Vratislav Holub A connection like Mac and gaming doesn't quite go together, but on the other hand, that doesn't mean it's something completely impossible. On the contrary, the transition from Intel processors to a proprietary solution in the form of Apple Silicon brought interesting changes. In particular, the performance of apple computers has increased, thanks to which it is possible to easily use even an ordinary MacBook Air to play some games. Although it is unfortunately not as rosy as we might expect, there are still a number of interesting and entertaining titles available. We took a look at a few of them ourselves and tested them on a MacBook Air with an M1 base chip (in an 8-core GPU configuration).
It could be interest you
Before we look at the tested titles, let's say something about the limitation of gaming on Macs. Unfortunately, developers often do not even prepare their games for the macOS system, which is why we are literally deprived of many titles. However, as mentioned above, we still have more than enough games available - just be, with a little exaggeration, just a little bit more modest. In any case, a very important parameter is whether the given game runs natively (or whether it is optimized for Apple Silicon's ARM chips), or whether, on the contrary, it must be translated through the Rosetta 2 layer. This is used in cases where the application/game is programmed for macOS running on configuration with an Intel processor and of course it takes a bit of a bite out of performance. Let's take a look at the games themselves and start with the best ones.
Great working games
I use my MacBook Air (in the mentioned configuration) for practically everything. Specifically, I use it for office work, browsing the Internet, simpler video editing and possibly even playing games. I must honestly admit that I was pleasantly surprised by its capabilities myself, and it is a device that suits me completely. I consider myself to be only an occasional player and I rarely play. Still, it's nice to have this option, and at least a few good titles. I was very pleasantly surprised by the optimization World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. Blizzard also prepared its game for Apple Silicon, which means it runs natively and can use the potential of the device itself. So everything works properly without any compromises. However, in cases where you are in the same location with a number of other players (for example, Epic Battlegrounds or in raids), FPS drops may occur. This can be solved by reducing the resolution and texture quality.
Gallery
On the other hand, WoW ends our list of optimized games. All others run through the Rosetta 2 layer we mentioned above. And as we also mentioned, in such a case the translation takes a bit of a bite out of the device's performance, which can result in worse gameplay. That's not the case with the title anyway tomb raider (2013), where we take on the role of the legendary Lara Croft and see how her unpleasant adventure actually started. I played the game at full resolution without the slightest stutter. However, it is necessary to draw attention to one strangeness. While playing the story, I encountered about two instances where the game completely froze, became unresponsive and had to be restarted.
If you are subsequently looking for a game to play with your friends, then I sincerely recommend you to give it a try Golf with your friends. In this title, you challenge your friends to a golf duel where you test your skills on a variety of maps. Your goal is to get the ball into the hole using as few shots as possible while meeting the time limit. The game is graphically undemanding and of course runs without the slightest difficulty. Despite its simplicity, it can provide literally hours of fun. The same goes for legendary Minecraft (Java Edition). However, I initially encountered considerable problems with this and the game did not run smoothly at all. Fortunately, all you had to do was go to the video settings and make a few adjustments (reduce resolution, turn off clouds, adjust effects, etc.).
We can close our list of perfectly functioning games with popular online titles such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive a League of Legends. Both games work more than well, but again it is necessary to play with the settings a little. Otherwise, problems may appear in cases where you need them the least, i.e. during more demanding contact with the enemy, as more textures and effects need to be rendered.
Titles with slight flaws
Unfortunately, not every game works as well as World of Warcraft, for example. During testing, we encountered a number of problems with, for example, a popular horror movie Outlast. Even lowering the resolution and other settings changes didn't help. Navigating through the menu is rather stilted, however, once we look directly into the game, everything seems relatively functional - but only until something major starts to happen. Then we are accompanied by drops in fps and other inconveniences. In general, we could say that the game is playable, but requires a lot of patience. Euro Truck Simulator 2 is similar. In this simulator, you take on the role of a truck driver and drive across Europe, transporting cargo from point A to point B. Meanwhile, you build your own transport company. Even in this case, we encounter similar problems as with Outlast.
The title is relatively similar Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, in which we find ourselves in Tolkien's legendary Middle-earth, when the Dark Lord of Mordor, Sauron, practically becomes our archenemy. Although I would very much like to say that this game works flawlessly, it is unfortunately not the case. Minor flaws will accompany us while playing. In the end, however, the title is more or less playable, and with a little compromise, it's not a problem to enjoy it to the full. It works significantly better than the mentioned Outlast or Euro Truck Simulator 2. At the same time, we have to add one interesting thing about this game. It is available on the Steam platform, where it is shown that it is only available for Windows. But when we actually purchase/activate it, it will work normally for us also within macOS.
What games are playable?
We only included a few popular games in our testing that are my personal favorites. Anyway, luckily there are a lot more of them available and it's up to you whether you decide to try one of the mentioned titles or go after something else. Fortunately, there are several lists on the Internet mapping games and their functionality on computers with Apple Silicon. You can find out if newer Macs can handle your favorite game at Apple Silicon Games or MacGamerHQ.
It could be interest you
Minecraft - no problem
Diablo 3 no problem