Civilization 6 on M1 Mac: Can it run on Apple Silicon Processors?

Yes, Civilization 6 runs on M1 Macs via Rosetta 2.

[toc] The latest entry in the legendary Sid Meier’s Civilization series, Civ 6 is not only the best turn-based strategy game out there, but it’s also one of the best strategy games, period.

On Intel-Macs, it used to struggle due to the lack of Metal support and high CPU loads. But can M1 Macs do a better job running it?

More M1 gaming? Visit our M1 Supported Games list for 100+ Mac games we have tested and confirmed as M1-compatible.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support
	Civilization 6	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta

Civilization 6 M1 Mac support

Yes, Civilization 6 runs on M1 Macs with Apple Silicon via Rosetta 2.

Last Updated: Oct 29, 2021:

The game is still written for Intel-based Macs, but thanks to Rosetta 2, Civilization 6 can nonetheless run great on M1 Macs.

What is Rosetta 2? Rosetta 2 is a translation process that enables an M1 Mac with Apple silicon to use apps built for Intel-based Macs.

Civilization 6 M1 Mac benchmarks

The table summarizes our results as well as results from other members of the community:

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.

We usually aim for 30 FPS, because 30 FPS is enough to guarantee a fluid experience for most casual gamers.

Tested versions:

For our in-house benchmarks, the game was tested on the following M1 Mac:

• 13-inch MacBook Air (2020): Apple M1 chip with 8-core CPU, 8 GB RAM
• OS: macOS Big Sur version 11.4

M1 Performance VS Intel Macs

This is how Civilization VI runs on M1 Macs compared to equivalent Intel Macs:

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If you’re interested in testing games on your own M1 Mac or request specific games, you can join our dedicated Discord server.

Civilization 6 Mac requirements

These are the game’s official Mac requirements:

Civ 6 on Mac: The Reviews

Civ 6 has been part of the best-selling Mac games for years now. And the fact it continues to receive excellent Expansions keeps it relevant and as popular as ever. Aside from recurrent issues that keep cross-play between Mac and Windows, Civ 6 is an excellent Mac port that features everything the Windows version of the game does.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support	Performance
	Civilization 6	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta	Good

With gameplay and features so far ahead of the competition, it’s no surprise Civ 6 has been critically acclaimed by both the press and the average gamer:

82 Steam reviews

Civilization 6 Mac download

You can download Civilization 6 from the following digital stores:

• Humble Bundle
• Steam

And more importantly, if you have your own M1 test results to share, on this game or another, you can share them with us on our dedicated Discord server.