Apple unveiled the redesigned MacBook Air powered by the new M2 chip at WWDC 2022. The next-generation MacBook Air is powered by an M2 chip with an 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU, which is a significant upgrade over the previous generation’s M1 chip. Therefore, it is thinner, lighter, faster, and features a bigger display, better camera, and all-day battery life than its predecessor, and comes in four beautiful finishes.
When it comes to gaming, the M2 MacBook Air can handle some older and less demanding games. It can also run some newer games but at lower settings and resolutions. Here are the best Best games to play on M2 MacBook Air.
Enjoy these games on your M2 MacBook Air: WoW, Counter-Strike, The Witcher 3, and others
YouTuber Max Tech held a test to see how well M2 MacBook Air performs when gaming. The tested games include World of Warcraft, CSGO, League of Legends, Witcher 3, and GTA V. The YouTuber also ran Geekbench to see just how well the device performs while also checking the base temperature.
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Blizzard Entertainment. World of Warcraft contains elements from fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction, including griffins, dragons, elves, steam-powered automata, zombies, werewolves, other horror monsters, time travel, spaceships, and alien worlds.
World of Warcraft performed really well with constant 60 fps at 2560×1600 with recommended settings while using about 68% of GPU reaching 44-46°C. But if you increase the graphic settings to 10 then it will start fps dropping and overheating, so it’s best to play it on recommended or lower settings with V-Sync on to get the solid 60 fps gameplay.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) is a multiplayer first-person shooter game developed by Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment. The game pits two teams, Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists, against each other in different objective-based game modes. Terrorists must either plant a bomb or rescue hostages, while the Counter-Terrorists must either prevent the bomb from being planted or defuse it, or rescue the hostages.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive at high settings and 2560×1600 resolution with constant fps dropping between 40-90, reached 72°C. Since the M2 MacBook Air does not have a fan, it can thermal throttle under heavy load. But at low settings and 1080p resolution, the game can run at 120-180 fps, so it is best to play the game at a lower quality to enjoy a higher fps gameplay.
League of Legends
League of Legends (LoL) is a multiplayer online battle arena game in which two teams of five players battle against each other to destroy the other team’s base. The game is free to play and has been one of the most popular video games in the world since its release in 2009.
At very high settings and 4k resolution, it easily gets over 100 fps while using about 69% of GPU and reaching around 67-73°C. It performs so well that you can easily switch between LoL and other applications without experiencing any lag.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an action role-playing game developed and published by CD Projekt. The game takes place in a fictional fantasy world based on Slavic mythology. Players control Geralt of Rivia, a monster slayer for hire known as a Witcher, and search for his adopted daughter, who is on the run from the otherworldly Wild Hunt.
At low settings and low resolution, the Witcher 3 runs very roughly with low fps and causes overheating reaching over 90°C. While it is playable but the game runs very rough and glitchy and the throttling is insane.
Grand Theft Auto V
Grand Theft Auto V is an action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. The game’s open-world design allows players to freely roam Los Santos and its surrounding areas, which include open countryside and a desert. Players can engage in a variety of activities, including completing missions, exploring the open world, engaging in combat, and racing. The game also features a variety of mini-games, such as golf, tennis, and darts.
at 1080p resolution with medium settings, the fps hovers around 60. However, if you want to play at higher resolutions or with higher settings, you may experience some frame rate drops. At 1080p resolution, medium settings it gets around 60 fps, at 1440p resolution, medium settings it gets around 45 fps, and at 4K resolution, medium settings it gets around 30 fps. Its actual performance may vary depending on the specific game settings you choose, so far the game runs fine with no overheating issue.
The M2 MacBook Air performs well in light gaming, especially for optimized titles as they can run at 1080p resolution and medium to high settings, with framerates that are generally playable.
Have you tried any of these games on a MacBook Air with an M2 chip? Let us know in the comments below. You can check out the full list in the video by Max Tech below.
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