How Possible is Gaming on a MacBook Pro?

Can a MacBook Pro be used for gaming? There may not be a simple yes or no answer to this question.

Most gaming is done on a PC, but is it possible to do the same on a Mac? A MacBook Pro was never intended to be used as a gaming laptop, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t handle the game. Specifically, the 16-inch MacBook Pro 2021 would be best suited for that. So, how good is gaming on a MacBook Pro? For casual gamers, it isn’t bad at all.

Gaming on a MacBook Pro

If you are going to game on your Apple MacBook Pro, get the one with the largest screen you can afford. Also, prioritize M1 Pro or M1 Max-based models over Intel ones. Or you can wait until Apple puts the M1 Ultra processor in its laptops.

Out of all the MacBook Pro lines currently available on the market, the MacBook Pro 16 (2021) has the highest configuration and is faster than the PlayStation 5 (5.5 GB/s). In other words, this notebook can run intensive graphics tasks and should be able to let you play your favorite games in between.

Display

For gaming, the rule is simple: the bigger display, the better. The 16-inch MacBook Pro features a Liquid Retina XDR display with a resolution of 3456 x 2234 pixels, equipped with ProMotion technology and adaptive refresh rates of up to 120Hz. This means the display is more than sufficient to play games.

The ProMotion feature with adaptive sync allows the display to adjust the refresh rate, showing new frames only when the GPU is ready to deliver them. This technology is largely used in the computing and gaming market to eliminate unsightly screen tearing and provide smoother motion visuals.

Furthermore, the Apple MacBook Pro 16 is capable of 1000 nits sustained brightness and 1600 nits peak brightness in HDR content. In other words, its screen is brighter than most gaming monitors and offers a tear-free gaming experience.

Other Alternatives

If you cannot afford the 16-inch model, your second-best option is the new MacBook Pro 14. Granted, a smaller display can and will impact your gaming experience, but you’ll also save a significant amount of money. Besides, a 14-inch laptop is much more portable for work, travel, and other things. And it has nearly all the capabilities of a larger MacBook Pro, as it is packed with premium Apple hardware. The important thing here is to pick a configuration with the most RAM and storage, because, as you probably already know, it’s not possible to update these later. Therefore, the ideal choice for gaming would be the MacBook Pro 14 with Apple M1 Pro 10-core CPU, with at least 32GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. This configuration will cost you $2899, which is still $600 less than the comparable 16-inch MacBook Pro version.

MacBook Pro and the Gaming Industry

At 4.7 pounds, the 16-inch MacBook Pro is fairly heavy, making it challenging to carry around. Yet, it will still comfortably fit your backpack.

But in addition to capable hardware, you still need the gaming software, which can be a problem. Apple’s switch from Intel 64-bit x86 architecture to its own ARM-based Apple Silicon complicated things for gamers. Except for World of Warcraft and a few indie games, most big-budget developers have never offered games for Macs. At this stage, getting native games for Apple is a challenge. Why so? As mentioned before, Apple rarely upgrades its hardware and has a highly controlled ecosystem. So, Mac games released before 2020 may never receive native Apple Silicon versions. And herein lies the dilemma: you’ve got the best hardware, but your favorite game still won’t run.

Mobile gaming aside, Windows is still the go-to gaming platform of choice for non-console gamers, and the 2021 MacBook Pro’s superior refresh rate alone won’t change that. Yet.

The Cost of Gaming on a MacBook Pro

Suppose you want to purchase a MacBook Pro 16 for gaming. First, prepare to save up at least $2,499. Yet, if you’re going to get sufficient memory and storage (both are onboard), the price will range from $4899 to $ 6099. And that’s a lot of money for a laptop that probably won’t even run the latest games. But there is an alternative: download Boot Camp on your MacBook Pro to enjoy native Windows gaming performance. Finally, it would probably make more sense to buy an Xbox or a PlayStation 5, along with a budget-friendly PC laptop, to enjoy fantastic performance and save money.

The Verdict

The MacBook Pro might be an outstanding laptop with high-end components, irreplaceable even for certain creative professionals. Unfortunately, however, Mac’s top-of-the-line hardware is not made for playing hardcore games. And ever since Apple moved from Intel architecture to Apple Silicon, you won’t have access to most native titles anyway. So, finally, if you factor in the high cost of a MacBook Pro, you might want to look elsewhere if gaming is your top priority.