Planet Coaster on M1 Mac: Can it run on Apple Silicon?

Yes, Planet Coaster runs on M1 Macs via Rosetta 2.

[toc] While there are plenty of Rollercoaster Tycoon spiritual successors out there, some of them excellent, Planet Coaster is without a doubt the best rollercoaster park simulation game available today.

With tons of realistic and customizable systems and features, Planet Coaster is the most complete attraction park sim you can play on Mac.

More M1 gaming? Visit our M1 Supported Games list for 100+ Mac games we have tested and confirmed as M1-compatible.

Planet Coaster on Mac Reviews

Coming from Aspyr Media, one of the most experienced Mac porting companies, Planet Coaster on Mac is an extremely solid port. If features absolutely everything the Windows version does and runs well even on Macs with dedicated graphics.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	Planet Coaster	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta	Good

Bottom line: You can’t go wrong with Planet Coaster, especially if you’re into simulation games and even more so if you’re a fan of the old-school RollerCoaster Tycoon series.

90% Reviews

Planet Coaster Mac requirements

These are the game’s official Mac requirements:

Planet Coaster M1 Mac support

Yes, Planet Coaster runs on M1 Macs with Apple Silicon via Rosetta 2.

Last Updated: June 28, 2021:

As you can see below, the game is still exclusively written for Intel-based Macs, but thanks to Rosetta 2, Planet Coaster can nonetheless run great on M1 Macs:

What is Rosetta 2? Rosetta 2 is a translation process that enables an M1 Mac with Apple silicon to use apps built for Intel-based Macs.

Planet Coaster M1 Mac benchmarks

These are the Planet Coaster M1 benchmarks we have gathered so far:

As a reminder, this is how we describe the different levels of performance:

• Below 20 FPS: Unplayable: Laggy gameplay, full of stutters and slowdowns.
• 20-30 FPS: Borderline: Can be OK in slow-paced games. Still, not optimal.
• 30-45 FPS: Playable: Acceptable for most (most gaming consoles do this).
• 45-60 FPS: Smooth: Fluid gameplay, with no perceivable stutters.
• 60+ FPS: Very Smooth: For hardcore and professional players, a luxury for most.

We usually aim for 30 FPS, because 30 FPS is enough to guarantee a smooth and fluid experience for most casual gamers.

Tested versions:

• MacBook Air: MacOS Big Sur version 11.1
• OS: macOS Big Sur version 11.4
• Planet Coaster: Build 1. 13.2.69904

Submit & Request M1 results

To take our M1 benchmarks and compatibility tests to the next level, we definitely need your support!

If you’re interested in testing games on your own M1 Mac or request specific games, you can join our dedicated Discord server.

Planet Coaster Mac download

You can download Planet Coaster from the following digital stores:

• Humble Bundle
• Nexus Store (if you’d like to support Mac Gamer HQ)
• Steam

And more importantly, if you have your own M1 test results to share, on this game or another, you can share them with us on our dedicated Discord server.