOS claims that key first. In System Settings, under Keyboard, turn on the option to use F1, F2 and so on as standard function keys. Then in Parallels Preferences, under Shortcuts, set "Send macOS system shortcuts" to Always.
  • Leave the window on screen Run the virtual machine in its own window rather than Coherence, leave that window open while a session is running, and set the Mac not to sleep in the meantime.

Apple Silicon and Intel Macs

On an Apple Silicon Mac — anything from the M1 onwards — the virtual machine runs the Arm edition of Windows 11, which runs Windows apps through the translation layer built into Windows itself. Parallels is the only solution Microsoft has authorized for this, and Microsoft describes how that translation works if you want the detail.

On an Intel Mac, note that Parallels Desktop 26 is the last version that supports Intel hardware — later versions require Apple Silicon. Parallels keeps a page on Intel compatibility if that applies to you.

On graphics: Parallels supports 3D acceleration up to DirectX 11.1, which its list of Apple Silicon limitations spells out. RAID’s PC client is a DirectX 11 title, so it sits inside that envelope.

Two Parallels pages are worth having open while you set this up: the one on display modes, which is where Scaled and Best for Retina are explained, and the one on getting F9 to F12 through to Windows.

What about an Android emulator?

RSLExtreme works with RAID’s official PC client, the one Plarium ships as Plarium Play. It is not built for the Android version of the game, so running an Android emulator on your Mac is not a route to it.

Boot Camp is not an option on Apple Silicon either, which leaves a virtual machine as the way to get a Windows desktop onto a modern Mac. That is the whole reason this page exists.

Free with any account

The Mac setup pack

The page above is the answer. This is the long version, and it comes with any account — including the free one.

  • A known-good virtual machine: how many processors, how much memory, how much disk.
  • Every Parallels setting with its exact click path, in the order to change them.
  • The full F12 fix, including the Mission Control bindings most guides miss.
  • Windows-side housekeeping so a long session is not interrupted by sleep or an update.
  • A troubleshooting table: what you are seeing, and what to change.

Signed-in extra

Open the pack

It comes with any account, and the free key is free permanently — an email address and a password, about thirty seconds. If you already have a key, sign in and it opens here.

Get a free key I already have one

Common questions

Does RSLExtreme work on a Mac?
RSLExtreme is a Windows app, so it runs on a Mac the way Windows software has always run on a Mac: inside Windows, using Parallels Desktop. RAID's PC client goes into that same Windows install, and from there the setup is the same as it is on a PC.
Do I need a separate Windows licence?
Yes. Windows is Microsoft software, and licensing it is between you and Microsoft.
Does running in a virtual machine use up a device on my key?
No. Keys are not tied to a particular machine.
Can I play RAID on the Mac side and run RSLExtreme in Windows?
No. RAID and RSLExtreme have to be in the same Windows desktop, so install Plarium Play inside the virtual machine rather than using the Mac build.
Does a virtual machine make it safer from bans?
No, and we would rather say so than sell you a guarantee nobody can make. Automation is against Plarium's terms of service whichever machine it runs on. A virtual machine is a way to get Windows onto a Mac, not a place to hide.
Which Macs does this work on?
Any Mac that can run Parallels Desktop. On an Apple Silicon Mac that is the current version. On an Intel Mac, Parallels Desktop 26 is the last version that supports the hardware.
Running it on a Mac? Tell us how it goes in the Discord — Mac setups are welcome there, and it is the fastest way to get a hand with one.
Free key

Try it on your own account

Two Live Arena Mode matches a day, free and permanently. Enough to see it run on your setup before you decide anything.

We use your email to issue and recover your key, and to verify your account. Nothing else.