Gaming on the Mac in 2026: what works, what doesn’t and when a PC is the better choice

Can you game on a Mac? Yes. Can you play everything your friends play on their Windows PCs? No. But the gap has narrowed over the past two years. In this whitepaper from the series Mac and the rest of the world you’ll read which games simply run on the Mac, how to get Windows games going anyway, where it stops and what cloud gaming can do for you.

First, the honest picture

The Windows PC is the biggest gaming platform. Almost every game comes out there, most multiplayer games with anti-cheat only run there, and a separate graphics card is faster than what Apple puts in a laptop. You don’t buy a Mac primarily for gaming. But the graphics in Apple silicon are very capable, and more and more big games are made properly for the Mac. If you mostly play single player games, indie games or just the occasional evening, you’ll be fine. If you play competitive shooters, you won’t.

Games that run natively on the Mac

Steam, the Mac App Store and Apple Arcade

Steam has run natively on Apple silicon since mid 2025. Your account works on both platforms, but you can only install games that have a Mac version. The Mac App Store sells more and more big titles, and Apple Arcade (around 7 euros a month, also in Apple One) offers hundreds of games without ads or in-game purchases. GOG and Epic have Mac versions of part of their catalogue too.

Recent big native games

A few titles that show things are changing: Cyberpunk 2077 came to the Mac natively in 2025, as did Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and Crimson Desert launched on the Mac in March 2026 on the same day as on PC and consoles, through Steam and the Mac App Store. Others include Baldur’s Gate 3, Death Stranding Director’s Cut, Resident Evil Village and Resident Evil 4, and Control. But Resident Evil Requiem (February 2026), for example, has no Mac version.

The Games app

Since macOS Tahoe 26 your Mac has its own Games app. It shows your games, Apple Arcade and what friends are playing, and while playing you can open an overlay with quick settings. Useful, but it’s an overview, not a new source of games.

Windows games on the Mac

CrossOver and the Game Porting Toolkit

Apple made the Game Porting Toolkit, which includes D3DMetal, a layer that translates DirectX 11 and 12 into Metal, Apple’s own graphics technology. The toolkit is meant for developers, but D3DMetal is also built into CrossOver by CodeWeavers. With it you can run many Windows games without installing Windows, including games that need DirectX 12. Whether it works differs per game. CrossOver 27 only runs on Apple silicon Macs. Whisky, the free app that made all this easy, was discontinued in 2025.

Note: CrossOver currently relies on Rosetta 2. CodeWeavers is working on its own Arm version for after macOS 27; a preview has been out since this summer.

Parallels

Parallels Desktop runs Windows 11 for Arm in a virtual machine. Fine for regular software, limited for games: Parallels officially supports DirectX up to version 11. Games that require DirectX 12 often won’t start. Older and lighter games usually do. You can read more about both routes in Windows apps on an Apple silicon Mac.

Where it stops: anti-cheat

Many popular multiplayer games use anti-cheat that runs deep inside Windows, at kernel level. It doesn’t work in CrossOver and usually not in a virtual machine either. That means you can’t play Valorant, Call of Duty or Battlefield 6 on a Mac, not even through Parallels. Riot does have a Mac version of its anti-cheat for League of Legends, but Valorant has no Mac version.

Fortnite is a separate story. Because of the dispute between Epic and Apple, there hasn’t been an updated Mac version since 2020. Fortnite is back on the iPhone in some countries, but not on the Mac. On a Mac you can only play it through the cloud.

Cloud gaming: a PC at a distance

With cloud gaming the game runs on a server and you get a video stream. Your Mac hardly matters, your internet connection does. Count on at least 25 to 50 Mbit/s, ideally over a cable.

• GeForce Now by Nvidia has a native Mac app and works in the Netherlands. You play games you already own on Steam, Epic and other stores, including Fortnite and Call of Duty. There’s a free tier with ads, queues and one hour sessions. Performance costs about 11 euros a month, Ultimate about 22 euros. Since 2026 paid plans have a limit of 100 hours a month.
• Xbox Cloud Gaming works in the browser at xbox.com/play. Since late 2025 cloud gaming is included in every Game Pass plan, with the best quality in Ultimate. You can even play Fortnite there without a subscription.
• PS Remote Play is a free Mac app from Sony that lets you play your own PlayStation at home on your Mac. That’s not real cloud gaming: your console has to be on. PlayStation Plus Premium cloud streaming is Windows only.
• Boosteroid is a smaller service that works in the browser, from about 10 euros a month. Check which games it supports.

Controllers

macOS supports the Xbox Wireless Controller (the Bluetooth models), PlayStation’s DualSense and DualShock 4 and the Switch Pro Controller without extra software. Many 8BitDo controllers work too, often in a specific mode; check whether macOS is listed for your model. Pair them in System Settings > Bluetooth and remap buttons in System Settings > Game Controllers. Older games and games in CrossOver don’t always support every controller.

Which Mac is good for gaming?

Look mainly at the number of GPU cores and the memory. A regular M chip has around 8 to 10, a Pro chip about 16 to 20 and a Max chip 32 to 40. Newer is better: from M3 on there’s hardware ray tracing and mesh shading, and newer games use them.

• Light and indie games: any Mac with Apple silicon.
• Big games at medium settings: a recent regular chip with at least 16 GB of memory.
• Big games at high settings: a Pro or Max chip, with 24 GB or more.

A Mac with 8 GB is tight for heavy games, and some won’t even start on it. MetalFX helps: this Apple technology renders at a lower resolution and upscales cleverly, much like DLSS or FSR on a PC. Since macOS Tahoe 26 it can also insert extra frames.

Checking your Steam library

• In the Steam store, games with a Mac version show an Apple logo. The system requirements have a macOS tab that tells you whether Apple silicon is supported.
• For Windows games: look them up in the CodeWeavers database and on AppleGamingWiki.
• Is an installed game running? Open Activity Monitor and check the Kind column. If it says Intel, it runs through Rosetta.

What the end of Rosetta means for older games

Many older Mac games on Steam were only built for Intel and run through Rosetta 2. General support ends after macOS 27. In macOS 28 Apple keeps part of Rosetta for older games that are no longer updated, but which ones isn’t clear yet. So don’t count on all your old Intel games to keep working. Everything about Rosetta is in The end of Rosetta 2.

Which choice fits you?

Step-by-step plan

1. Make a list of the games you really want to play.
2. Check for each game whether there’s a Mac version on Steam, the Mac App Store or from the publisher.
3. No Mac version? Look the game up at CodeWeavers and AppleGamingWiki, and check whether it’s on GeForce Now or in Game Pass.
4. Is there a multiplayer game with kernel anti-cheat on your list? Then the cloud or a PC is your only option.
5. Try the free tier of GeForce Now and the CrossOver trial before you buy anything.
6. Use Activity Monitor to check which of your current games are still Intel, and keep an eye on macOS 28.
7. Buying a new Mac for gaming? Get at least 16 GB of memory and preferably a Pro chip.

And with Apple?

Apple clearly does more for gaming than a few years ago. Metal 4, MetalFX, the Games app and the Game Porting Toolkit make things easier for publishers, and the chips are good enough. What’s missing is the catalogue, especially the big online games. If you play what’s available on the Mac, it’s not bad at all. If you want to play whatever your friends are playing, you’ll need a PC or console next to your Mac.

This whitepaper describes the situation in October 2026, with macOS Golden Gate (macOS 27). Cloud service prices change often, and so does the list of games per platform. Apple hasn’t yet said which older games will still run through Rosetta in macOS 28. Always check the current information before you buy anything.

This article is part of the Mac and the rest of the world series, where you’ll find every part in one place.