Gaming on a Mac has been one of the most glaring shortcomings of Apple. It is not a secret that Macs have a long way to go in terms of gaming, and Windows and Linux are way ahead in the race.
But why is gaming on a Mac a terrible idea? The top reasons are:
- The library of games is limited, and Macs don’t offer gamers as many choices as Windows.
- The pre-M1 Macs are shipped with slower, older hardware despite the machines being extremely expensive and powerful. The reason why the devices don’t feel sluggish is thanks to its optimization. The OS and hardware for every Mac are built by Apple, and they even make most of the applications that you can run on a Mac. But games don’t follow the same path, and they’re not optimized for the system that they are running on. Also, until the release of the M1 series, Macs didn’t come with a dedicated graphics card, which hindered the smooth running of graphics-intensive games.
- Macs aren’t as easy to upgrade as their Windows counterparts. As game developers are always pushing their boundaries to introduce technologically-advanced games, Macs fall short of upgrading to better consoles and components for an enriched gaming experience.
However, don’t lose heart. Apple is pushing its limits with the M1 series laptops, and the brand is making an effort to make its mark in the gaming arena. In the coming years, gamers can expect to play graphics-intensive games on a Mac.
Until then, here are a few steps to make gaming on your Mac work.
What is the status of Mac’s disk and CPU usage?
The foremost thing to determine is your Mac’s disk & CPU usage status if you want to optimize your system for gaming. Your system won’t have enough space and CPU for running games if there are unwanted applications, startup apps, and other resource-hogging programs running in the background.
Fortunately, you can click the Apple icon, go to About This Mac, and select Storage to check the minute details of the various running programs and apps. You can quickly close the apps that you don’t need to make space for your games. If you need help knowing how to lower CPU usage so your games can run smoothly, you can read the guide here https://setapp.com/.
Opt for the easy way out and set up Boot Camp
One of the steps to make gaming work on your Mac is to set up Boot Camp. It is an incredible feature that allows you to install and run Windows on your Mac. Of course, macOS will be installed too.
The Boot Camp Assistant is found in the Utilities folder in Applications. Once you’ve launched the feature, create a partition and install Windows. Then, whenever you start your Mac, select whether you want to run macOS or Windows. You cannot change the OS without restarting your device.
The reason why many Mac users use Boot Camp is that the majority of games are designed for Windows. So, you can straight away play your favorite PC games without worrying about optimization.
Utilize good cloud gaming services
Even though cloud gaming services are in their nascent stage, they’re exploding in popularity. These are streaming services for video games, and gamers don’t have to download the games they wish to play on their devices. There’s a remote service that takes care of running the game on your behalf. So, you only need a proper Internet connection, and that’s all.
In simple words, using a cloud gaming service means you don’t have to bother yourself with optimizing your Mac for gaming at all. The only downside to this is the limited game selection.
For Macs, there are a few cloud gaming services available, including Vortex, Nvidia GeForce Now, etc. You can run a quick Google search and select the one that perfectly suits your needs.
Upgrade the RAM and get an SSD
A smooth gaming experience depends on RAM, and therefore, get an 8GB RAM or 16GB RAM. The bigger the RAM, the faster the loading speed. Also, it is a good idea to get rid of your HDD and opt for an SSD. Games installed on SSDs boot faster than games installed on HDDs. Since Macs don’t come with an SSD, you need to get one.
Besides these, you can connect a PS4 or Xbox controller to your Mac because Mac keyboards are not built for gamers.
So, while Apple is working hard to stir up a storm in the gaming arena, there’s still time. In the meantime, you can follow these tips and make gaming work on your Mac.
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