Apple’s MacBook is a laptop that is generally known as a solid work computer with its sleek design and highly optimized, user-friendly operating system. While the Mac is certainly no slouch in terms of hardware and can even be considered a powerhouse in the market, it's not exactly the go-to choice for gamers.
If you are a Mac user, you might be wondering what AAA games you can play right now. Fortunately, depending on the model of your MacBook, of course, there are a bunch of games available that will push your Mac’s hardware to its full potential in terms of graphics and enjoyment.
10 Obduction
Obduction is a first-person adventure game developed and published by Cyan Worlds in 2017 for the Mac. If the game looks somewhat familiar, then you are probably aware of the classic PC adventure game Myst, which was made by the same developers.
In fact, Obduction is considered a spiritual successor to Myst and captures everything that made the former such a timeless classic in the gaming industry.
While Obduction appears to be a relaxing and chill game, it is also incredibly GPU-intensive. While developers recommend a minimum of 8 GB of RAM to play the game, it is best to go with 16 GB and Metal graphics support to avoid poor and jittery performance.
9 Call Of Duty: Black Ops 3
Despite being released in 2015, developer Treyarch’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is a good test of how far you can push your Mac in terms of graphics and performance. This hit FPS game is the last Call of Duty that has been released on Mac so far, so you better take advantage of that fact if you love this adrenaline-pumping series.
To enjoy the game at glorious 70 fps and 1080p, it is recommended that you have a Mac that integrates the powerful M1 Ultra chip.
8 Gravel
There are several racing games available for Mac, but Gravel currently has the lead as the best all-around and most enjoyable of the bunch. Gravel features off-road racing at its finest and creates a nice balance between arcade and simulation for those who want some variety in their driving game experience.
If there is one notable speed bump with Gravel, it is that Mac users only get the base game, as all DLCs were not made available for the often overlooked platform. Despite not having the same amount of content as versions on Windows and consoles, Gravel is still a solid racing game.
Take note that you will need to have a Mac that utilizes Metal 2 support to play this game as it was meant to be played: fast.
7 Metro Exodus
The third installment of the FPS action survival horror game was released in 2019 on a bunch of platforms, Mac included.
Metro Exodus is a GPU-demanding game, and running it on a standard MacBook might limit its overall performance. As such, it is advisable to run Metro Exodus on a Mac with a Rosetta 2 translation program and a dedicated GPU.
With an up-to-date M1 or M2 Pro or Max chip, you can easily push Metro Exodus to run at 50 fps in native 1440p resolution with no problem whatsoever.
6 Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a deceptively graphically demanding game that requires high-performance hardware to play at optimum settings. Then again, a lot of AAA games nowadays will always aim to push the current-gen hardware to its full potential.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is native to macOS, which means you can enjoy this renowned classic RPG based on the Dungeons & Dragons franchise on your MacBook without issue.
That said, developer Larian Studios has stated that a model that utilizes macOS 10.15 6 is recommended to run the game at its optimum performance.
5 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Eidos-Montreal’s cyberpunk FPS action RPG is one of a handful of games that will truly push your Mac’s hardware to its limits. The game can easily run on MacBook Pro 2016 and higher, with models that feature M1 Max chips being able to hit 80 fps at 1080p resolution.
If you are itching to play another cyberpunk game, then you can also check out Cyberpunk 2077. Another stunningly beautiful game (if your hardware can handle it), Cyberpunk 2077, can run on Mac with Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit.
The downside is that Cyberpunk 2077 is such a GPU-intensive game that if your Mac is not the top-of-the-line model, you are stuck with an unplayable and abysmal 15 fps stuttering mess. Good thing you have Deus Ex to satiate that cyberpunk hunger.
4 Dying Light
The pulse-pounding parkour zombie horror game can absolutely run on your Mac while retaining all the gory graphical detail of the post-apocalyptic fictional city of Harran. M1 and M2 Macs can run the game as fast as its protagonist, while those with Intel models will need to tone it down to 720p to obtain decent performance.
The downside here, though, is that if you love Dying Light, you won’t be able to enjoy the sequel on your Mac, as it was never officially released on that platform. It is still possible to play Dying Light 2 on Mac, but some tinkering is needed to do so.
3 Alien: Isolation
A relative oldie but goodie horror game from 2016, Alien: Isolation ranks up there among the best survival-horror games of all time. The graphics hold up quite well on Mac even to this day, and playing the game creates a tension that is as suffocating as it was seven years ago.
The AI of the titular xenomorph is one of the best and most terrifying in any game as it learns your hiding patterns, which means that repetition in this game can be a deadly habit.
The advantage of being a relatively old game is that Alien Isolation can work on newer MacBook models as well as those that still use Intel and M1 chips. The game is amazingly optimized for the Mac and will run just fine while maintaining crisp graphics fidelity.
2 Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
Released in 2018, Shadow of the Tomb Raider features the First Lady of Gaming in her darkest outing yet. Despite being released at the tail end of the 2010s, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is still considered one of the best-looking games on any platform today.
If you are new to the franchise, you will be happy to know that the complete Tomb Raider Reboot Trilogy is available for the Mac. It is recommended to have a MacBook Pro 2016 model or higher to play the game at a steady frame rate.
1 Resident Evil Village
The 8th mainline installment of the legendary Capcom survival-horror franchise, Resident Evil Village, manages to be both beautiful and grotesque at the same time. The game once again puts you in the shoes of RE7’s Husband of the Year and this game’s Father of the Year, Ethan Winters, as he battles through hordes of monsters to rescue his daughter, Rose.
Apple showcased Resident Evil Village during their WWDC 2022 presentation to display the graphical performance of the M2 chip. Fortunately, the game can still run on MacBooks with an M1 chip, but those with Intel Macs will, unfortunately, be left out in the cold.