Best games to play on 15-inch MacBook Air with M2

Mac

The new 15-inch MacBook Air is called the best 15-inch consumer laptop. In addition to a larger 15.3-inch (diagonally) screen, the 2023 MacBook Air is powered by M2 with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, equipped with a new 6-speaker sound system and larger battery which make it a suitable machine for not only everyday tasks but also a good device for video streaming and gaming. 

YouTuber @Mr.MacRight tested 35 games on the 15-inch MacBook Air with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 16Gb Memory.  Here are the results from games delivering the highest fps to the lowest fps on the new 2023 MacBook Air.

15-inch MacBook Air

How games perform on 15-inch MacBook Air

FPS (Frames per second) is the frequency of consecutive images which display on the screen per second. For video games, the higher the FPS, the more smoother the animation will be. 

Intel-based Macs were vigorously criticized for their poor gaming experience. However, the introduction of the M-series Apple Silicon has changed that. More and more developers are optimizing their games for macOS. 

Based on @Mr.MacRight‘s latest test, we have categorized games into outstanding, great, good, and poor as per their performance on the new 2023 MacBook Air. 

Games with outstanding performance on 15-inch MacBook Air

  • Minecraft: 300 fps to 500 fps at 1080p, Fancy, VSync OFF- Default distance settings. 
  • Counter-Strike: Global Offensive: 150 fps to 300 fps at 960p, Low, VSync OFF settings.
  • League of Boring: Over 200 fps at 1080p, Simple, VSync Off settings. 
  • NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition: 120 fps at 1080p, Ultra High, VSync OFF settings.

Games with great performance on 15-inch MacBook Air

  • No Man’s Sky- over 60 fps at 1080p, High, VSync OFF, MetalFX – Balanced (1136×639) settings. Also playable on the following settings: 1440p, High, VSync OFF, MetalFX – Quality (1712×963)
  • Resident Evil Village: around 60 fps at 1080p, VSync OFF, MetalFX – Quality settings. Also playable at 1440p, Priotized Graphics, VSync off, MetalFX, Quality.
  • Disney Dreamlight Valley: 60 fps at 1440p, Very High, VSync OFF settings.
  • Arma 3: Up to 60 fps at 1080p, High, VSync off settings.
  • Psychonauts 2: 50 fps to 60 fps at 1080p, Medium, VSync OFF settings.
  • Dying Light: Over 60 fps at 1080p, High, VSync OFF settings.
  • Disco Elysium: Over 60 fps at 1440p, High, VSync OFF settings.
  • The Sims 4: 60 fps to 100 fps at 1440p, Ultra, VSync OFF settings.
  • Sky: Children of the Light: 60 fps at 2160p, High Performance (1736×976) settings.
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops 3: 60 fps at 1080p, Medium, VSync OFF, Render Resolution – 80% (1536x 8640) settings. 
  • Bioshock 2 Remasters: 60 fps to 100 fps at 1440p, High, VSync OFF settings. 
  • Sunautica: Below Zero: Over 60 fps at 1080p, Medium, VSync OFF settings. 

15-inch MacBook Air

Games with good performance on 15-inch MacBook Air

  • ELEX 2 – 30 fps at 1080p, medium, VSync OFF, MetalFX, Quality (1645×925) settings.
  • Layers of Fear: 30 fps at 1080p, High, VSync OFF, MetalFX – Quality (1344×756) settings. For higher 45 to 70 fps enable Medium settings.
  • Baldur’s Gate 3: 30 fps at 1080p, High, VSync OFF, AMD FSR – Quality (1280×720) settings. The game requires 10GB RAM or higher.
  • Metro Exodus: 30 fps at 1080p, High, VSync OFF settings.
  • Total War: WARHAMMER III: 39 fps in battle and 29 fps in the campaign at 1080p, Medium, VSync off, AMD FSR – Quality (1516×853) settings.
  • Shadow of the Tomb Raider: 33 fps at 1080p, High, VSync OFF settings.
  • X-Plane 2: 30 fps at 1080p, High, VSync off, AMD FSR – Balanced (1280×720) settings. The game is supported on Apple Silicon with 16GB RAM or higher.
  • War Mongrels: 30 fps at 1440p, Ultra settings. The 30 fps cap is enabled for all settings on Apple Silicon Macs by the developer.
  • Firmament: 30 fps to 60 fps at 1080p, High, VSync OFF, AMD FSR – Quality (1280×720) settings. Achieves 60 fps and over at 1080p, Medium, VSync OFF, AMD FSR – Performance (960×540) settings.
  • World of Warcraft: 30 fps to 50 fps at 1080p, Max, VSync OFF settings. It delivers 60 fps to 80 fps at High and over 100 fps at Medium settings.
  • Life is Strange 2: 30 fps to 60 fps at 1080p, High, Vsync OFF settings.
  • Borderlands 3: 36.8 fps at 1080p, Medium, VSync OFF settings.
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: up to 37 fps at 1080p, Medium, Vsync OFF.
  • Civilization VI: 31 fps at 1080p, Medium, VSync OFF settings.
  • HumanKind: 30 fps at 1080p, Beautiful, VSync Off settings.
  • Gloomhaven: 30 fps to 50 fps at 1080p, Good, VSync OFF settings.  
  • The Pathless: 30fps at 1080p, High, VSync OFF settings. 
  • Farming Simulator 22: 40 fps to 60 fps at 1080p, Medium, VSync OFF settings. 

Games with poor performance on 15-inch MacBook Air

  • The Forgotten City: 10 fps to 40 fps at 1080p, VSync OFF, Medium or Low settings.

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About the Author

Addicted to social media and in love with iPhone, started blogging as a hobby. And now it's my passion for every day is a new learning experience. Hopefully, manufacturers will continue to use innovative solutions and we will keep on letting you know about them.

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