Can My Mac Run It? 100+ Mac gaming benchmarks

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You probably got a Mac for reasons completely unrelated to gaming. Perhaps you needed one for work or school, or perhaps you just couldn’t stand Windows anymore.

Either way, if you’re here, you’re wondering: Can my Mac run games?

We test some of the best games on several Macs, ranging from powerful iMacs to older MacBooks, to help you figure it out.

Ever wondered if your Mac can run Fortnite, Civ 6, or WoW? This Can My Mac Run It guide is for you.

Gaming Macs, benchmarked

This first section is all about testing as many Macs as possible and comparing them with each other. That means running the exact same benchmark on every Mac.

With the help of the Mac gaming community, we benchmarked over 70 different Mac models using Unigine’s Valley benchmarking tool:

Current Lineup

If you’re interested in getting a new Mac, or just made a purchase and are curious how your new machine compares with the rest, the table below only includes modern Macs from 2018 onwards:

All Macs, benchmarked

While the table above only focuses on modern Macs, this table includes every single Mac we’ve benchmarked so far:

Want to help out? Benchmark your Mac and share your result with us! It’s easy and free. You can read this page for detailed step-by-step instructions.

Understanding these results

If you’re a little lost with all these FPS (frames per second) figures, this is how we read them:

< 20 FPS

Unplayable gaming performance: A game running below 20 FPS is unplayable (unless you’re dealing with a turn-based game and don’t mind a lot of lag).

20 – 35 FPS

Borderline gaming performance: A game running between 20 – 30 FPS is possible but it will be uncomfortable. If the game runs at 30+ FPS, you can expect decent performance.

> 35 FPS

Good gaming performance: While many hardcore gamers expect at least 60 FPS from a gaming rig, 35 FPS is more than acceptable for casual gamers.

Can I run it for Mac: The Games

The previous section was all about testing as many different Macs running the same benchmark. This section is all about testing as many different games as possible.

These are all the benchmark results we have gathered so far (you can also find the specs of the Macs used below the table). To truly get the most out of it, though, make sure you check out the “Read More” links for all the juicy details:

Game	Game	Genre	Requirements	"Old Mac" Performance*	MacBook Performance*	See all results
World of Warcraft	World of Warcraft	MMORPG	✅ Low	35.5 FPS Playable	78.4 FPS Smooth	Read more
Total War: Three Kingdoms	Total War: Three Kingdoms	Strategy	⚠ Medium	15.2 FPS Unplayable	37.9 FPS Playable	Read more
Fortnite	Fortnite	Shooter	⚠ Medium	23.4 FPS Borderline	47.1 FPS Playable	Read more
Rise of the Tomb Raider	Rise of the Tomb Raider	Adventure	⛔ High	0 FPS Unplayable	16.5 FPS Borderline	Read more
Civilization 6	Civilization 6	Strategy	⛔ High	Un7.2 FPS Unplayable	9.5 FPS Unplayable	Read more
Dirt Rally	Dirt Rally	Racing	✅ Low	38.5 FPS Smooth	Smooth,53.9 FPS Smooth	Read more
Pillars of Eternity 2	Pillars of Eternity 2	RPG	⚠ Medium	17.4 FPS Borderline	23.7 FPS Borderline	Read more
Into the Breach	Into the Breach	Strategy	✅ Low	54.7 FPS Smooth	59.9 FPS Smooth	Read more
Total War: Warhammer	Total War: Warhammer	Strategy	⛔ High	9.6 FPS Unplayable	14.8 FPS Unplayable	Read more
F1 2017	F1 2017	Racing	⛔ High	0 FPS Unplayable	25 FPS Borderline	Read more
Total War: Thrones of Britannia	Total War: Thrones of Britannia	Strategy	⚠ Medium	13.5 FPS Unplayable	25.8 FPS Borderline	Read more
Company of Heroes 2	Company of Heroes 2	Strategy	⛔ High	15.8 FPS Unplayable	47.9 FPS Smooth	Read more
Life is Strange: Before the Storm	Life is Strange: Before the Storm	Adventure	✅ Low	22.2 FPS Borderline	38.7 FPS Playable	Read more
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided	Deus Ex: Mankind Divided	Shooter	⛔ High	0 FPS Unplayable	0 FPS Unplayable	Read more
Ark: Survival Evolved	Ark: Survival Evolved	Shooter	⛔ High	8 FPS Unplayable	19 FPS Unplayable	Read more
Cities: Skylines	Cities: Skylines	Simulation	⚠ Medium	12 FPS Unplayable	17.4 FPS Unplayable	Read more
Borderlands 2	Borderlands 2	Shooter	✅ Low	32.3 FPS Smooth	59.6 FPS Smooth	Read more
Elder Scrolls Online	Elder Scrolls Online	MMORPG	✅ Low	38 FPS Smooth	50.9 FPS Smooth	Read more
Life is Strange	Life is Strange	Adventure	✅ Low	24.6 FPS Borderline	43.4 FPS Playable	Read more
Rocket League	Rocket League	Sports	✅ Low	28.5 FPS Smooth	48.5 FPS Smooth	Read more
Starcraft 2	Starcraft 2	Strategy	✅ Low	33.8 FPS Smooth	70.1 FPS Smooth	Read more
Guild Wars 2	Guild Wars 2	MMORPG	✅ Low	42.9 FPS Smooth	52.8 FPS Smooth	Read more
The Sims 4	The Sims 4	Simulation	✅ Low	45.4 FPS Smooth	54.9 FPS Smooth	Read more
Tomb Raider	Tomb Raider	Aventure	✅ Low	26.3 FPS Borderline	43.8 FPS Playable	Read more
Paladins	Paladins	Shooter	⚠ Medium	25.9 FPS Borderline	50 FPS Smooth	Read more
Dying Light	Dying Light	Shooter	⚠ Medium	17.1 FPS Unplayable	36.3 FPS Playable	Read more
Insurgency	Insurgency	Shooter	⚠ Medium	34.7 FPS Smooth	53.5 FPS Smooth	Read more
Metro 2033 Redux	Metro 2033 Redux	Shooter	✅ Low	29.8 FPS Smooth	49.6 FPS Smooth	Read more
Left 4 Dead 2	Left 4 Dead 2	Shooter	✅ Low	69.9 FPS Smooth	115.6 FPS Smooth	Read more
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive	Counter Strike: Global Offensive	Shooter	✅ Low	37 FPS Smooth	82.6 FPS Smooth	Read more
BioShock Infinite	BioShock Infinite	Shooter	⚠ Medium	24.9 FPS Borderline	47.8 FPS Smooth	Read more
Team Fortress 2	Team Fortress 2	Shooter	✅ Low	35.3 FPS Smooth	74.1 FPS Smooth	Read more
SUPERHOT	SUPERHOT	Shooter	✅ Low	31.5 FPS Smooth	60 FPS Smooth	Read more
Homeworld Remastered	Homeworld Remastered	Strategy	⚠ Medium	27.4 FPS Borderline	35.1 FPS Playable	Read more
Hearthstone	Hearthstone	Strategy	✅ Low	30 FPS Playable	30 FPS Playable	Read more
Northgard	Northgard	Strategy	⚠ Medium	20.6 FPS Borderline	42 FPS Playable	Read more
Europa Universalis 4	Europa Universalis 4	Strategy	⚠ Medium	25.9 FPS Borderline	36.4 FPS Playable	Read more
XCOM 2	XCOM 2	Strategy	⛔ High	8.4 FPS Unplayable	17.9 FPS Unplayable	Read more
Total War: Warhammer 2	Total War: Warhammer 2	Strategy	⛔ High	8.7 FPS Unplayable	18.3 FPS Unplayable	Read more
Final Fantasy 14 Online	Final Fantasy 14 Online	MMORPG	⚠ Medium	20.5 FPS Borderline	40.8 FPS Playable	Read more
Lord of the Rings Online	Lord of the Rings Online	MMORPG	✅ Low	48 FPS Smooth	80.8 FPS Smooth	Read more
Road Redemption	Road Redemption	Racing	⚠ Medium	27.1 FPS Borderline	52.3 FPS Smooth	Read more
Race The Sun	Race The Sun	Racing	✅ Low	60 FPS Smooth	60 FPS Smooth	Read more
Distance	Distance	Racing	⚠ Medium	27.9 FPS Playable	54.2 FPS Smooth	Read more
Sonic All-Star Racing	Sonic All-Star Racing	Racing	✅ Low	39.3 FPS Playable	51.6 FPS Smooth	Read more
Audiosurf 2	AudioSurf 2	Racing	✅ Low	52.6 FPS Smooth	114.6 FPS Smooth	Read more
Stardew Valley	Stardew Valley	Simulation	✅ Low	60 FPS Smooth	60 FPS Smooth	Read more
Prison Architect	Prison Architect	Simulation	✅ Low	51.2 FPS Smooth	115.7 FPS Smooth	Read more
Civilization 5	Civilization 5	Strategy	✅ Low	62.8 FPS Smooth	99.5 FPS Smooth	Read more
Dead Cells	Dead Cells	Action	✅ Low	60 FPS Smooth	60 FPS Smooth	Read more
RimWorld	RimWorld	Simulation	✅ Low	60 FPS Smooth	60 FPS Smooth	Read more
Minecraft	Minecraft	Adventure	✅ Low	56.7 FPS Smooth	58 FPS Smooth	Read more
Portal 2	Portal 2	Shooter	✅ Low	82.1 FPS Smooth	157.8 FPS Smooth	Read more
Cuphead	Cuphead	Action	✅ Low	56.7 FPS Smooth	60 FPS Smooth	Read more
Darkest Dungeon	Darkest Dungeon	RPG	✅ Low	58.1 FPS Smooth	60 FPS Smooth	Read more
Undertale	Undertale	RPG	✅ Low	30 FPS Smooth	30 FPS Smooth	Read more
SOMA	SOMA	Horror	✅ Low	22.2 FPS Borderline	36.6 FPS Playable	Read more
BioShock Remastered	BioShock Remastered	Horror	✅ Low	32.7 FPS Playable	66 FPS Smooth	Read more
Outlast	Outlast	Horror	⚠ Medium		47.2 FPS Playable	Read more
Layers of Fear	Layers of Fear	Horror	⚠ Medium		33.4 FPS Playable	Read more
Alien: Isolation	Alien: Isolation	Horror	⚠ Medium		34.1 FPS Playable	Read more
Observer	Observer	Horror	⛔ High	0 FPS Unplayable	0 FPS Unplayable	Read more

These are the two models used for all tests presented in this table:

• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2013): 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, Intel Iris 5100 (1.5GB)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016): 2.0 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, Intel Iris Graphics 540 (1.5GB)

Is your Mac good for gaming?

These results are great to have but they’re only part of the answer. In order to effectively figure out what games your Mac can run, you should:

1. Download Valley and perform this same test (we explain the entire process in detail here).

➜ That result will be your reference point.

2. Look for the game you want to play from our Can my Mac Run it section.

3. From the machines used to test that game, pick the one that resembles your Mac the most.

➜ Use the results from that machine as a comparison point.

As an example, we’ve used the same 2013 13-inch MacBook Pro and 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro for every one of our Mac Performance Reviews. This is how they run some of the most popular Mac games right now:

Armed with a Valley result of your own, you can have a more accurate idea of what performance to expect from these games.

For example, if your Valley result is 45 FPS, you can expect significantly better performance than our 2016 MBP (which scored 30 FPS). If your Valley result is 20 FPS, you can expect gaming performance somewhere between our two MBPs above.

Do keep in mind that the correlation between Valley and games is not linear and will differ from game to game. This method should only be used to give you an educated guess of what to expect from games.

Can you run it: MacBook and older Mac owners, beware!

Chances are you have a Mac that isn’t particularly good for gaming, at least on paper. Namely a MacBook or any other Mac without a dedicated graphics card.

Most will tell you gaming is impossible on a MacBook but the results speak for themselves:

Demanding games will be out of your reach, that’s a fact. But slightly older games or modern indies will do just fine. To give you a better idea of what can be possible on an entry-level MacBook (in this case, my 2013 13-inch MacBook), all the games that are above the “unplayable” grey area should play fine on older Macs with integrated graphics.

Keep an eye on the MacBook and Old Mac performance section to have a better idea of whether your MacBook or older Mac will be able to do.

What if you’re looking for a new Mac?

If you’re actually looking for a new Mac to buy and gaming happens to be important for you, you should definitely check out our Best Mac for gaming guide for which we tested two real-world games on every single Mac currently on sale:

While it was easy to find the fastest Mac, and hence “best for gaming”, we actually focused on the machines that offered the most value for money. Spoiler alert, it’s the 27-inch iMac (or 15-inch MacBook Pro if you need a laptop).

Testing conditions

We went to great lengths to ensure all tests were performed under the same testing conditions (settings, resolution and, gameplay).

All of the games featured here were tested on at least our 3 in-house models below (although several other machines were tested thanks to other members of the Mac Gamer HQ team):

• iMac (5K, 27-inch, Late 2014): 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, AMD Radeon R9 M290X (2GB)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2013): 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, Intel Iris 5100 (1.5GB)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016): 2.0 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, Intel Iris Graphics 540 (1.5GB)

For all available results and details involving the machines that were used, make sure you visit our “Read more” links.

Gaming Macs Valley results

While most websites use Geekbench and Cinebench R15, we decided to go with a more specialized tool.

Geekbench is extremely popular and already benefits from a massive database of results but it only focuses on CPU performance and disregards graphics performance, which is critical for gaming.

Cinebench R15 does have a dedicated graphics performance benchmark, but it’s so old and outdated, it’s no longer relevant to modern video gaming.

Unigine’s Valley, on the other hand, mainly focuses on stress-testing graphics performance and features:

• GPU temperature and clock monitoring
• 64 000 000 square meters of extremely detailed, seamless terrain
• Procedural content generation and placement
• User-controlled dynamic weather

In an effort to keep these results as accurate as possible, we asked every contributor to use the same benchmarking tool under the same testing conditions:

• Using Unigine’s Valley basic preset.
• Closing all other open applications while running the test.
• Maintaining the machine plugged at all times (low battery affects performance).

Released in 2013, Valley is slightly old and it’s also a shame it still relies on OpenGL, but after testing several other tools, Valley offers the closest testing conditions to modern games.

Want to help out? Benchmark your Mac and share your result with us! It’s easy and and should take less than 10 minutes! You can read this page for detailed step-by-step instructions.

Your Turn

With that, we hope you now have a better idea of what your Mac is capable of.

Granted, Macs aren’t designed with gaming in mind, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still do a great job! As we continue doing performance reviews and Best of guides, we’ll continue to add all of our results here. This is a page you might want to bookmark

Would you like us to test a particular game or Mac model? Let us know in the comments section. If enough people ask for a game, we will be forced to test it!