Install once
Download the launcher, select Install, and let it prepare the required components.
TFT PBE LAUNCHER · macOS
Keep playing TFT PBE on your Mac.
A free launcher for Apple Silicon that prepares the environment, starts the game, and keeps your local setup in one place.
No Android Studio. No Terminal commands. Install, sign in, and play.
Read the engineering storyApple Silicon only · macOS 12.0+ · Free to download
platform = apple-siliconclient = tft-pbesupport = best-effort
Independent community project. Not an official Riot Games application.
TFT PBE Launcher Ready
PRODUCT PREVIEW
Launcher + running TFT PBEFinal screenshot pending Ready to play
Guided setup
The launcher prepares and manages the required local environment.
Native macOS experience
A clear Install, Play, Stop, Repair, and Reset flow.
Local by default
Your runtime, settings, and game state stay on your Mac.
No subscription
No recurring fee or paid features.
01 · what it is
TFT PBE on Mac, without the manual setup.
TFT PBE Launcher is a native macOS application that prepares a compatible Android environment and runs TFT PBE in a desktop window.
You do not need to configure Android Studio, create a virtual device, edit system files, or copy commands into Terminal. The launcher handles the setup and gives you a straightforward flow:
Install → Sign in → Play
After the first installation, the launcher remembers your local environment and brings the controls you actually need into one place.
Play like a desktop app
Launch TFT PBE in a resizable window with mouse input, display profiles, UI scaling, and optional hotkeys.
Recover without guessing
Verify or restore required components through Repair, or start clean with Reset when necessary.
The first installation takes longer because the complete local runtime must be downloaded and prepared.
02 · why it exists
Built because we wanted to keep playing together.
My wife and I love playing TFT together. It has become one of our favorite shared hobbies—the kind of game that turns every new set into a small event.
We wait for the patch, learn the new traits, compare compositions, send each other ideas, and play side by side on our MacBooks.
We were especially looking forward to the next PBE cycle. When we learned that macOS would no longer be supported, we were genuinely disappointed. It was not only about losing access to a test server. It felt like we were about to lose one of the small rituals we both enjoyed.
So I decided to see whether I could solve the problem for us.
The first version was only a personal workaround. Over time, it became a native macOS launcher that handles installation, launch, configuration, updates, and recovery.
Once it became reliable enough for us to use, keeping it private no longer made sense. I am sharing it so other Mac players do not have to miss a new set—or give up a hobby they enjoy with someone else.
I built it so we could keep playing together. I’m sharing it so you can too.
03 · getting started
From download to TFT in four steps.
Download the launcher
Download the latest .dmg release and move TFT PBE Launcher to your Applications folder.
Select Install
Open the launcher and select Install. It downloads, verifies, and prepares the required local components.
Sign in inside TFT
Your Riot sign-in happens inside the TFT client. The launcher does not provide a separate Riot login form.
Press Play
Choose your display profile, start the game, and play TFT PBE in a desktop window.
No Android Studio. No Terminal. No manual configuration files.
01
01 Download02
02 Install03
03 Sign in04
04 Play04 · player experience
Made for game night, not setup night.
The project began as a working technical experiment. The launcher turns that experiment into a repeatable experience another player can use without learning the stack behind it.
Guided installation
Downloads, verifies, and prepares the components required to run the game.
Display profiles
Choose a resolution that matches your Mac and your preferred balance between image quality and performance.
UI scaling
Adjust the game interface without manually editing Android settings.
RAM and CPU controls
Tune the local environment for your Mac, with safe defaults provided by the launcher.
Repair without starting over
Verify and restore required components while preserving the existing environment whenever possible.
Clean Reset
Create a fresh local environment when an update or damaged installation cannot be repaired.
Launcher updates
Install new launcher versions while keeping the larger local runtime and game state separate.
English and Russian
Use the launcher interface in either language.
Optional hotkeys
Enable desktop shortcuts for supported in-game actions when needed.
Launcher settings Ready
Display profile1920 × 1080
UI scale100%
MemoryRecommended
vCPURecommended
LanguageEnglish
RECOVERYRepair installation
Verify launcher-managed components while preserving game state.
05 · current release
Download TFT PBE Launcher.
Free to download and built for Apple Silicon Macs.
CURRENT RELEASE
TFT PBE Launcher
Version 1.0.0 (33)
- Architecture
- Apple Silicon
- macOS
- 12.0+
- Support
- Best effort
- Release
- August 9, 2026
- Size
- 191 MB
- Verification
- Sparkle-signed update · not Apple notarized
SHA-256 checksum
010524b4bb4ff325227d5aac73b31076467f73684c558fd89a011733ffc77550AFTER DOWNLOADING
- Open the downloaded DMG.
- Drag TFT PBE Launcher into Applications.
- Open the launcher and select Install.
- Follow the setup shown inside the app.
Security note. This temporary release is not Apple Developer ID-signed or notarized. macOS may require approval in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway.
06 · trust
Transparent about what the launcher does.
MIT-licensed source
The launcher is licensed for inspection, use, modification, and redistribution. Its public source repository is being prepared.
Sign in inside the game
The launcher does not ask you to enter Riot credentials into a separate launcher account or custom login form.
Local runtime and game state
The Android environment, TFT data, and launcher preferences are stored locally on your Mac.
Versioned release artifacts
Downloads use immutable versioned names and Sparkle verifies the update archive before extraction.
Optional permission explained
macOS Accessibility permission is used only for optional global hotkeys and is not part of the core installation flow.
Limited anonymous events
The launcher sends bounded anonymous launcher-start and game-duration events. Riot credentials, game state, and complete logs are not sent.
07 · expectations
What to know before you install.
Apple Silicon only
The launcher is designed for Macs with an M-series chip. Intel Macs are not supported.
Built specifically for TFT PBE
The launcher is developed and tested for the PBE client. Support for other TFT clients is not currently part of the project.
Updates can temporarily break compatibility
A TFT PBE or Android Emulator update may require a new launcher release.
The first setup is the longest
The launcher must download and prepare a complete local runtime before the first game launch.
Performance varies
Tested defaults are provided, but performance depends on the Mac model, available resources, and selected display profile.
Independent community project
TFT PBE Launcher is not an official Riot Games application and is not developed or supported by Riot Games.
Best-effort maintenance
Compatibility fixes and support are provided when time allows, without a guaranteed response time or service-level agreement.
08 · support model
Maintained with care, without an SLA.
TFT PBE Launcher is a personal project, not a commercial service. I maintain it in my spare time and cannot promise fixed response times, immediate compatibility with every PBE update, or implementation of every feature request.
Before reporting a problem, please check the latest release notes and the troubleshooting answers below. A public issue tracker will be linked when the source repository opens.
Private messages and social media comments are not support channels. Please do not publish passwords, authentication data, or complete unfiltered logs.
maintenance = best-effortresponse-time = not-guaranteedchannel = public-issues-soon
09 · engineering story
Interested in how it works?
The player experience is intentionally simple. The engineering behind it was not.
Read the full technical case study covering Android Emulator, ANGLE, Vulkan, MoltenVK, graphics transport, reproducible performance experiments, recovery design, macOS distribution, and an AI-assisted workflow in an unfamiliar technology stack.
ANGLE · Vulkan · Android Emulator · MoltenVK · SwiftUI · Benchmarking · Release security
10 · questions
Frequently asked questions.
Yes. TFT PBE Launcher is free and distributed under the MIT License.
The launcher is designed for Apple Silicon Macs with an M-series chip running macOS 12.0 or later. Intel Macs are not supported.
No. The launcher downloads and prepares the components it needs.
No. Installation, launch, repair, reset, and configuration are available through the macOS application.
You sign in inside the TFT client. The launcher does not provide a separate Riot login form.
The Android runtime, game state, and launcher settings are stored locally in ~/Library/Application Support/TFT PBE Launcher.
Launcher updates replace the application itself. The local runtime and user state are stored separately and are intended to remain in place.
Repair verifies or reinstalls required components while preserving the existing environment whenever possible. Reset deletes the local environment and creates a clean installation.
Check the latest release notes first. A launcher update may be required after changes to TFT PBE or Android Emulator.
The launcher is built and tested specifically for TFT PBE. Other clients are not currently supported.
No. It is an independent community project.
Support and compatibility updates are provided on a best-effort basis, without an SLA or guaranteed response time.
You can share reproducible issue details when the public issue tracker opens, improve documentation, contribute code, or share the project with other Mac players.
BUILT FOR TWO PLAYERS · SHARED WITH EVERYONE
Don’t sit out the next set.
Download TFT PBE Launcher and keep playing on your Apple Silicon Mac.
Built so we could keep playing together. Shared so you can too.TFT, Teamfight Tactics, Riot Games, and related marks are the property of their respective owners. TFT PBE Launcher is an independent community project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Riot Games.