TFT stopped working on Mac: what to do since patch 18.1

Your Mac throws an error when launching Teamfight Tactics, the client refuses to update, or the game simply will not start anymore? Nothing is broken on your machine: as of patch 18.1, macOS is no longer supported by TFT. Riot removed support for the system when it moved the game to Unreal Engine, and no official version runs on Mac anymore. This article explains exactly what changed, what the removal means (and does not mean) for your account, and the concrete ways to get back into a game on your Mac today.

What changed with patch 18.1

Patch 18.1 opens Set 18 and, more importantly, completes a major technical shift: Teamfight Tactics leaves Riot’s in-house engine and moves to Unreal Engine. That migration came with the removal of macOS support: the game is no longer supported on Mac, and no more fixes are shipped for it. If TFT stopped working on your Mac with this version, that is the expected behavior, not a bug on your side.

• The game moves to Unreal Engine as Set 18 opens (patch 18.1).
• macOS support is removed: no official support and no more fixes on Mac.
• Riot calls the removal temporary and says it is working on supporting the system again in a future update, with no date announced.
• Older Android and iOS devices with the least memory lose access to the game as well.
• No account is reset or deleted: everything stays tied to your Riot account.

Why Riot dropped macOS

Migrating to Unreal Engine is heavy work: every supported platform has to be ported, tested and maintained on the new engine. Riot chose to focus on Windows, Android and iOS, which cover the vast majority of players, and to set macOS aside for now. The same trade-off hit the oldest phones and tablets: Android and iOS devices with the least memory lost access to the game in the same patch.

One point matters more than any other, because every solution below depends on it: the Android version of Teamfight Tactics remains fully supported and updated with every patch. The removal only affects the macOS client.

Temporary or permanent? What Riot says

Officially, the removal is presented as temporary: Riot says it is working to support the system in a future update. No date has been announced, though, and no macOS fix will ship in the meantime. So be pragmatic: waiting for a hypothetical return is not a plan, especially if you play ranked and every set matters. Set up something that works now, and switch back to a native client whenever it reappears.

Your account, rank and purchases are untouched

The macOS removal is purely client-side: nothing changed on the servers. No account was reset or deleted, and your progression, ranked standing, pass and Little Legends remain tied to your Riot account. You will find everything exactly as you left it the next time you log in, on any platform. How that synchronization works is covered in our article on the Riot account and cross-progression on Mac.

The ways to play TFT on your Mac again

Every option still open on Mac relies on the Android mobile version of the game, the only standalone version Riot still supports. There are four approaches:

• Switch to another device (a Windows PC or your phone): the immediate fallback, but you leave your Mac behind.
• Cloud gaming: playable, but entirely dependent on your connection and billed as an extra subscription.
• A generic Android emulator: free, but often choppy on Apple Silicon for lack of proper GPU rendering.
• A dedicated Apple Silicon launcher like OS FIGHT TACTICS: the official Android version of TFT, installed from Google Play and run locally with GPU-accelerated OpenGL rendering, on keyboard and in fullscreen.

These approaches (strengths, limits, edge cases) are compared in detail in our complete guide to playing Teamfight Tactics on Mac. If your mind is already made up, installing the launcher takes about ten minutes with the step-by-step tutorial.

What to do in practice

1. 1Do not delete anything out of reflex: your Riot account and purchases are safe whether or not the old client stays on your disk.
2. 2Pick your solution: a dedicated launcher if you want local smoothness, cloud if your connection is excellent, another device as a stopgap.
3. 3Install OS FIGHT TACTICS on your Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or newer) and let it download TFT from the official Google Play.
4. 4Log in with your usual Riot account, using the same identity provider as always (Riot, Google, Apple or Facebook).
5. 5Check your profile (Riot ID, rank, collection): everything should be there, exactly as before patch 18.1.

Frequently asked questions