Total War: Warhammer 3 on M1 Mac: Can your Mac run it?

Total War: Warhammer 3 can run on M1 Macs via Rosetta 2.

[toc] Total War: Warhammer 3 is the latest game from Feral Interactive and their first project to only be available for Apple Silicon machines. Warhammer 3 also happens to be the third and final entry in the Total War: Warhammer saga.

Both Total War: Warhammer 1 and 2 are considered to be among the best Total War games to date and Warhammer 3 is bigger and better. But how does it run on M1 Macs?

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	Total War: Warhammer 3	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta	Good

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

Total War: Warhammer 3 M1 Mac support

Total War: Warhammer 3 runs on M1 Macs with Apple Silicon via Rosetta 2.

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.

As confirmed by Feral Interactive, the game is not a native Apple Silicon game. However, thanks to Rosetta 2, it can nonetheless run great on M1 Macs:

The game uses a number of libraries for online multiplayer that do not support Apple Silicon, which means we cannot release Total War: WARHAMMER III as an M1-native title. The good news is that the game performs just as well using Rosetta 2 as it does when running natively.

Total War: Warhammer 3 M1 Mac benchmarks

The table summarizes our results as well as results from other members of the community:

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.

Can your Mac run Total War: Warhammer 3

Unlike most games we’ve tested, Warhammer 3 is particularly demanding, especially for base M1 MacBook Airs from 2020. To find the best settings and resolution to enhance your experience, this Reddit post is an excellent read. For starters:

If you have the 256GB MacBook Air, you won’t have enough space to install the game due to a bug with Steam on Mac. Install the beta Steam client (Preferences > Account > Beta participation) to fix this.

Also, be aware that unplugging your Mac will cap your frames to 30 FPS, most likely a decision to improve battery life.

Submit & Request M1 results

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

Or, you can also join our Discord to request a game benchmark or talk with other M1 Mac users.

Total War: Warhammer 3 Mac requirements

These are the game’s official Mac requirements:

Unlike most system requirements that don’t even mention M1 Macs, Total War: Warhammer 3 only supports Mac models released since November 2020 with an Apple M1 chip or better.

Total War: Warhammer 3 on Mac: Verdict

IGN’s review summarizes TW: Warhammer 3’s strengths perfectly:

Total War: Warhammer 3 has the best multiplayer features of any game in the series’ long history. The pair of quick-and-dirty mini campaigns offer your warparty a great way to have a more laid back and self-contained experience beyond fighting individual skirmish battles but without having to commit to a campaign that might take months to finish.

Total War has never looked this good and felt this accessible. That, and the fact that its gameplay follows the exact same formula Total War games have perfected this far, makes Total War: Warhammer 3 a must for strategy games fans.

Total War: Warhammer 3 Mac download

You can download Total War: Warhammer 3 from Steam.

And more importantly, if you have your own M1 test results to share, on this game or another, let us know on our Discord server!