Released in 2013, Warframe is a free-to-play third-person shooter that has had a stable player base of around 100,000 players ever since its release. The game has made its way to multiple platforms, including consoles like PlayStation and Xbox.

However, it will also be released as a Universal app, which means it can be played on iOS and macOS. This begs the question, is Warframe Mobile worth playing on Mac?

Will Warframe Mobile Support Cross Platform on Mac?

Warframe Mobile will support cross-platform on all Apple Silicon devices, including Mac. This means that you will be able to use both the cross-save and cross-platform features, allowing you to play the game with your friends and other players across all platforms.

You will also be able to carry your progress over from any device. This means that you’ll be using the same account regardless of whether you play on the Mac, on iOS, or on Windows.

The developers have mentioned that cross-platform will take time to flesh out, and not all features will be immediately available. However, as time progresses, we’re expecting to see all features support cross-platform.

Warframe Mobile on Mac: Benchmarks and Performance

Warframe Mobile runs at 60 FPS, with a few resolution issues on the Mac. Since the game is a Universal application, it’s meant for Mobile phones.

This means that the overall visual fidelity isn’t all that great, and the resolution isn’t native, either. However, it runs like an absolute dream with a stable, locked 60 FPS.

In terms of performance improvement or native resolution support, the developers have not been very clear about their intentions with the Mac so far. We’re expecting that they’ll probably gauge the traffic the game provides on the Mac before they start integrating the Mac properly into their ecosystem.

Warframe Mobile MacBook Controls

You cannot play Warframe Mobile on Mac with a mouse and keyboard currently. This is because the game has been built for touchscreens, and Macs don’t have one.

Thankfully though, you can use any supported Bluetooth controller to still be able to enjoy the game on a Mac. The controls are identical to how they are on consoles, and you also have the ability to rebind them if needed.

It is clear that the developers have not really considered macOS as a viable platform for Warframe Mobile just yet, as there seems to be no native support for its controls.

Should I Play Warframe On Crossover Instead?

Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit supports Warframe on Apple Silicon. This means that you are able to play the game and expect around 60-70 FPS on a MacBook M1 Pro. If you want to play Warframe properly, we prefer playing it on Crossover with the Toolkit instead of playing Warframe Mobile instead. This is because:

• The PC version is more stable and has been running for a while
• Warframe Mobile does not support a keyboard and mouse, while Warframe ported using CrossOver does
• Warframe PC is optimized for PC. It takes advantage of your Mac’s higher resolution and produces greater frames
• Warframe with Game Porting Toolkit looks much better than Warframe Mobile.

The only advantage that Warframe Mobile brings is that it is easier to install and completely free, since you don’t need to purchase CrossOver in order to install it. Our suggestion is the following, if you have played Warframe and want to play it extensively on the Mac, get it via CrossOver. If you have not played WarFrame and want to test it out, get WarFrame Mobile on the Mac instead. You’ll eventually switch to the CrossOver version anyways. 

Is Warframe Mobile on Mac Worth It?

Yes, Warframe Mobile on Mac is absolutely worth it. While it may suffer from a few issues, such as a non-native resolution and the requirement of a controller to play the game, it is a faithful port of the actual title with no changes whatsoever.

This is one of the first times that we’re going to be seeing a major online game support and maintain so many different platforms at the same time, including the Mac. It is also currently the only way you can play Warframe on your Macbook.

Is Warframe Mobile Pay to Win?

No, Warframe Mobile is not pay-to-win. The developers have stuck to their original formula and follow a Pay-to-Skip model. This means that while you can spend a lot of time grinding items and get almost everything for free in the game, you can also spend money and expedite that process significantly by paying. But there’s no inherent pay-to-win element associated with either Warframe or Warframe Mobile. Because of this, it gets a seal of approval from us for sticking to its roots and not turning into a Gacha mobile money hog compared to a lot of the games that are currently being added to the market. 

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