Considering it’s in Early Access, Baldur’s Gate 3’s performance is impressive and could be improved in future releases. Much less impressive was the noticeable drop in performance the longer the Mac was on. After an hour of steady play, Tomb Raider’s benchmarks and in-game frame rates dropped as much as 10fps. You either have to put up with it or give your Mac some rest. Fortunately, another issue – poor performance after switching AAA games – was quickly fixed with a reboot. (We suspect, but can’t confirm, that a 16-GB MacBook Air wouldn’t have this problem because of more RAM space.)
Windows games on Mac
Apple ditching Intel also made it more difficult to run its own Windows content on the Mac. Options remain, but none are good. Besides adding complexity (where your games are located; installing multiple versions of Steam), you’re hindering performance because those games don’t run natively.
Parallels Desktop is the most user-friendly and powerful choice and easily installs Windows 11 automatically. CrossOver doesn’t require Windows, but it needs more work to run the games. (There’s also PlayOnMac, a free option based on CrossOver’s queues.)
Getting Steam on Parallels Desktop and CrossOver is extremely easy; finding games that work, less so. In general, 2D titles are most likely to work well. Old favorites Death Ray Manta and Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 played flawlessly during testing. But when we tried Pinball FX3’s 3D effort, it failed miserably in CrossOver and looked like a slow-motion replay in Parallels Desktop.
You may have better luck depending on the games you prefer. GTA V, for example, plays at over 50 fps on the M2. But it’s a pretty old game. So if you’re looking to activate an existing Windows collection on your MacBook Air, opt for simpler fares or higher-end titles that are a few years old. For newer Windows games, get a PC.
So: Is Apple’s M2 MacBook Air good for gaming?
Whether you think the M2 MacBook Air is good for gaming depends on the games you’re interested in. There are clear problems with AAA titles. The hardware is largely capable, but the ecosystem and throttling let it down. Too few games are optimized for Apple’s silicon, sustained performance is questionable, and even Apple’s WWDC announcements are reminiscent of the late 1990s, when Mac users took what they could get — which usually meant getting a handful of Windows games for years delay and for more money.
Speaking of money, for the price of the M2 Air you can buy a PC that’s better suited for gaming. So buying the Air primarily for gaming would be an odd choice. And if you need more raw power and would consider upgrading from an M2 Air to an M1 Pro or M1 Max machine, the price difference alone will get you a PS5, Xbox or Steam Deck. Either would be better suited for AAA games.
OpenEmu
Apple via Craig Grannell
But despite what gaming geeks might otherwise claim, AAA titles don’t cover all games, and the M2 MacBook Air, as we’ve shown, supports a lot of fun titles. So if you just want to play the odd game to relax, enjoy casual food or streaming, or you’re not too picky about AAA games, the Air will serve you well. And if you love classic games, OpenEmu remains the most polished and easy-to-use desktop emulation system.
Add Comment