Cyberpunk 2077 Ran on iPhone 17 Pro Max
Considering that Cyberpunk 2077 used to challenge even powerful PCs years ago, it feels really strange to see the game running natively on a phone today. This doesn’t involve classic methods like cloud services or streaming from a remote computer. We’re talking about a completely experimental fan project, and the system isn’t yet available for everyone to download and use. Nevertheless, the initial images shown are quite remarkable in terms of demonstrating the progress Apple’s mobile hardware has made.
Cyberpunk 2077 Runs Natively on iPhone 17 Pro Max
Images shared by Reddit user Thisisyouracc0un-t show Cyberpunk 2077 running on an iPhone 17 Pro Max at approximately 900p resolution with a mix of medium-high graphics settings. The images indicate that performance hovers slightly above 30 FPS. The test used an iPhone 17 Pro Max with Apple’s A19 Pro processor and 12 GB of RAM.
The real trick here is that the game uses the Apple Silicon-powered macOS version, which is expected to be released in 2025. Since this version already runs on ARM architecture and the Metal graphics API, it doesn’t require the heavy x86 translation needed when porting classic Windows games to a phone. Instead, the developer uses a translation layer that bridges the gaps between macOS and iOS. MetalFX support is also active.
Moreover, the game runs entirely on the device. This means a Mac or cloud server isn’t running the game in the background and sending the image to the phone. If the project is ever released, users will need to provide their own macOS game files. However, since the translation layer hasn’t been shared yet, it’s currently impossible to independently verify the results.
The initial images have naturally been compared to the Nintendo Switch 2 version. The iPhone prototype appears to run at higher settings and above 30 FPS on paper, but it’s too early for a direct comparison. The Switch 2 uses DLSS, while the iPhone uses MetalFX, and it’s not even clear whether the stated 900p is the actual rendering resolution or an upscaled output. However, seeing Cyberpunk 2077 like this on an iPhone wouldn’t have seemed very realistic a few years ago.
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