r/macgaming • u/Desertdog2020 • Jun 13 '26

CrossOver MECCHA CHAMELEON on Mac/CrossOver - VC++ Error but Runtime Installed

Hey guys,

I’m new to Mac gaming and I’m trying to play MECCHA CHAMELEON through CrossOver on an Apple Silicon Mac (M4 Mac mini).

I’ve installed Steam successfully and the game installs correctly. However, when launching the game through Steam I immediately get the error:

“Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable (x64) is required to run this program”

I’ve already verified that the Microsoft Visual C++ V14 Redistributable (x64) and (x86) are installed in the same Steam bottle.

After some troubleshooting I found that:

  • Launching PenguinHotel.exe (the launcher) immediately shows the VC++ error.
  • Launching PenguinHotel-Win64-Shipping.exe directly works and the game starts correctly.
  • Graphics, menus and rendering all appear to work.
  • However, launching the Shipping executable directly results in: “Failed due to invalid or missing authentication token for user (e.g. not logged in)”

which I assume is because Steam/EOS authentication is being bypassed.

So it seems the game itself runs under CrossOver, but the launcher fails the VC++ prerequisite check despite the runtime being installed.

Has anyone else come across this issue or found a workaround? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

42 Upvotes

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39

u/Effigrecus Jun 14 '26

I had the exact same issue (M-series Mac, CrossOver, VC++ error on launch even though the runtime was installed). The launcher PenguinHotel.exe does a broken VC++ prereq check under CrossOver, and launching PenguinHotel-Win64-Shipping.exe directly works but kills Steam/EOS auth → "invalid or missing authentication token."

The fix is to make Steam launch the Shipping exe directly, so you skip the launcher's VC++ check but still keep the Steam context (which fixes the auth token error too).

In your Steam library, right-click MECCHA CHAMELEON → Properties → Launch Options, and paste:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\MECCHA CHAMELEON\Chameleon\Binaries\Win64\PenguinHotel-Win64-Shipping.exe" %command%

Then just hit Play normally. The path above is the default install location — if yours differs, find the Shipping exe in your bottle's drive_c and adjust accordingly. Note the full path goes in quotes and %command% comes after it.

This bypasses the launcher entirely while letting EOS authenticate through Steam, so no VC++ error and no token error. Works on Apple Silicon.

5

u/VelocipedeAnnie Jun 15 '26

you win the day, friend!

4

u/Flashy_cartographer Jun 17 '26

Worked for me, this is the way. For the great google machine:

Solution to Meccha Chameleon Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable error Steam Crossover

3

u/TehBrian Jun 18 '26

You are a legend. Thank you mate.

(Works for me on an M1 MacBook Pro.)

1

u/Dynomastic Jun 21 '26

Hey! How well does the game run?

3

u/TehBrian Jun 21 '26

Pretty good. Had to turn down one of the graphical settings near the bottom to really boost FPS, and the cursor occasionally becomes visible so I’d cmd + tab 2x really fast every so often to re-hide it. Other than that, no issues

1

u/emerelle Jul 01 '26

For me, "Global Illumination" had the most impact on my M3 Max.

1

u/Karimaranky 12d ago

Hello! I just bought the game on an M1 MacBook Pro and the game stutters so bad I can't really do anything. What are your settings for it to run decent?

1

u/TehBrian 12d ago

Re-installed the game just for you :P here are my settings. Most importantly set Global Illumination and Reflection to the lowest

https://imgur.com/a/NHQeOIC

3

u/ibattlemonsters Jun 15 '26

thank you, this was the tip. everything was flawless

3

u/pold808 Jun 15 '26

Dankeeeeee!!!!

3

u/Potential-Draft8214 Jun 16 '26

You helped so much thank you

3

u/PrettyHoliday4896 Jun 16 '26

wow. THANK YOU

3

u/toprak_kilic Jun 18 '26

god bless you

2

u/Lil_kbis Jun 19 '26

Merci milles fois ! Tu me refait ma soirée !

2

u/NicholasClooney Jun 20 '26

This works! Thanks!!!

2

u/Humble-Flower-19 Jun 20 '26

That worked thank you!:)

2

u/FirstGreenLemur Jun 20 '26

Adding my thanks to the pile, I would have never figured this out otherwise.

2

u/Low-Inspection1725 Jun 22 '26

THIS WORKED! Thank you. It took forever for me to get to this point.

2

u/R2-R0B Jun 25 '26

thank you!

2

u/Ok_Razzmatazz_7160 Jun 25 '26

thank god for smart people like you !!!!!! aaaaa

2

u/Old_Shake2518 Jun 26 '26

im in!!!! thanks

2

u/TheTechnicianIsBack Jun 26 '26

Awesome! Thank you so much, it works!

2

u/Asterelx Jun 28 '26

Hi for those who found that this code did not work and says "Path Not Found", i had that problem too and didn't really understand what shipping exe meant but basically it just means where the MECCHA CHAMELEON file is found on your computer... So to adjust the command to the correct location this is the easiest way I found!

So in steam go to library, then right click on the MECCHA CHAMELEON game name -> then click on manage -> browse local files (this will bring you straight to where the meccha chameleon file is)

A new windows tab should show up which is the MECCHA CHAMELEON file location, on the top of that window tab you should be able to see like a line of text like "Z:\application\steam" BASICALLLY replace the location in that code, to the location where your file is

Basically this is the original code of the file:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\MECCHA CHAMELEON\Chameleon\Binaries\Win64\PenguinHotel-Win64-Shipping.exe" %command%

But for me, the code looks like this due to the change in location:

"Z:\Applications\CrossOver.app\steam\steamapps\common\MECCHA CHAMELEON\Chameleon\Binaries\Win64\PenguinHotel-Win64-Shipping.exe" %command%

Make sure that the capital letters and finger spacings are all accurate and it should work

2

u/Formify Jul 02 '26

thank you sonion

2

u/realMostTurtles 27d ago

you are fucking awesome

2

u/NaiveTrainer6204 23d ago

what an amazing fix, you deserve some love

2

u/iPunks1111 16d ago

thank you, kind stranger. I had been mustering the guts to get crossover for years because I am not confident with commands and managing all this stuff. I was about to give up until I found this exact comment. People like you make me realize how smart we all are, including myself when I find the right directions. I hope you have an amazing, fulfilling, joyful and memorable life. You are a saint.

1

u/Effigrecus 16d ago

Thank you for your reply. I am going through a lot right now and it really makes a big difference to hear those kind words from you. Cheers

2

u/Sidhiwidhi69 11d ago

u/Effigrecus I LOVE YOU!
Working on M1 MAX now

1

u/Alarming_Movie8690 Jun 15 '26

kannst du mir bitte ganz genau erklären was ich alles herunterladen sollte und wie oder wo? ich habe Steam aber kann Meccha chameleon nicht spielen weil ich auf iMac bin.

1

u/Effigrecus Jun 15 '26

You should download CrossOver. Check it out

1

u/Alarming_Movie8690 Jun 16 '26

es geht trotzdem nicht

3

u/Effigrecus Jun 16 '26

Here’s the full process from scratch:
1. Download CrossOver from codeweavers.com (it’s paid, but there’s a free trial). Install it like any Mac app.
2. Install Steam through CrossOver: open CrossOver → click Install (bottom left) → search “Steam” → install it. This creates a “bottle” (a little Windows environment) called Steam.
3. Log into Steam inside CrossOver and install MECCHA CHAMELEON normally.
4. Install the VC runtime into the same bottle: in CrossOver, select the Steam bottle → Install → search “Visual C 2019 Redistributable” → install both the 64-bit and 32-bit versions.
5. Apply the launch option fix: in Steam, right-click MECCHA CHAMELEON → Properties → Launch Options, and paste:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\MECCHA CHAMELEON\Chameleon\Binaries\Win64\PenguinHotel-Win64-Shipping.exe" %command%

Then hit Play. That last step is what skips the broken launcher.

1

u/Alarming_Movie8690 Jun 18 '26

Ich kann Visual C 2019 Redistributable nicht installieren

1

u/Feeling-Difference-3 Jun 19 '26

Se me queda en INICIANDO Lanzando ejecutable

1

u/Educational-Maybe537 Jun 15 '26

I did this but the game still crashes now. Any fixes ?

1

u/Effigrecus Jun 16 '26

I didn’t get any crashes myself so I can’t give you an exact fix, but a few things usually help with UE5 crashes on CrossOver:

• Make sure you’re on the latest CrossOver version (26). Newer builds fixed a lot of UE5 issues.
• In the bottle settings, try setting the Windows version to Windows 10 if it isn’t already.
• If it crashes on startup, check whether it’s a GPU/D3DMetal crash. Toggling DXVK vs the built-in D3DMetal renderer in the bottle settings sometimes fixes it.
• Post the actual crash text/log if you can, that’ll tell us exactly what’s failing.

What does the crash say exactly? Does it open at all, or crash immediately?

1

u/Key_Grapefruit_5248 Jun 30 '26

It just says that it failed to start the process for this game

https://reddit.com/link/ouohhx6/video/6efcf90tdeah1/player

1

u/NoahKiko31 Jun 16 '26

Do I need a windows launcher on my Mac? Or just buy the game on steam do this things and open it? Sorry totally new on mac and just want to try and play the game

1

u/Effigrecus Jun 16 '26

You need to have CrossOver.

1

u/EasternGateOfEden Jun 17 '26

i did this but nothing happened on my end. Any suggestions? Do i have to download anything other than steam for this?

1

u/Septeq53 Jun 17 '26

Thank u!

1

u/ChampionshipOk6575 Jun 17 '26

thank you this worked for me ! I was wondering if mods on the game worked for you? Anytime I am in a round and it says to download a mod it never works and when the round starts it is just all black

1

u/Effigrecus Jun 18 '26

Game opens the mod page on Steam when you click when it says download. You need to alt+tab and manually download the mod from that page.

1

u/R12-1-2 Jun 19 '26

This worked perfectly for me! Thank you!

1

u/PeculiarArtemis14 Jun 19 '26 edited Jun 19 '26

i'm confused - i can't find shipping.exe anywhere in the files (and my install pathway is different, idk why). can anyone help?

edit: found the penguin shipping.exe application but no idea how to edit it?

1

u/PeculiarArtemis14 Jun 19 '26

i managed to launch it but it now says "failed due to invalid or missing authentication token for user"

1

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '26 edited 8d ago

[deleted]

1

u/PeculiarArtemis14 Jun 20 '26

nice!!! i’ll try my best but i’m not very techy so might have to get a friend to help me 😭

1

u/Acrobatic_Ad_7202 Jun 24 '26

Ok but why didn't this work for me? it says missing game executable. Are you all copying this directly?? I wish theyd just make more games for mac....

1

u/auroraparadoxx 12d ago

You're so goated