Cyberpunk 2077 will be the biggest test of Mac gaming yet
Apple and CD PROJEKT RED dropped a particularly powerful surprise for gamers this week, with the surprise announcement that Cyberpunk 2077 will be coming to macOS in 2025. Once a much-hyped game with a disastrous launch that turned public opinion overnight, it has since become a darling among gamers again thanks to its excellent Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Freedom DLC that transformed it into a brand new experience.
And now macOS is getting the brand new version of this title next year, along with advanced features like path tracing, frame generation, and built-in spatial audio. And since its launch in 2025, the Cyberpunk 2077 macOS port will be optimized for the M4 chips and the best MacBooks and Macs they use, such as the iMac, Mac mini and MacBook Pro.
While this is an incredibly promising development for Mac owners and Apple gaming as a whole, how will the port of Cyberpunk 2077 impact the tech giant’s gaming initiative?
History and current situation of Mac gaming
Mac gaming has almost always been in a notoriously precarious place, trapped in a vicious cycle of developers not developing for macOS due to a lack of support and Apple not giving developers support and tools due to a lack of games built in and ported to macOS. It’s important to note that there have been people like the EVE Online developers who have defended Apple and have nothing but good things to say about Apple’s support. However, that was considered a rare exception.
In recent years, Apple has ramped up support for AAA ports, starting with the Mac version of Resident evil village that showcased the power of Mac devices as the game ate framerates and resolution for breakfast. Shortly afterwards, Apple has made a deal with famous game developer Hideo Kojima, who Death Stranding Director’s Cut and all other future Kojima Productions titles for the Mac.
Then there were Apple’s recent announcements about a host of brand new and sometimes even exclusive games coming to macOS included Control, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Zenless Zone Zero, Diablo Immortal, Valheim, Frostpunk 2And Palworld. All in all, it feels like Apple has taken over points I made about Mac gaming to heart and applies it. This is what makes this Cyberpunk 2077 news all the more exciting.
Can Macs run Cyberpunk 2077?
The most important question to ask is: are Mac devices capable of running a title as big and ambitious as… Cyberpunk 2077? The answer would be a simple ‘yes!’ as this port is specifically designed for Mac devices with M4 silicon. And I would personally say it is, but with a few caveats.
In terms of the positives, one of the biggest advantages of Mac devices like the Macbook Pro and Mac mini is that they’ve finally moved away from the 8GB of memory for the base model and doubled it. For titles that have particularly demanding hardware requirements, a certain amount of memory is imperative, and this new crop of M4-equipped PCs fits the bill perfectly.
Speaking of M4 chips, the wonderful M-series that Apple is developing is perfect for tackling the most intensive and best pc games on the market. What makes the M-series so excellent is how efficiently these chips work. In fact, they’re so efficient that most Mac devices don’t even have fans built into the chassis because they’re simply not needed. But are these M4-powered PCs capable of handling a game like this? Cyberpunk 2077 that is not only performance intensive, but also not particularly well optimized? That’s what remains to be seen.
How AAA titles can give Mac devices an edge over PS5 Pro
If Mac devices equipped with M4 chips can handle this just fine Cyberpunk 2077 – not only in terms of performance but also graphics – then they could pose a serious threat to another updated console also scheduled for release in November 2024: Sony’s PS5 Pro.
Judging from the entry-level configuration of the M4 Mac mini as an exampleon paper, its specs would allow it to match or possibly outperform the PS5 Pro. Then there’s the pricing, as that same base model starts at $599 / £599 / AU$1,199, which is cheaper than the $699.99 / £699.99 / AU$1,199 prices of the PS5 Pro and even cheaper if you takes into account the additional hardware required. purchased for the latter.
We also have the form factor between the two machines. The M4 Mac mini is objectively smaller than the PS5 Pro. While you could make a very reasonable argument that the much larger size of the latter provides better cooling than the former, the efficiency of the M Series bridges the cooling gap significantly. You could also argue that optimizing a game for the PS5 Pro would be easier than for the M4 Mac mini, although Apple has also improved macOS’ developer toolkit, making it more accessible for porting and developing games for the operating system .
Final thoughts
Apple seems to have struck gold with mesh Cyberpunk 2077 for macOS, as this acquisition could cement Mac gaming as a permanent force to be reckoned with. While the recent launches of M4-powered devices should be able to handle such a performance-heavy game, the ability to do this well enough to attract gamers to these platforms will be the real challenge.
If Apple takes this opportunity, it could even have a chance to match and even surpass the PS5 Pro, which would mean even more support and a larger market for future Mac devices. The M4 Mac mini in particular would be the perfect PC to challenge Sony’s planned upgrade to its console, thanks to its price, performance and size.
Not to mention that developing for the Mac mini would be similar to a gaming console. Because Apple keeps its machines consistent in terms of hardware, developers don’t have to deal with unknown specification configurations, leaving more time for game optimization during the development process. In other words, low-power hardware that is well optimized can match the performance of hardware that has superior specifications.
Apple has the right settings to score points easily, but will it be a hit or miss? That’s the real question, and a lot depends on the answer.