Is Baldur's Gate 3 playable on macOS? M1, M2 & Intel Macs explained
Baldur's Gate 3 is available to play on macOS, bringing the beloved RPG to a whole new audience - here's what you need to know about the Mac port.
With Apple’s latest push to improve gaming performance on its lineup of Mac computers, it’s got many players wondering whether they can play Baldur’s Gate 3 on their macOS work machine.
macOS machines might be powerhouses when it comes to flying through documents, spreadsheets, and creative work, but when it comes to gaming compatibility and performance, they’re definitely on the back foot.
We can’t think of many better games to want to take with you on the go than Baldur’s Gate 3. While the game will almost certainly run a bit better on a Steam Deck, taking your Warlock build out for a spin on a full-sized laptop would be far more preferable.
Here's what you need to know about whether you can play Baldur's Gate 3 on macOS.
Can you play Baldur’s Gate 3 on macOS?
Yes, you can play a version of Baldur’s Gate 3 on macOS. While you could previously only play the Early Access version of Baldur’s Gate 3 on Mac computers, the full adventure is now available to download and play on all Mac computers.
This functionality was added in the third major patch for Baldur's Gate 3, with the announcement reading: "With Patch 3, Baldur’s Gate 3 is now fully supported on Mac!
"As with the PC release in August, saves made in previous versions of BG3 on Mac will not be compatible with the full release. To prepare your Mac for the full version of Baldur’s Gate 3 and minimise potential compatibility issues, we recommend you fully uninstall the game and remove any mods before installing the latest version."
So, be sure to follow the advice given if you've previously been playing Baldur's Gate 3 in its early access form on macOS.
If you’re up for a bit of tinkering, it’s also possible to play the full release of Baldur’s Gate 3 on Mac computers by installing a virtual instance of Windows 11 on your device. Alternatively, you can use the Apple Game Porting Toolkit as a workaround.
How does Baldur’s Gate 3 perform on macOS? M1, M2 & Intel Macs explained
Here are the minimum and recommended specs for Baldur's Gate 3 on macOS:
Minimum
- OS: macOS 12 or newer
- Processor: Apple M1
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Apple M1
- Storage: 150 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Min specs can run the game on low to medium settings. Splitscreen will not run at an acceptable level of performance. SSD required.
Recommended
- OS: Latest macOS
- Processor: Apple M1 Pro or better
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: Apple M1 Pro or better
- Storage: 150 GB available space
- Additional Notes: Recommended specs can run the game on high or ultra settings. SSD required.
Despite having an utterly gorgeous open world to explore, Baldur’s Gate 3 performs quite admirably on Apple’s silicon.
Apple M1 chips are capable of running Baldur’s Gate 3 at a solid 30 frames per second with quite a few of the graphics settings turned up.
Performance increases further with the Apple M2 chip, which is capable of hitting closer to 60 frames per second with the settings set to around high.
Older Intel macOS computers are going to struggle a bit more, as they’re utilising old hardware and software optimisations. It might be possible to run Baldur’s Gate 3 on an Intel Mac, but you’re going to be dealing with regular framerate drops, a low resolution and low graphics settings.
If you’re playing Baldur’s Gate 3 on a Windows PC, here’s what you need to know about the system requirements. For everything else, check out our Baldur’s Gate 3 homepage where we cover how to recruit each of the companions and much more.
About The Author
Joshua Boyles
Joshua is the Guides Editor at GGRecon. After graduating with a BA (Hons) degree in Broadcast Journalism, he previously wrote for publications such as FragHero and GameByte. You can often find him diving deep into fantasy RPGs such as Skyrim and The Witcher, or tearing it up in Call of Duty and Battlefield. He's also often spotted hiking in the wilderness, usually blasting Arctic Monkeys.
