Apple Announces 'Game Mode' in macOS Sonoma for Better Mac Gaming Performance

Apple at WWDC today announced Game Mode, a new gaming feature for Macs that's exclusive to macOS Sonoma.

Apple WWDC23 macOS Sonoma gaming 230605
With Game Mode enabled in macOS 14, the Mac prioritizes CPU and GPU power for the running title, thereby improving gaming hardware performance across the board. For example, Game Mode makes gaming on Mac even more immersive by dramatically lowering audio latency with AirPods.

Apple says it has also doubled the Bluetooth sampling rate for paired Xbox and Playstation controllers, while a new Game Porting toolkit for developers makes it easier to port games from other platforms.

Game Mode works with any game, including all of the recent and upcoming Mac games, according to Apple.

The developer beta of ‌macOS Sonoma‌ is available through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com starting today, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. The release will be available as a free software update this fall.

Related Roundup: macOS Sonoma
Related Forum: macOS Sonoma

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Apple Intelligence Now Available in New iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia Developer Betas

Monday July 29, 2024 10:07 am PDT by
Apple is today providing developers with the first betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, with the new software introducing an early version of the Apple Intelligence features. These new betas will be in testing alongside the current iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15 betas. Developers can choose whether to opt into the new betas with Apple Intelligence, or stay on the ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple Intelligence Delayed to iOS 18.1 in October

Sunday July 28, 2024 11:52 am PDT by
Apple Intelligence will miss its initial expected launch date to give Apple more time to fix bugs, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. According to individuals with knowledge about Apple's plans, the company now plans to start rolling out Apple Intelligence in software updates by October, arriving several weeks after the launch of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. This means that Apple...
T Mobile Generic Feature Pink 1

T-Mobile Sued for Breaking Lifetime Price Guarantees

Friday July 26, 2024 2:44 pm PDT by
T-Mobile customers have filed a lawsuit [PDF] against the carrier, alleging that it failed to honor a guarantee not to raise the prices of select cellular plans. The lawsuit, first spotted by Wired, claims that back in 2017, T-Mobile advertised several of its plans with a price lock, but then went on to increase prices starting in May 2024. "T-Mobile ONE customers keep their price until...

Top Rated Comments

tubular Avatar
15 months ago
Good to see them directly addressing games and -- critically -- the tools for porting to Metal, without which gaming is a dead issue.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ubername Avatar
15 months ago
This is Apple realising they’re going to struggle to get the VR/AR market unless they sort gaming out
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gengar Avatar
15 months ago
Hopefully I can play The Sims 4 more smoothly now.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SMH4KIDIOT Avatar
15 months ago
Good to see Apple take gaming a little more seriously. Game mode has been on Windows since Win10.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Eidorian Avatar
15 months ago
I have given up on Mac gaming outside of streaming from my Windows desktop or using GeForce Now.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NT1440 Avatar
15 months ago
Gamers are the most annoying “tech” people.

Apple just gave everyone even more tools to do what people have been asking for, make it easier to get modern games into the fold.

The response: “har har, now I can play 10 year old games”.

Truly insufferable lot.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)