10 Games You Won't Believe Your M1 or M2 Mac Can Run

Even the humble base-model M1 Macbook Air packs more punch than the previous generation of consoles, yet it may still come as a surprise to realize that the M1, M2, and later Apple computers can play some intense games.

1 Borderlands 3

Released late in 2019, Borderlands 3 is the latest in the massively successful looter-shooter franchise. The game retains the cel-shaded stylized graphics but is packed with modern visual features. It also scales incredibly well, and if you're conservative with the in-game settings, Borderlands 3 is perfectly playable even on the M1 Air.

I started off with a 50% resolution scale of 2560x1600 and the "very low" preset, while using the "smoothed" framerate limit setting. This works well on the lowest-end M1 system, but you can bump it up depending on which model of Apple Silicon computer you're using. Also, be sure to purchase the Epic Game Store version of the game, since the Steam version does not include Mac support!

2 Alien: Isolation

Alien: Isolation is one of the best survival horror games ever made in its own right, but it also perfectly recreates the look and feel of the iconic movie franchise. Running on our M1 MacBook Air, it's possible to tweak the game to a smoothly-playable state while maintaining an attractive image. Just don't play in the dark!

3 Divinity: Original Sin 2

Divinity: Original Sin 2 deserves to stand with the best role-playing video games in history. Its story is deep, its combat system is intricate and rewarding, and the world and characters are masterfully crafted. It's the perfect game to while away hours on a flight, in bed, or in a hotel room.

Divinity Original Sin 2 runs perfectly on any Apple Silicon computer on the market, and you can even play it on an iPad Pro from 2018 onward. Sadly, the Mac and iPad versions are sold separately, so you'll have to buy the game twice if you want to play on both.

4 Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition

While everyone knows about its famous sequel, the original Original Sin was a pretty great RPG in its own right. The enhanced edition doesn't bring it up to the visual majesty of its sequel, but it does put a great lick of paint over the non-enhanced version.

It also runs even better than Original Sin 2 on my base model M1 Air, and you don't have to be scared of cranking up the detail settings either.

5 Diablo 3

Sadly, Diablo, Diablo 2, Diablo 4, and Diablo 2 Resurrected either don't work on macOS Catalina and newer or, in the case of Resurrected and D4, have no macOS version at all. Still, if you want to lose hours of your life hacking, slashing, looting, and generally having a blast clicking on things until they die, Diablo 3 is an awesome choice.

It runs great on the base model M1, and if you have an M2 or higher-end M1-variant, you can have plenty of extra eye candy to boot.

6 Rise of the Tomb Raider

That's right, yesterday's blockbuster AAA gaming titles are now playable on a fanless ultrabook. I tried Rise of the Tomb Raider using the medium preset and the frame rate capped at 60, using the 1440x900 resolution setting. You can cap the framerate at 30 if you wish, but the game felt entirely playable for the sections I did try, even if the frame rate fluctuates somewhat.

7 DiRT 4

DiRT Rally is one of the best mainstream rally racing games on the market, building on a strong legacy of accessible rally games that look and feel great to play. Racing games tend to be more optimized than other genres, and that's true for DiRT 4. On a base M1 system, you can crank the visuals up and get a steady 30fps at high resolution or hit 60fps at medium-high settings. Factor in the excellent controller support built into macOS, and you're in for a great time.

8 Disco Elysium

Not every game has to be about fast frame rates or action. There are many games that are played at a more sedate pace that you might overlook for your Apple Silicon system. Disco Elysium is a great example of a deep roleplaying game that's received critical acclaim but might be overlooked as a title to load onto your MacBook for a rainy day or a trip.

Disco Elysium runs perfectly on a base model M1 Mac and, even better, is a perfect game to play using nothing but the touchpad. It's also a criminally underrated title, so it's worth playing to experience something very different from mainstream gaming.

9 Bioshock Remastered

When the original Bioshock launched during the Xbox 360 console era, it joined the ranks of games like System Shock and Deus Ex as a title that rewrote what a first-person shooter can be. Even today, it's a fantastic title that still holds up visually. However, even the 2019 Intel 13-ich MacBook systems struggled to run the original game thanks to their weak integrated Intel GPUs.

The GPU in the M1 makes easy work of the remastered edition of Bioshock, and has fantastic controller support in case you want to play while traveling and can't use an external mouse.

10 Cities: Skylines

SimCity is the greatest city-building game franchise in history, but it's been many years since we've received a new title in the series. Seeing a gap in the market, other developers have moved into scratch this particular itch, and Cities: Skylines is perhaps the best pretender to the crown.

This game is much more CPU-heavy than most titles, especially as your city starts to reach end-game complexity, but even on a base model M1 Air, you'll get playable frame rates. Dips below 30 at medium detail settings and moderate resolutions aren't uncommon, but given the nature of the game, this doesn't really affect playability.

11 Baldur's Gate 3

Yes, the critically acclaimed Baldur's Gate 3 has a fantastic native Apple Silicon version that's enthusiastically supported and updated to the same level as the console and Windows versions. You probably don't need to be told much about the multi-award-winning sequel to two of the greatest D&D CRPGs of all time, but know that this is a genre-defining masterpiece that no one is likely to top for the foreseeable future.

I played this on my M1 MacBook Air using a mix of low and medium settings, and the game includes FSR upscaling, so you can really tune your performance and image quality to your tastes. The biggest problem is the sheer size of the title. I couldn't fit it on my paltry 256GB SSD, so I had to use a USB SSD instead, which worked just fine.

12 Warhammer 40K Rogue Trader

Owlcat Games

Sticking with CRPGs for a while, Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader is a video game adaptation of the 2009 tabletop title set in the Warhammer 40K universe. The game deals with "Rogue Traders" who operate on behalf of the Emperor of Man on the fringes of the Imperium of Man. They expand the Imperium and are extremely powerful, autonomous, and wealthy.

This game might not rise to the heights of Baldur's Gate 3 or Original Sin 2, but it's a fantastic title nonetheless, and the writing and setting are top-notch. If you're already interested in the W40K universe, this is a fantastic way top become immersed in a unique and interesting part of it.

The game ran well enough on my M1 MacBook Air, but Owlcat has already addressed several performance issues and bugs since I played it. Like other CRPGs,you don't need fast frame rates to enjoy Rogue Trader, so even bottom-end Macs like mine are perfectly fine.

13 Death Stranding: Director's Cut

Death Stranding is one of my favorite games of all time, and it's now available on Mac, iPhone, and iPad. This weird gem from Hideo Kojima was a technical masterclass on PS4, and it looks and plays even better on Apple Silicon Macs thanks to better hardware and new software improvements. Even on M1-class hardware, you can get a perfectly playable 30fps experience with crisp graphics.

14 Various Resident Evils

CAPCOM

This entry is cheating a little bit because I'm throwing in all three impressive Resident Evil ports on Mac: Resident Evil 4 Remake, Resident Evil 7, and Resident Evil 8.

These games are all showcases for what's possible if you build games specifically for Mac hardware and software. If you have some of the most powerful, latest Apple Silicon you'll get an experience comparable to current generation consols or even better, but even M1 and M2 users can enjoy upscaling technology and efficient APIs that make these RE games play wonderfully. Each one has its own pros and cons, but if you like Resident Evil at all, you can get these games with confidence for your Apple Silicon Mac.

15 Lies of P

NEOWIZ

Lies of P is what you get when you mix the tale of Pinocchio with Dark Souls. It sounds like the same sort of bad idea that gave us that terrible Winnie the Pooh horror movie, but it turns out that Lies of P is one of the best soulslikes yet. This is the only game on the list that I haven't personally played, because souls games aren't my thing, but apart from being a top example of the genre, this game is notable for it's amazing macOS port which was released day-and-date with the Windows version. Not even Baldur's Gate 3 quite pulled that off. If you like soulslike games at all, then Lies of P is an obvious choice for your Mac.

While Apple Silicon computers aren't generally thought of as gaming machines, Apple's investment in the GPU side of their phone and tablet business is paying off in spades. Without strong industry support, I'd hesitate to recommend anyone buying a Mac specifically for gaming. However, if you're using an M1 MacBook Air or better as your work or school daily-driver system, you may want to seriously consider throwing a gamepad into your bag along with your ultrabook, because there's plenty of great stuff to play.

You might also be surprised by what you can play on an M1 or M2 iPad!