Parallels for Gaming on M1 Pro and Max?

[madisonm]

Hello everyone, I hope you are all as excited as I am for official launch day!

I am looking for information about your experience with Parallels’ gaming performance on the M1 Pro or M1 Max. I have reviewed the list of M1 game compatibility/performance through Parallels (https://www.applegamingwiki.com/wiki/M1_Parallels_Windows_compatible_games_list) and I’m confused, what exactly is the real-world difference between Perfect and Playable?

Will the added heft of the M1 Pro and Max change any of these Playable games to Perfect, or is it based in the game itself? For example I’m quite eager to be able to play Overwatch casually alongside native World of Warcraft.

Any insight at all into your experience is welcome! I’m a complete beginner.


Note: I will just add that I do have a dedicated Windows Desktop PC for gaming, and intentionally chose an Apple laptop despite its gaming challenges. I purchased a 16” M1 Max basic config.

 

[tmoerel]

Don't expect too much regarding to gaming on these machines. Apple does not make machines for gamers but for creative professionals. Gaming is just not the use case.

 

[EnderTW]

Someone was playing over watch in parallels at 120 fps on their m1 max.

 

[madisonm]

Someone was playing over watch in parallels at 120 fps on their m1 max.

Was it a video somewhere or a post? I’ll try to do some more searching!

 

[Acidsplat]

On my M1 MacBook Air, I tried out GTA IV under Windows 11 on Parallels and it was running at 25fps, which is super impressive considering even modern gaming PCs have had a tough time running it because it was a terrible unoptimized port, and that's running under emulation.

I imagine more GPU cores and better thermals will open up more games, and I assume Parallels will need to send a proper update out to support the new systems.

 

[Acidsplat]

Was it a video somewhere or a post? I’ll try to do some more searching!

You can see Dave2D running it at around the 3:25 mark

 

[PeterJP]

Now that may be a reason to upgrade to the latest Parallels at last...

 

[madisonm]

On my M1 MacBook Air, I tried out GTA IV under Windows 11 on Parallels and it was running at 25fps, which is super impressive considering even modern gaming PCs have had a tough time running it because it was a terrible unoptimized port, and that's running under emulation.

I imagine more GPU cores and better thermals will open up more games, and I assume Parallels will need to send a proper update out to support the new systems.

You can see Dave2D running it at around the 3:25 mark

Thank you so much for sharing!

I’m pretty new to understanding the terminology. When he mentions that the Windows drivers were outdated, does that mean there will be an update or that you’re stuck with those drivers?

 

[Acidsplat]

Thank you so much for sharing!

I’m pretty new to understanding the terminology. When he mentions that the Windows drivers were outdated, does that mean there will be an update or that you’re stuck with those drivers?

Not sure exactly what he means by janky, could be Parallels needs to update the program for the higher GPU count/screen resolution/screen FPS, or just general jank because it's an x64 emulated program running under a VM and there can be some compatibility issues

 

[elephantstone]

On my M1 MacBook Air, I tried out GTA IV under Windows 11 on Parallels and it was running at 25fps, which is super impressive considering even modern gaming PCs have had a tough time running it because it was a terrible unoptimized port, and that's running under emulation.

I imagine more GPU cores and better thermals will open up more games, and I assume Parallels will need to send a proper update out to support the new systems.

Very interesting... I've gone with the base Pro and hoping that will play some games to an acceptable standard, I'm not fussed about fancy graphics, so this is good news.

If it turns out the Max can really play them well then I might even have to do a swap, but I'll see how people get on with it.

Just out of interest, do you have to use particular ARM version of Windows, or will Parallels support just a normal x64 version?

 

[Ahboyd]

You can see Dave2D running it at around the 3:25 mark

Yeah, watch that too. He said it run at 120FPS but it was in shooting range mode. I'm sure the frame rate will drop significantly in multiplayer mode.

 

[Acidsplat]

Very interesting... I've gone with the base Pro and hoping that will play some games to an acceptable standard, I'm not fussed about fancy graphics, so this is good news.

If it turns out the Max can really play them well then I might even have to do a swap, but I'll see how people get on with it.

Just out of interest, do you have to use particular ARM version of Windows, or will Parallels support just a normal x64 version?

Parallels only supports Windows 11 ARM and Windows 10 Insider Preview ARM, it won't install Windows x64 at all.
Windows includes an x86 and x64 emulator so that's what Overwatch is running through in the VM, so there will be a performance hit from that.

 

[pi=e=3]

Parallels only supports Windows 11 ARM and Windows 10 Insider Preview ARM, it won't install Windows x64 at all.
Windows includes an x86 and x64 emulator so that's what Overwatch is running through in the VM, so there will be a performance hit from that.

A large one.

The regular M1 scores about 7500 on Cinebench R23. In Windows 10 ARM it scores about 2300, which is about as good as a 5 year old laptop.

 

[Acidsplat]

A large one.

The regular M1 scores about 7500 on Cinebench R23. In Windows 10 ARM it scores about 2300, which is about as good as a 5 year old laptop.

Games can run pretty well versus CPU bound applications because of the way Parallels translates DirectX calls to Metal, there's still some overhead but not as much as running a game strictly in CPU software mode.

Cinebench I believe only benchmarks CPU.

 

[Marsikus]

Don't expect too much regarding to gaming on these machines. Apple does not make machines for gamers but for creative professionals. Gaming is just not the use case.

Most of PCs are not purposely built gaming machines as well, however this has never been an obstacle for gaming.
Mac is a computer, that means it can handle different tasks.

 

[madisonm]

Thank you so much everyone, a lot of great info so far!

Just came across a very interesting video for any “Windows on a Mac” beginners like me who might check out this thread. Walks you through all the steps as well.

I’ll be honest I am only just starting the video but I am excited and wanted to share:

 

[Spidder]

First of all, DirectX12-only games (Cyberpunk f.e.) don't run on M1 Macs at all, not even Parallels has DirectX12 support (yet, hopefully). With that out of the way:

The first and best way to play non-MacOS games is with a software called Crossover. This software "translates" windows games, so that MacOS is able to run them. The problem with this approach is, it can be very buggy. But if the game you wanna play runs correctly, the performance is much better than with Parallels.

The second way to play non-MacOS games is by virtualizing a Windows machine on Parallels. The upside is, with a little bit of tweaking, more games run correctly. The downside is, performance takes a significant hit.

Apple needs to built Vulkan into MacOS and Microsoft needs to license Windows for ARM to end users, so that Apple can built a M1 version of BootCamp. That wouldn't solve all problems, but then M1 Macs would be decent gaming machines. If none of this happens, then gaming on M1 will always be a second-class experience.

 

[Joe Dohn]

Thank you so much everyone, a lot of great info so far!

Just came across a very interesting video for any “Windows on a Mac” beginners like me who might check out this thread. Walks you through all the steps as well.

I’ll be honest I am only just starting the video but I am excited and wanted to share:

I've seen this video. There's no concrete information on the M1 Pro Max performance on Parallels. It's just a general guide on how you can game with it (which could have even been recorded on other Macs).

 

[Joe Dohn]

Apple needs to built Vulkan into MacOS and Microsoft needs to license Windows for ARM to end users, so that Apple can built a M1 version of BootCamp. That wouldn't solve all problems, but then M1 Macs would be decent gaming machines. If none of this happens, then gaming on M1 will always be a second-class experience.

The good news is that computers are getting smaller and smaller, so, if you don't want to sacrifice your Mac workflow but still want full performance gaming (with eGPU support to boot), you can buy a handheld x64 PC. The most popular models currently are the GPD computers, which can fit on the palm of your hand. Then, you can just either connect them through a USB cable or a wireless setup.

All that being said, there are a few obvious drawbacks to this approach:

• It's pricy.
• Although GPD is very small, it's yet another device you have to carry.
• Depending on your workflow, GPD makes your Mac device pointless. If you just play Windows games and use Office, why would you need the Mac device at all? It would end up being an extra monitor more than anything.

If all you need are light Windows applications, you can get instead a compute stick, which is a full-blown computer fit into an HDMI stick. But even premium devices currently come only with 4GB RAM, so gaming is not really viable (compare that to GPD series, which can run even AAA games).

 

[Macalway]

On a related note (while we are at it). Many of us here were a little put-off by these folks when we spent around $80 for the Apple silicon compatible version, but then a couple months later they came out with a another 'more compatible version', or something like that.

Does anyone know what is going on, exactly?

 

[Joe Dohn]

On a related note (while we are at it). Many of us here were a little shafted by these folks when we ponied up around $80 for the Apple silicon compatible version, but then a couple months later they came out with a another 'more compatible version', or something like that.

Does anyone know what is going on?

Apple Silicon caught Parallels and VMware by surprise, so they first came up with an experimental Apple Silicon version. Then, they fleshed it out and released a version with better performance.

I think that's what you are talking about.

 

[fenderbass146]

A large one.

The regular M1 scores about 7500 on Cinebench R23. In Windows 10 ARM it scores about 2300, which is about as good as a 5 year old laptop.

Pretty sure there is no x64 emulator. If there was and a gurantee that Microsoft was going to support ARM on non OEM devices I'd get one of these new computers, but as of now there is no gurantee.

 

[Macalway]

Apple Silicon caught Parallels and VMware by surprise, so they first came up with an experimental Apple Silicon version. Then, they fleshed it out and released a version with better performance.

I think that's what you are talking about.

Something like that yes. But the question remains as to why I should pay twice.

In other words, what you are saying would imply they charged full price for a test version, and then want you to pay again for the finished version. This is a problem.

So loyal users who immediately payed for this 'experimental version (full price btw), are told we have to pay again, because?

Answer: Because they are the only game in town, so take it or leave it. That was my take-away, but i'd like other opinions

 

[Spidder]

The good news is that computers are getting smaller and smaller, so, if you don't want to sacrifice your Mac workflow but still want full performance gaming (with eGPU support to boot), you can buy a handheld x64 PC. The most popular models currently are the GPD computers, which can fit on the palm of your hand. Then, you can just either connect them through a USB cable or a wireless setup.

All that being said, there are a few obvious drawbacks to this approach:

• It's pricy.
• Although GPD is very small, it's yet another device you have to carry.
• Depending on your workflow, GPD makes your Mac device pointless. If you just play Windows games and use Office, why would you need the Mac device at all? It would end up being an extra monitor more than anything.

If all you need are light Windows applications, you can get instead a compute stick, which is a full-blown computer fit into an HDMI stick. But even premium devices currently come only with 4GB RAM, so gaming is not really viable (compare that to GPD series, which can run even AAA games).

With this, you replace a software workaround with a hardware workaround. And for a hardware workaround I'd rather buy a gaming console instead.

Workarounds wouldn't be necessary, if Apple would support Vulkan. All non-Microsoft-owned game developers would then ditch DirectX support and focus completely on Vulkan. Almost all future AAA games would run on MacOS natively.

Pretty sure there is no x64 emulator. If there was and a gurantee that Microsoft was going to support ARM on non OEM devices I'd get one of these new computers, but as of now there is no gurantee.

Windows for ARM has an x86/x64 emulator.

 

[Joe Dohn]

Something like that yes. But the question remains as to why I should pay twice.

In other words, what you are saying would imply they charged full price for a test version, and then want you to pay again for the finished version. This is a problem.

What? Pay twice?
If I recall correctly, the new update was available for free to those who paid early. I'm not aware of people paying twice the price, but do correct me if I'm wrong.