# darling-lol: running the macOS League of Legends client on Linux through Darling

> Patches the Darling macOS compatibility layer so that Riot’s macOS League of Legends client and game run on x86-64 Linux. The changes span Darling and 30 of its components, including Metal/Indium, AppKit, QuartzCore, CoreAudio, the kernel shim and darlingserver, with build, install and launch tooling. It is an experimental rehosting layer; playability and frame-rate results are author-reported.

- Type: Case study
- Targets: Game
- Category: Independent reconstruction cases
- Relationship: Independent reconstruction project
- Sources reviewed: 2026-10-18
- Added to the catalog: 2026-11-09
- Original resource: <https://github.com/lucannez64/darling-lol>
- Primary source: <https://github.com/lucannez64/darling-lol/blob/78a47d633fbecc1189d70f7a8473980ffe771249/README.md>
- Catalog page: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/darling-lol-league-linux-case/>
- Record JSON: <https://awesomerea.org/resources/darling-lol-league-linux-case/record.json>
- Chinese version: [简体中文](https://awesomerea.org/zh/resources/darling-lol-league-linux-case/index.md)

## Requirements & limits

- **Prerequisites:** Requires x86-64 Linux 5.14+, X11 or Xwayland, and a hardware Vulkan/OpenGL driver. Only AMD RADV has been exercised; NVIDIA support is unverified. Building needs Git LFS, CMake, Clang/LLD with LLVM development files, Python 3.12+, Darling build dependencies, and at least 50 GB of disk. The experimental Nix flake builds the runtime locally.
- **Prerequisites:** Users supply the League client through Riot’s installer and sign in there. Game files, Riot installers, account data, Apple SDK binaries, and compiled runtimes are excluded from the repository. TESTING.md excludes debuggers, client API calls, hooks, and input automation.
- **Scope:** Applies patches to Darling and 30 pinned components. Riot and League clients launch and manually played ARAM matches have run; installation through Riot’s interface can stall. The README calls this a development snapshot.
- **License:** Original tooling is GPL-3.0; patches retain their target files’ licenses, including GPL, LGPL, APSL, BSD, and Apache terms. The README warns that play in this environment can cause suspensions or permanent bans and advises against using it currently.

## Primary sources

1. <https://github.com/lucannez64/darling-lol/blob/78a47d633fbecc1189d70f7a8473980ffe771249/README.md>
2. <https://github.com/lucannez64/darling-lol/blob/78a47d633fbecc1189d70f7a8473980ffe771249/docs/STATUS.md>
3. <https://github.com/lucannez64/darling-lol/blob/78a47d633fbecc1189d70f7a8473980ffe771249/docs/SETUP.md>
4. <https://github.com/lucannez64/darling-lol/blob/78a47d633fbecc1189d70f7a8473980ffe771249/docs/TESTING.md>
5. <https://github.com/lucannez64/darling-lol/blob/78a47d633fbecc1189d70f7a8473980ffe771249/NOTICE.md>
6. <https://github.com/lucannez64/darling-lol/blob/78a47d633fbecc1189d70f7a8473980ffe771249/LICENSE>
7. <https://github.com/lucannez64/darling-lol/blob/78a47d633fbecc1189d70f7a8473980ffe771249/upstream/manifest.json>
8. <https://github.com/lucannez64/darling-lol/blob/78a47d633fbecc1189d70f7a8473980ffe771249/.github/workflows/source-check.yml>
9. <https://github.com/lucannez64/darling-lol/blob/78a47d633fbecc1189d70f7a8473980ffe771249/research/README.md>
10. <https://github.com/darlinghq/darling/tree/60ba801decee7a00782f74f6be4c8ffb013f79ff>
11. <https://github.com/darlinghq/darling/issues/1467#issuecomment-6171417617>

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## About this entry

The description was reviewed against primary sources.
Original editorial content: MIT. Linked projects, papers and assets retain their own rights and licenses.