Final Fantasy 14 had a rough start, especially on Mac. Things got so bad Square Enix worried it could be “the end of Final Fantasy.” They even had to officially apologize for the sorry state of the game’s macOS version, suspend sales, and offer refunds.

But Square Enix made good on its promise to improve the game. Mac Performance continues to improve with every update, just as the game itself went from abysmal at launch in 2010 to critically acclaimed with the release of Endwalkers, the game’s latest expansion.
But what does it take to run this MMORPG masterpiece? How well can YOUR Mac run Final Fantasy 14 Online? Can it run on M1 Macs?

Can you play Final Fantasy on Mac?

You can absolutely play Final Fantasy 14 on your Mac, including Intel and Apple Silicon Models. Even if the official system requirements don’t mention M1 or M2 Macs, our benchmarks confirm the game runs fine on Apple Silicon Macs.

It is worth noting that while the game still lacks native Apple Silicon support, it does use the Metal API. This guarantees decent performance across the board, no matter what Mac model you have. More on that below.

FFXIV on Mac: Everything you need to know

The game’s free trial was significantly upgraded a couple of years ago. FFXIV’s free trial now includes the base game and the Heavensward expansion, which many consider the best-written story in the game. It also allows players to reach level 60 (previously, free trial players could only go to level 35) and gives players access to as many jobs as they want.

Some limitations remain, of course, such as having no access to the marketboard, as well as some other social features. Still, there has never been a better time to start playing Final Fantasy 14.

Endwalker: The latest and most ambitious expansion

Endwalker, released on November 23, 2021, is the culmination of years of hard work. After FFXIV’s extremely poor reception in 2010, the game had to be relaunched with a new team. A Realm Reborn was FFXIV’s fresh new start, and with every new Expansion, the game has continued to improve. And with an outstanding 90 Metascore, Endwalker appears to be FFXIV’s best expansion yet.

As is standard for any MMO expansion, Endwalker comes with a new campaign, new areas to explore, new races, a level cap increase, and more. But above all, Endwalker delivers an epic experience featuring an excellent story, interesting characters, new systems, and a stellar soundtrack.

FFXIV Mac requirements

These are the game’s official Mac requirements:

How to play Final Fantasy 14 on Mac

As mentioned before, Final Fantasy 14 runs natively on macOS, including Intel-based Macs and M1/M2 Macs.

The game does require Rosetta 2 to run on Apple Silicon Macs. But Rosetta 2 works so seamlessly (it installs automatically the first time it detects an Intel-based app), and it integrates so well with macOS that the experience is virtually the same as running a native Apple Silicon Mac.

This means Final Fantasy 14 Online can run on macOS without requiring any third-party software. Therefore, we won’t waste your time talking about Parallels, Crossover (both excellent tools, but only useful for Windows-exclusive games…), or Streaming services.

Can you play Final Fantasy 14 on Mac? Benchmarks

These are the Final Fantasy 14 M1 benchmarks we have gathered so far (you can find more details about the game’s Apple Silicon version here):

As a reminder, this is how we describe the different levels of performance:

• Below 20 FPS: Unplayable: Laggy gameplay, full of stutters and slowdowns.
• 20-30 FPS: Borderline: Can be OK in slow-paced games. Still, not optimal.
• 30-45 FPS: Playable: Acceptable for most (most gaming consoles do this).
• 45-60 FPS: Smooth: Fluid gameplay, with no perceivable stutters.
• 60+ FPS: Very Smooth: For hardcore and professional players, a luxury for most.

Intel Mac benchmarks

We previously tested the game on these Intel Macs:

• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016): 2.0 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, Intel Iris Graphics 540 (1.5GB)
  iMac (5K, 27-inch, Late 2014): 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, AMD Radeon R9 M290X (2GB)
  MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2013): 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB RAM, GeForce GT 650M (1GB)

But if your Mac is older than that, you should stay away from this game (unless, of course, your Mac has a powerful dedicated graphics card).

Can you play Civilization 6 on a MacBook Pro?

If you have an M1 or M2 MacBook or a fairly recent Intel MacBook Pro from 2016 onwards, you should be fine.

But what if you have an Intel MacBook with integrated graphics? If we look at the results from our 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro, the game runs fine at around 40 FPS. Be aware that these results were recorded running around in the open world. If you intend to raid or engage in other high-stress situations, an Intel MacBook with integrated graphics will most likely not cut it…

Download Civilization 6 for Mac

You can download the free trial of Final Fantasy 14 on its official site. Be aware that, for some reason, Steam only supports the Windows version of the game.

The post Final Fantasy 14 on Mac: Benchmarks & How to Download appeared first on Mac Gamer HQ.