Players can enjoy games like Tomb Raider, AC Shadows, Baldur’s Gate 3, Neva and Hades

The M4 Mac Mini proves itself as a capable gaming machine, running titles like Hades, AC Shadows, and Control smoothly. With increasing macOS support and Apple Silicon optimisation, gaming on Mac is no longer a compromise—it’s a growing possibility

Gaming on Mac: How smooth is the ride?

Aboard the Mac Train!

In June, I did the unthinkable for a gamer – I bought the pro version of the M4 Mac Mini. The decision, not one made in haste, was something I had been patiently deliberating for nearly six months as I considered my current living conditions.

The thing is, I shuttle between Hyderabad and Exeter at least three times a year, and each time I fly, I carry my 15-inch trusty Asus ROG Strix Scar laptop from 2021. Over the years, its trusty i9 processor and RTX 2070 super have performed commendably. However, the fear of damaging its screen with all that travel has always been a significant concern.

Watching Apple launch the small but powerful M4 Mac Mini at the end of October last year got me thinking – if I had a monitor in both places, wouldn’t it be simpler to just carry the Mac Mini instead of the laptop?

The idea seemed almost utopian. But whenever I came close to pulling the trigger on the purchase, I kept wondering: what would happen to my gaming? As I weighed the device’s longevity and considered that I mostly play on the PS5, my gaming PC at work, and the Switch, the Mac Mini began to feel like a worthy investment for everything else. Thus, the purchase was made.

I diligently used my Mac Mini for a day as a media and productivity device. It was blazing fast, and I was reveling in what can only be called “new device energy.” The next day, the gamer in me rebounded with gusto. Within seconds, I was installing the new Mac silicon version of Steam, and 20 minutes later, I was busy playing Hades with my Xbox Series X controller, having completely forgotten I was on a Mac.

The gameplay was smooth and ideal, with the system completely silent even at the highest settings. Two hours in, the small case was slightly warm – but nothing we gamers aren’t accustomed to – and by hour four, I was completely hooked.

The classic Sleeping Dogs ran without a hitch, and some of my evergreen favourites like Gris and Neva looked even more beautiful thanks to macOS’s colour reproduction. Once the classics were done, I turned to the newer games.

Control: Ultimate Edition is available on the App Store, as is Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, and I made sure to give them both a try.

Control ran quite smoothly, and while other players have complained about its replayability, I felt the game could benefit more from visual optimisation.

Adapting to Apple’s Metal framework clearly needs better fine-tuning, and while it’s great that a flagship game launched on macOS on day one, I’m hoping future ports are handled with greater care.

The road ahead

I’ve long believed that custom Mac silicon could be great for gaming, and after playing both AC Mirage and Resident Evil Village on my iPad Pro—and now experiencing the M4 Pro on the Mac Mini—I’m fully convinced. There’s a lot in the framework to like, and I firmly believe that choosing between Windows and Mac shouldn’t come down to a gaming vs non-gaming decision. I really hope this duality changes going forward. And for anyone unsure, I recommend trying Stray, Hades, or Neva on your Mac – they’re heavily discounted in the ongoing Steam sale. Till then, I hope I’ll be able to play Clair Obscur on my Mac Mini someday.