Apple silicon chips changed gaming on Mac forever; these chips are capable of running hardware-intensive games without breaking a sweat. They work “out of the box” for both gaming and productivity tasks. Chances are you won’t even need to touch any optimization settings to run most games.

That said, there are situations where you may find drops in performance due to poor optimization. To avoid that, you need to go through a few specific settings – and we’ll cover them all in this article! Apart from the optimization settings, we have also checked in on the best games available on macOS today.

Best Games On Mac

Since the release of the M1 chip, the number of games that run natively on Mac has drastically increased. Apple has also been actively pushing developers toward making games for their laptops, and their efforts have been successful! Today, we have a huge list of games playable on Mac, from RPGs to strategy games to roguelikes. Here are some of the best from that list.

RPG: Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a surprising addition in this list as it is one of the very few AAA titles that runs smoothly on MacOS. Based on tabletop fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, BG3 does a great job of balancing storytelling and keeping gameplay loop engaging – you won’t regret checking it out!

Roguelike: Balatro

Balatro is one of the best games to come out in 2024; this indie gem broke records for its innovative blend of poker and roguelike mechanics. The game was also nominated for GOTY 2024. It did not win the coveted title, but it took home three awards, including the best mobile, best debut indie game, and best indie game.

Rougelike: Dead Cells

Dead Cells is a roguelike-Metroidvania where you explore dungeons filled with enemies while collecting weapons and upgrades. The fighting system in Dead Cells bears resemblance to the Dark Souls series combat, where you die frequently to master the game.

Action-adventure: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is the latest installment in the long-standing Prince of Persia franchise. This 2D Metroidvania features fluid combat, a decent story, and intricate platforming mechanics, some of which will remind you of the classic Prince of Persia games… who wouldn’t be on board? 

Browser Games: Crypto Baccarat & more

Browser games are a category of games that run entirely on web browsers, as users can just go to a web page featuring the game and start playing it. They don’t need to download anything to their device. 

And since Macs are made for productivity, the browser gaming experience on these devices is unbelievably smooth. Games like online crypto baccarat make the most of the efficient resource management of macOS systems, meaning you can enjoy beautiful gameplay and a pretty much flawless experience. Even live dealer games, which depend on constant streaming, tend to look great on a Mac. The performance of browser games on macOS is not talked about much because it is a baseline expectation, but it’s one of the best in the market. It’s not just crypto baccarat, either; there are so many browser options that Macs hold up well for, even fast-paced thrilling options like slots. Casino games in general and indeed other kinds of browser games can be absolutely amazing – and you can be sure you’ll enjoy them without any lag or crashing issues, thanks to Apple’s unique approach to software and hardware design.

How to Optimize Your Mac for Gaming

Users can further optimize their Macs for performance and power saving by regularly updating and cleaning up their storage. These are basics that you do on every gaming device but there are some very specific settings for optimizing your Mac.

Display settings

Newer Macs come equipped with very powerful GPUs, but they are often underutilized. Go to System Settings, select Displays, and then click Advanced to view available resolutions for your device. 

If you connect an external display to your Mac, your device will use the GPU to its full potential and also provide you with additional display settings. The MacBook Air (M3) supports up to 6K resolution at 60 Hz or 4K resolution at 144 Hz. The higher-end models may support even higher refresh rates and resolutions.

Disable background processes

This one’s self-explanatory; you should close all unnecessary apps hogging your RAM before running a game. Run Activity Monitor to check which applications are draining your memory and which background processes are overwhelming your system.

Battery settings

Press F4 on your keyboard, type “battery,” and select it to change battery settings. Here, set the “Low Power Mode” to never. This will ensure that your gaming performance isn’t compromised. Another thing you can do to maximize battery life and lifespan is to follow this guide published by Apple. 

External SSD

Attaching an external SSD to store games can significantly boost your Mac performance. Use the external SSD to store games and to keep your Mac decluttered. This will also help with swaps on the base storage as it will be less occupied. Always keep at least 30% of the base storage free.

To sum up, whether you’re gaming on a Mac or checking out prebuilt gaming PCs, it’s always worth running some basic optimization tasks to make sure you have an amazing experience!

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