The new benchmark champ for Cyberpunk 2077 is not a Windows gaming PC, but a MacBook.
Last week, during WWDC, Apple and Cyberpunk developers CD Projekt Red showcased their hard work on the game's ultimate edition, with frame rates hitting 120 fps.
It's not the first time Cyberpunk 2077 has run better on macOS systems than traditional gaming hardware — we saw it in 2023. But that feat was accomplished with dev tools like macOS Sonoma's Game Porting Toolkit.
No tools were used in this achievement. So, has the MacBook become a gaming contender? That answer isn't quite clear in spite of that stunning 120 fps milestone.
Today my chooms at Apple Park we’re showing Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition to international press and content creators — running on a MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip, hitting 120 FPS on Ultra settings. Coming in 2025! 🥰🍎 pic.twitter.com/sNUM5qBby1June 10, 2025
CD Projekt developers said the Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition was running on a MacBook Pro with the M4 Max chip at 120 fps using Ultra settings.
Cyberpunk 2077's blazing performance and a native Steam Client indicate big changes in Mac gaming
While getting 120 fps on a MacBook with Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't come close to the 200+ fps we saw with Nvidia's DLSS 4 and Frame Gen enabled, it is still difficult to run the game natively even on high-end gaming PCs.
Cyberpunk is particularly rough at high resolution, even with the latest discrete graphics cards on desktops. On gaming laptops, even the Nvidia RTX 5090 and 5080 struggle to clear 60 fps at Ultra settings and 1080p without software support.
Apple and CDProjekt have worked hard to ensure that the Ultimate Edition runs smoothly on Macs.
Between the Cyberpunk performance benchmark and the news of a native Steam client for macOS, the Mac gaming ecosystem is starting to change.
Of course, the Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition is still in development, and the Steam client is still in beta. However, these latest developments exemplify Apple's genuine progress.
What Apple still needs to do to make Mac gaming competitive
Apple could potentially use something like Valve's Proton translation layer for SteamOS to get more Windows games running on macOS, but this solution may have additional problems.
SteamOS is usually deployed on handheld gaming PCs built with x86-architecture CPUs, such as Intel's Lunar Lake chipset in the MSI Claw 8 AI+ or AMD's Ryzen Z-series in the Asus ROG Ally X. Essentially, x86 architecture is a type of complex instruction set computer (CISC) architecture.
Apple's most recent MacBooks all use Apple Silicon's M chipsets based on the Arm architecture. This means they're an advanced version of the reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture, and the Arm architecture cannot handle some tasks.
There's a reason why the Snapdragon gaming ecosystem is comparatively small.
Apple usually circumvents its Arm-based limitations by working with software developers to ensure that software works well in the Mac ecosystem.
Rather than deploy a compatibility layer that may not work on Apple's new hardware, the company would be better off by creating partnerships with game developers to ensure games run on macOS. But this is a long-term solution, and it's not like Apple hasn't been working toward it.
After all, the last several iterations of macOS have included a Game Porting Toolkit and expanded developer tools.
This has led Apple to add more recent games to the App Store, including Assassin's Creed: Shadows and Resident Evil 4 Remake.
However, in the short term, Mac gamers can also employ streaming services like Nvidia's GeForce Now to play additional games on their MacBooks. It's not true Mac gaming, but it works pretty darn well.
