Working CrossOver CrossTie for ESO Standalone

Steam-in-a-bottle works for a lot of Mac ESO players, but I wanted the standalone ZeniMax / Bethesda.net launcher — no Steam layer, no extra library.

Here is a CrossTie that installs and runs that path on CrossOver 26.x.

Download: eso_standalone.tie

ESO Standalone Code

Show CrossTie XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<c4p>
  <applications>
    <app appid="com.example.eso.standalone">
      <cxversion product="cxoffice">26.0</cxversion>
      <name>The Elder Scrolls Online (Standalone)</name>
      <appprofile>
        <description>&lt;p&gt;The standalone (non-Steam) client for The Elder Scrolls Online, installed via the ZeniMax Online / Bethesda.net launcher. The launcher downloads and patches the game itself; this recipe just gets the launcher installed and working.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
        <comment>20260820 - Rebuilt as a valid c4p CrossTie for CrossOver 26.x. Based on the shipped
com.codeweavers.c4.11974 profile (cxversion 16.0, win7_64) but retargeted at win10_64 and with the
Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime added, which the current launcher UI requires.

20260820 - Do NOT add a Visual C++ 2015/2022 predependency (com.codeweavers.c4.14327). The ESO
installer's prereq step logs "checkVCRedistVersion: installed: [14.42.34433.0] required:
[14.38.33135.0] result: [false]" and then skips DOWNLOADING vc_redist.2022.x64.exe - but its
installVCRedist workflow task still tries to execute that file unconditionally. The result is
"Platform_ExecuteNormal failed to execute (...vc_redist.2022.x64.exe) [LE: 2]",
Installer_Error_VCRedist, and a full rollback. Letting the installer supply its own VC++ runtime
is what makes the install succeed. DirectX is bundled in the installer, so c4.14037 stays out
too.</comment>
        <category>Games/Online Games</category>
        <flag>application</flag>
        <bottletemplate>win10_64</bottletemplate>
        <installedfileglob>c:\Program Files (x86)\Zenimax Online\Launcher\Bethesda.net_Launcher.exe</installedfileglob>
        <downloadurl>http://elderscrolls-a.akamaihd.net/products/BNA_Launcher/Install_ESO.exe</downloadurl>
        <downloadpageurl>https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/download</downloadpageurl>
        <downloadglob>Install_ESO.exe</downloadglob>
      </appprofile>
      <installprofile>
        <installnotes>&lt;p&gt;This installs the ESO launcher only (about 200 MB). The launcher must then be run once to download the game itself, which is roughly 110 GB - make sure the bottle's disk has room.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Install into a NEW bottle. If the bottle already has the Visual C++ 2015-2022 runtime, the ESO installer skips downloading its own copy but still tries to run it, and the install rolls back.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;MSync and DXMT cannot be set from a CrossTie. After installing, open the bottle's settings and enable MSync and the Metal-based D3D renderer there.&lt;/p&gt;</installnotes>
        <predependency>com.codeweavers.c4.6959</predependency>
        <predependency>com.codeweavers.c4.7994</predependency>
        <predependency>com.codeweavers.c4.19373</predependency>
        <installerglob>Install_ESO.exe</installerglob>
        <localinstallerglob>Install_ESO.exe</localinstallerglob>
        <installerenvironment>
          <name>WINE_WAIT_CHILD_PIPE_IGNORE</name>
          <value>Bethesda.net_Launcher.exe</value>
        </installerenvironment>
        <lnkfile>
          <shortcut>%StartMenu%\%Programs%\ESO (skip launcher)</shortcut>
          <target>c:\Program Files (x86)\Zenimax Online\The Elder Scrolls Online\game\client\eso64.exe</target>
          <workdir>c:\Program Files (x86)\Zenimax Online\The Elder Scrolls Online\game\client</workdir>
        </lnkfile>
      </installprofile>
    </app>
  </applications>
</c4p>

What it does

  • Targets a Windows 10 64-bit bottle (win10_64), not the old win7 profile.
  • Pulls the official standalone installer (Install_ESO.exe) from ZeniMax’s CDN.
  • Installs the launcher only (~200 MB). You still need to run Bethesda.net once so it can download the game (~110 GB) into the bottle.
  • Ships useful shortcuts, including one that launches eso64.exe and skips the launcher after the game is present.
  • Pre-deps include runtimes the launcher UI needs today — notably Microsoft Edge WebView2 (the current UI depends on it).

The VC++ trap (why most recipes fail)

Do not pre-install Visual C++ 2015/2022 into the bottle before the ESO installer runs.

If that runtime is already present, the installer logs something like: required VC++ is “not installed” relative to its check, skips downloading vc_redist.2022.x64.exe, then still tries to execute that missing file. You get Platform_ExecuteNormal / Installer_Error_VCRedist and a full rollback.

Letting the ESO installer supply its own VC++ redistributable is what makes standalone install succeed. Same idea for DirectX — leave CrossOver’s bundled DirectX recipe out and let the installer bring what it needs.

Use a new bottle. A bottle that already has VC++ 2015–2022 is a good way to reproduce the rollback.

After install

MSync and DXMT (Metal D3D) cannot be set from a CrossTie. Open the bottle settings in CrossOver and enable them there.

Prefer in-game Full Screen (windowed) over exclusive fullscreen if the cursor or focus feels wrong — a common CrossOver/ESO quirk.

How to use the file

  1. Install CrossOver 26.x on macOS.
  2. Open / import eso_standalone.tie (Install Software → use local CrossTie, or drag the file in — depending on your CrossOver UI).
  3. Let it create a new win10_64 bottle and install the launcher.
  4. Run the Bethesda.net launcher once; wait out the game download.
  5. Turn on MSync and the Metal D3D option in bottle settings.

This is for the standalone client only — not the Steam build. If you already live in Steam-under-CrossOver, you do not need this recipe.

eso   crossover   macos   gaming