Feral Interactive just announced that the macOS version of Total War: Pharaoh was released yesterday, October 11, 2023, alongside the Windows version of the game? Total War: Pharaoh is not only the latest Total War game from The Creative Assembly, but it appears to be the first-ever game from Feral Interactive to only support Apple Silicon machines.
Total War: Warhammer 3 is considered to be among the best Total War games to date, and Pharaoh promises to be bigger and better. But how does it run on M1 Macs?
Total War: Pharaoh 3 Mac release
As confirmed by developer The Creative Assembly, the macOS version of the game was handled by Feral Interactive:
Yes, the game will be released on Mac after the launch on PC, courtesy of Feral Interactive.
And from what we can gather, the game supports full parity between its Windows and Mac versions. However, the game does not support cross-play. As confirmed by Feral Interactive:
Our macOS version of the game allows online multiplayer play between players on the same platform only. This is due to the Windows version using maths libraries that are different to the macOS libraries.
About Total War: Pharaoh
Total War: Pharaoh is the latest full historical entry in the renowned Total War franchise, set in a meticulously recreated eastern Mediterranean. Egypt has enjoyed a golden age, but the cataclysmic events of the Bronze Age Collapse have brought this magnificent civilization to the brink of civil war, and — for those who make claim to the Pharaoh’s throne — bloody conflict is all but inevitable.
A brand-new, extensive Campaign Customisation feature means no two campaigns will ever feel the same, with options including random starting positions for all factions, detailed resource settings, and the ability to toy with natural disasters. And, with dynamic weather effects and wildfires having the potential to turn the tides of dramatic, real-time battles, the path to Pharaoh’s crown is alluring but perilous.
This all sounds great on paper, but TW: Pharaoh has had a rough start. So much so that Creative Assembly released a public apology and shared plans to improve the situation.
Total War: Pharaoh Mac Requirements
These are the game’s macOS minimum requirements, according to Feral:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: macOS 13.4
- Processor: Apple M1
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Apple M1
- Storage: 50 GB available space
⚠ Total War: PHARAOH is officially supported on all Mac models with an Apple Silicon chip.
Total War Pharaoh, Mac
Can you run Total War: Pharaoh on Mac?
Recent Total War games have been quite demanding on macOS. For instance, Total War: Warhammer 3 offers limited performance on base M1 models. Is Pharaoh better optimized? Will it run better? We will have to test it in the coming days to figure that out.
In the meantime, this table summarizes our benchmarks running Warhammer 3, as well as results from other members of the community:
| Game | Machine | Resolution | Settings | FPS | Tester | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total War: Warhammer 3 | 💻 M1 Max MacBook Pro 16", 32 GB | 1920x1080 | Medium | 105 | Andrew Tsai | 13/5/2022 |
| Total War: Warhammer 3 | 💻 M1 MacBook Air 13", 7-core GPU, 8 GB | 1280x800 | Low (custom) | 43.2 | Reddit user | 13/5/2022 |
| Total War: Warhammer 3 | 💻 M1 MacBook Air 13", 7-core GPU, 8 GB | 1920x1080 | Low | 26 | Andrew Tsai | 13/5/2022 |
| Total War: Warhammer 3 | 💻 M1 MacBook Air 13", 7-core GPU, 8 GB | 1920x1080 | Medium | 22 | Andrew Tsai | 13/5/2022 |
What does “native” mean? Unlike games that require Rosetta 2 (a translation process) to run on Macs with Apple silicon, native games were coded to run on M1 Macs and should offer the best performance.
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 recommend 30 FPS as the bare minimum to guarantee an acceptable gaming experience.
Total War: PHARAOH Mac Download
Total War: PHARAOH is available for macOS via the Feral Store or Steam for $59.99 / £49.99 / €59,99. Deluxe and Dynasty Editions of Total War: PHARAOH are also available on Steam.
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