Choosing the best Mac for gaming is more complicated than it used to be. That’s because the latest Macs use the M1 Apple Silicon chip, which is incredibly powerful and capable of running AAA games, while also having far more limited compatibility than even veteran Mac gamers will be used to.

If you’re looking for a new Mac to play video games on, you’ll find yourself torn between the unprecedented power of an Apple Silicon chip and the wider compatibility of an older Intel-powered processor.

We’ll help you to decide between the two options below, as we look at each of the best Mac models for playing games:

• 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro and 24-inch M1 iMac
• 16-inch MacBook Pro
• 21.5-inch iMac (4K Retina)
• 27-inch iMac (5K Retina)
• 15-inch MacBook Pro

What should you look for when choosing a Mac for gaming?

Gaming is one of the most demanding tasks you can ask of your computer. It used to be that you needed a dedicated desktop gaming PC to handle most AAA releases, but nowadays there are plenty of capable gaming laptops to choose from as well.

It’ll always be easier to play games on a Windows PC, but if you’re tied to macOS for other reasons, here are the minimum specs required for gaming on a Mac.

CPU

Simple two-dimensional games might run just fine with a slower processor, but anything that is slightly more demanded requires something powerful. The minimum processor we’d recommend is an Intel Core i5 with 2.0GHz, although an Intel i7 or higher is much better.

If you shoot for an M1 Mac, your processor will easily be powerful enough for most games — no matter which M1 Mac you go for. However, you still might not be able to run as many games on your Mac due to compatibility problems, which we’ll get into later.

GPU

Generally speaking, most games require an advanced graphics card. If you’re playing a game with complex 3D graphics, a lightning-fast processor won’t be able to help unless you have a sufficiently powerful GPU to go alongside it.

The Intel Core i5 and i7 processors include an integrated GPU that uses the same RAM as the CPU. This isn’t ideal — for a smooth gaming experience, you should buy a Mac with a discrete graphics card that uses its own set of RAM.

Your best bet for this is to shell out for the 16-inch MacBook Pro or the 27-inch iMac, both of which can be custom-built to include a Radeon Pro GPU with 8 to 16GB RAM.

If you’re looking at an M1 Mac, your only choice is between the integrated 7-core GPU in the base model MacBook Air and iMac and the 8-core GPU available in every other M1 Mac. We recommend the 8-core, which is still pretty darn capable even if it doesn’t have its own RAM.

RAM

8GB of RAM is the absolute minimum for any gaming computer, whether a PC or a Mac. This amount of memory will allow you to run most games smoothly. Luckily, every Mac Apple sells these days has at least that 8GB.

For optimal performance, aim for 16GB RAM, or more, instead. You need to make sure you get the right amount of RAM when you purchase your Mac as it’s not possible to upgrade the RAM later.

Display

Gaming benefits from a high-resolution, pixel-dense display. Luckily, all of the latest Mac models use crisp Retina displays that can display a billion colors.

The current Mac range includes the impressive 27-inch iMac with a 5K Retina display. In terms of screen quality and size, this is your best option. And if you’re looking for an M1 Mac, you won’t find a better display than the 24-inch iMac with its 4.5K Retina screen.

Ports

Most of Apple’s own peripheral devices, such as the Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard, are wireless, so you don’t need to worry about having enough ports to connect them.

However, if you prefer using professional gaming devices by brands such as CORSAIR, make sure that your computer can connect at least two accessories.

Considering that most MacBook models only offer two USB-C ports, and you might need one of them for the power adapter, it’s probably worth investing in a USB hub if you have a lot of wired accessories.

Price

When it comes to gaming computers, there’s rarely such a term as ‘low budget’. The need to invest in a large, high-resolution display and an impressive GPU and CPU often tends to wildly inflate the price tag.

The least you’ll pay is $999 for an M1 MacBook Air. For a desktop, prices start at $1,099 for the 21.5-inch iMac, though we’d strongly suggest shelling out more than for a model with a better GPU.

The 16-inch MacBook Pro — which is our favorite gaming Mac — starts at $2,399.

Which Mac should I choose for gaming?

Now you know what specs to look for in a gaming Mac, let's delve into the various Mac models you can choose from to decide which is best. Like we said at the start, this whole decision is complicated by the extreme power, yet limited compatibility, of the M1 chip. So, let’s start by looking at that.

The M1 MacBook Pro and the M1 iMac

At the time of writing, Apple has released four M1 Mac models:

• 13-inch MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
• 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1, 2020)
• Mac mini (M1, 2020)
• 24-inch iMac (M1, 2020)

The main difference between these options is the form factor: if you’re looking for a desktop, get the 24-inch iMac. If you’ve already got your own screen and peripherals, get the Mac mini; and if you want a laptop, go for the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

Those last two options — the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro — are the closest. However, the MacBook Pro edges out the Air by offering an 8-core GPU by default, compared to the 7-core in the Air, and backing it up with better thermal management to limit overheating.

The MacBook Pro also benefits from the Touch Bar, improved speakers and microphones, better battery life, and a slightly brighter display. Everything else is the same.

Generally speaking, no matter which M1 Mac you buy, you’ll experience similar gaming performance — and it will be excellent. However, because the M1 uses a totally different architecture to classic Intel chips, you’ll have far fewer compatible games to choose from.

Check out the Apple Gaming Wiki for an up-to-date list of what games are available for M1 Macs. This table clearly shows which games you can play natively, which Intel games still work through Apple’s Rosetta translation, which Windows games you can play through CrossOver and Parallels, and which ones you can’t play at all.

Unfortunately, the M1 chip doesn’t support running Windows in Boot Camp — so if you’re looking to run Windows on your Mac for a better gaming experience, you’ll be limited to using Parallels or CrossOver instead.

Of all the M1 Mac models, our recommendation would be to get either the MacBook Pro or the iMac.

After that, you should run the Memory Cleaner to make sure you’ve got as much RAM as possible for your games to further boost performance.

Finally, run the Antivirus scan to check for and remove any Mac malware that could be further clogging your machine, slowing it down, and using your precious resources for nefarious tasks like crypto-mining.

FAQ

Is Apple good for gamers?

The question of whether Apple is good for gamers essentially comes to choice. To be more precise, how much choice is afforded by Apple devices.

Although many AAA and indie titles have come to Mac recently, gamers still don’t have enough games to choose from. The small library of games supported by Mac is one of the reasons why Apple computers are not extremely popular among gamers. And that library is even smaller if you have an M1 Mac.

Another reason why we cannot recommend Apple for gamers is poor upgradability. The gaming community cares deeply about the ability to upgrade devices to keep up with rapidly changing technology, but that is simply not possible with a Mac.

Is Mac or Windows better for gaming?

Windows. Every time.

Game developers used to be primarily Windows-oriented for a long time. More and more games started releasing on macOS since Apple began using Intel processors. But now that’s set to get worse as Apple has moved over to M1 processors instead.

You used to be able to play most Windows games on a Mac using Boot Camp. And while that’s still a viable option for Intel-based Mac users, the M1 chip doesn’t support Boot Camp, which limits M1 compatibility even further.

How do I choose a MacBook for gaming?

To choose a MacBook for gaming, consider whether you’d rather gamble on the possibility of better M1 compatibility in the future — which should come with the best performance we’ve ever seen on a Mac — or play it safe and go with an Intel Mac.

If you shoot for the M1, the best choice is definitely the 13-inch M1 MacBook Pro as it has an 8-core GPU and other minor improvements over the Air.

For those playing it safe, you can’t do better than the 16-inch MacBook Pro. Especially if you spec it up even further with an i9 Intel processor and a Radeon Pro 5600M GPU with 8GB of HBM2 memory.

How do I choose an iMac for gaming?

To choose iMac for gaming, opt for a model with the most powerful processor and graphics card you can afford. Even though this rule of thumb applies to all Apple computers, you need extra power to take the full advantage of the 4K Retina display.

A passable iMac for gaming is a 21.5-inch model with the 3.0 GHz 6-core 8th-generation Core i5. But if your budget can handle an extra $700, go for a 27-inch iMac. It features the 5.0 GHz 10th-generation Core i9 and a larger 5K display, which offers better immersion.

Again, if you’re happy to gamble on the M1 getting more gaming options down the line — which it doesn’t have right now — then you’re best off going for the four-port 24-inch M1 iMac.

Can gaming damage my MacBook Pro?

A game can’t damage your MacBook. It may seem like it does, though, because as you play, the load on your Mac increases, which can lead to more vigorous work of the cooling fans and a rise in the temperature of the processor. The performance may drop, but it will restore as soon as your computer cools off — with no permanent damage done.

The MacBook Pro is equipped with sensors that track all parameters of your device. It’ll automatically and safely turn itself off if the sensors suggest it’s going to get dangerously hot. If you regularly use your Mac to its full capacity, we recommend using a cooling mat or a laptop stand to further cool it down.

Do games slow down your Mac?

Depending on the requirements of the game that you’re playing and the specifications of your Mac, certain games may work slowly and inefficiently. However, when you quit the game, all of your laptop’s functions will go back to normal.

To make sure that nothing is causing your Mac to slow down, check the amount of free space on your internal drive. You will experience delays and kernel panics if you’re running out.

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