Ark: Survival Evolved on Mac: Benchmarks & How to Download

Along with Rust, Ark: Survival Evolved is one of the most infamous, unforgiving, and… popular survival games on macOS. In Ark, you survive and thrive by collecting resources, crafting items, taming animals, including the dinosaurs, forming or joining tribes, and fighting off the other humans on the island. If you’re good enough, you can advance to upgrading your dinosaurs with lasers. Really.

But this is a persistent world where (bad) things keep happening even when you’re away from the game. You’ve been warned. But Ark is also known for being hard on your computer… What does it take to run this punishing Survival game? How well can YOUR Mac run Final Fantasy 14 Online? Can it run on M1 Macs?

Can you play Ark: Survival Evolved on Mac?

You can absolutely play Ark: Survival Evolved 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.

Be aware that due to an issue with the Unreal engine, which ARK: Survival Evolved uses, the game will fail to launch on M1 and M2 Macs unless you properly patch it. More on that below.

Art	Game	Genre	64-bit?	64-bit	API	M1 Support
	Arma 3	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Native
	Asphalt 8	Racing	Yes		Metal	Native
	Asphalt 9	Racing	Yes		Metal	Native
	Baldur's Gate 3	RPG	Yes		Metal	Native
	Disco Elysium	RPG	Yes		Metal	Native
	ELEX 2	Action	Yes		Metal	Native
	EVERSPACE 2	Action	Yes		Metal	Native
	Factorio	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Native
	Farming Simulator 22	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Native
	Firmament	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Native
	Football Manager 2023	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Native
	Fort Solis	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Native
	Gang Beasts	Action	Yes		Metal	Native
	Gear.Club Stradale	Racing	Yes		Metal	Native
	GRID Legends	Racing	Yes		Metal	Native
	Horizon Chase Turbo	Racing	Yes		Metal	Native
	Layers of Fear	Horror	Yes		Metal	Native
		Action	Yes		Metal	Native
	Minecraft	Sandbox	Yes		Metal	Native
	Myst	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Native
	NBA 2K22 Arcade	Sports	Yes		Metal	Native
	No Man's Sky	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Native
	Old World	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Native
	Pascal's Wager: Definitive Edition	RPG	Yes		Metal	Native
	Prodeus	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Native
	Resident Evil 4	Action	Yes		Metal	Native
	Resident Evil Village	Action	Yes		Metal	Native
	Road Redemption	Racing	Yes		TBC	Native
	RollerCoaster Tycoon 3	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Native
	Runescape	MMO	Yes		Metal	Native
	SimCity 4	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Native
	SnowRunner	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Native
	Spacebase Startopia	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Native
	Stray	Adventure	Yes		TBC	Native
	Terra Nil	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Native
	The Medium	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Native
	The Wandering Village	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Native
	Timberborn	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Native
	Total War: Pharaoh	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Native
	Tunic	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Native
	World of Warcraft	MMO	Yes		Metal	Native
	World of Warcraft: Classic	MMO	Yes		Metal	Native
	X-Plane 12	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Native
	Among Us	Party	Yes		Metal	iOS
	Pokemon Quest	Adventure	Yes		Metal	iOS
	Horizon Chase Turbo	Racing			TBC	Rosetta
	0 A.D.	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	7 Days to Die	Shooter	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	911 Operator	Simulation	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	A Total War Saga: Troy	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Age of Wonders: Planetfall	Strategy	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Albion Online	MMO	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Alien: Isolation	Horror	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	American Truck Simulator	Simulation	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Aragami	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	ARK: Survival Evolved	Survival	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Art of Rally	Racing	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Baba is You	Puzzle	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Bastion	Adventure	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Batman: Arkham City	Action	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Battle for Wesnoth	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	BATTLETECH	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Beholder	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Beyond A Steel Sky	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Bioshock 2 Remastered	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	BioShock Remastered	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Bitburner	Simulation	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Borderlands 2	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Borderlands 3	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Brawlhalla	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Call of Duty: Black Ops 3	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	CARRION	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Cave Story	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Celeste	Action	Yes		Vulkan	Rosetta
	Chivalry: Medieval Warfare	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Cities: Skylines	Simulation	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Civilization 5	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Civilization 6	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Company of Heroes 2	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Counter Strike: Global Offensive	Shooter	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Crab Game	Action	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Crusader Kings 3	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Cult of the Lamb	Action	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Cuphead	Action	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Darkest Dungeon	RPG	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	DAVE THE DIVER	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Dead Cells	Action	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Descenders	Racing	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Desperados 3	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Deus Ex: Mankind Divided	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	DEVOUR	Horror	Yes			Rosetta
	Diablo 3	RPG	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	DiRT 4	Racing	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	DiRT Rally	Racing	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Distance	Racing	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Divinity: Original Sin	RPG	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Divinity: Original Sin 2	RPG	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Doki Doki Literature Club!	Visual Novel	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Dome Keeper	Action	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Don't Starve Together	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Dota 2	MOBA	Yes		Vulkan	Rosetta
	Dota Underlords	Strategy	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Dwarf Fortress	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Dying Light	Shooter	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Elder Scrolls Online	MMO	Yes		Vulkan	Rosetta
	Euro Truck Simulator 2	Simulation	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Europa Universalis 4	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	EVE Online	MMO	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Everspace	Action	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	F1 2016	Racing	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	F1 2017	Racing	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Final Fantasy 14 Online	MMO	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Firewatch	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Fishing Planet	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Flashout 3	Racing	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Football Manager 2021	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Football Manager 2022	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Football Manager 2023	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Fortnite	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Frostpunk	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Garry's Mod	Sandbox	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	GRID: Autosport	Racing	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Griftlands	RPG	Yes			Rosetta
	Hades	RPG	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Hearthstone	CCD	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Hearts of Iron 4	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Hellpoint	RPG	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Her Story	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Heroes of the Storm	MOBA	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Hitman	Action	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Hollow Knight	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	House Flipper	Simulation	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Human: Fall Flat	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Immortality	Adventure	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Inscryption	CCD	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	INSIDE	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Insurgency	Shooter	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Into the Breach	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Isonzo	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Keep Talking And Nobody Explodes	Simulation	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Kerbal Space Program	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Kingdoms and Castles	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	League of Legends	MOBA	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	LEGO: The Incredibles	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Life is Strange	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Life is Strange 2	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Life is Strange: Before the Storm	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Loop Hero	RPG	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Mad Max	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Magic The Gathering Arena	CCD	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Metro: 2033 Redux	Shooter	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Metro: Exodus	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Metro: Last Light Redux	Shooter	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Moonlighter	RPG	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Moto Racer 4	Racing	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Mount & Blade: Warband	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Night in the Woods	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Northgard	Strategy	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Obduction	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	OpenTTD	Simulation	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Outlast	Horror	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Overcooked! 2	Action	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Owlboy	Adventure	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Oxenfree	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Oxygen Not Included	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Path of Exile	RPG	Yes		Vulkan	Rosetta
	Pathfinder: Kingmaker	RPG	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous	RPG	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Phoenix Point	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Planet Coaster	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Portal Reloaded	Puzzle	Yes			Rosetta
	Prison Architect	Simulation	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Project Zomboid	Survival	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Psychonauts 2	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Realm of the Mad God Exalt	MMO	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Return of the Obra Dinn	Adventure	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Return to Monkey Island	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	RimWorld	Simulation	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Rise of the Tomb Raider	Action	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Robocraft	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Rocket League	Racing	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Rocksmith 2014 Edition: Remastered	Simulation	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Rust	Survival	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Shadow of The Tomb Raider	Action	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Skul: The Hero Slayer	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Slay the Spire	CCD	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Sleeping Dogs	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Slime Rancher	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	SOMA	Horror	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	SpeedRunners	Racing	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2	RPG	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Starcraft 2	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Stardew Valley	Simulation	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Stellaris	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	STRAFE: Gold Edition	Shooter	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Stranded Deep	Adventure	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Streets of Rogue	Action	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Stumble Guys	Party	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Subnautica	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Subnautica: Below Zero	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	SUPERHOT	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	SUPERHOT: Mind Control Delete	Shooter	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Surviving Mars	Strategy	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	TACOMA	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Terraria	Adventure	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	The Bard's Tale IV: Director's Cut	RPG	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth	Action	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	The Long Dark	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	The Pathless	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	The Sims 2	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	The Sims 4	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	The Witcher	RPG	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	The Witcher 2	RPG	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	The Witness	Adventure	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Thief	Action	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Thimbleweed Park	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Tomb Raider	Action	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Tooth and Tail	Strategy	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Total War: ROME REMASTERED	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Total War: Three Kingdoms	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Total War: Warhammer	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Total War: Warhammer 2	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Total War: Warhammer 3	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Totally Accurate Battle Simulator	Simulation	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	TowerFall Ascension	Action	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Transistor	Adventure	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Transport Fever 2	Strategy	Yes		Vulkan	Rosetta
	Tropico 6	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Two Point Campus	Simulation	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Two Point Hospital	Simulation	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Undertale	RPG	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Unpacking	Simulation	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Untitled Goose Game	Puzzle	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	UNTURNED	Survival	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Vampire Survivors	Action	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	Victor Vran	RPG	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Victoria 3	Strategy	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	War Thunder	MMO	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Warcraft 3 Reforged	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Wasteland 2: Director's Cut	RPG	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Wasteland 3	RPG	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	World of Tanks Blitz	MMO	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	X-Plane 11	Simulation	Yes		TBC	Rosetta
	XCOM 2	Strategy	Yes		Metal	Rosetta
	Yooka-Laylee	Adventure	Yes		OpenGL	Rosetta
	Dungeons & Dragons Online	MMO	Yes		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Gravel	Racing	Yes		Metal	Unsupported
	Guild Wars 2	MMO	Yes		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Mafia 3	Action	Yes		Metal	Unsupported
	MXGP3	Racing	Yes		Metal	Unsupported
	Observer	Horror	Yes		Metal	Unsupported
	Trove	MMO	Yes		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Age of Wonders 3	Strategy	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3	Shooter	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Crusader Kings 2	Strategy	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Fistful of Frags	Shooter	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Grid 2	Racing	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Half Life 2	Shooter	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Homeworld Remastered	Strategy	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Left 4 Dead 2	Shooter	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine	Action	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Plants vs. Zombies GOTY Edition	Strategy	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Portal 2	Puzzle	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Psychonauts	Action	No		TBC	Unsupported
	Punch Club	RPG	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Spelunky: Classic	Adventure	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Star Conflict	MMO	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Team Fortress 2	Shooter	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	The Lord of the Rings Online	MMO	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	The Walking Dead	Horror	No		OpenGL	Unsupported
	Xenonauts	Strategy	No		OpenGL	Unsupported

ARK on Mac: Everything you need to know

While a popular game as far as having a large user base (obviously important for a multiplayer game), Ark: Survival Evolved received mixed reviews. Players enjoy the game’s depth and its open world, but excessive grinding and a hostile environment for new players on public servers take away some of the fun.

ARK: Survival Evolved on Mac

A closer look at the reviews reveals the mixed feelings players have about the game. TJ Hafer’s detailed review at IGN concluded:

ARK: Survival Evolved has some great moments of battle with prehistoric beasts, but just as many of AI bugs and grind.

Ark: Survival Evolved is a survival game with some real strengths and some significant weaknesses. If you’re willing to put in the time and die and lose your work repeatedly, you can rise to a level where things get really fun. But if you’re not willing to put up with the grind and the established user base, it may be too frustrating of a game for you.

ARK: Survival Evolved Mac requirements

These are the game’s official Mac requirements:

How to play ARK: Survival Evolved on Mac

As mentioned before, ARK: Survival Evolved runs natively on macOS, including Intel-based Macs and M1/M2 Macs.

The game does require Rosetta 2 to run on Apple Silicon Macs. Unfortunately, ARK: Survival Evolved does have a problem that you’ll need to resolve. To be able to download and play ARK on M1 Macs, you’ll need to download and install a patch:

• Download ARK: Survival Evolved on Steam
• Navigate to the app in Finder. If you’re using Steam: right-click the game in your library, choose “Manage”, then “Browse local files”.
• Open the downloaded patcher and set the desired GPU type.
• Drag the app into the patcher and wait for the green checkmark.
• Launch the game through Steam

A big thank you to reddit user Tombob51 for the extremely easy-to-use patcher, you legend!

Bottom line: ARK: Survival Evolved 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 ARK on Mac? M1 and Intel Benchmarks

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

• 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.

Into first-person shooters? These are our favorites:

Game	★ Best Overall	Runner-Up	Best Value
	Borderlands 2	Metro: Exodus	Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Genre	Co-op	Survival Horror	Competitive
Release date	2012	2021	2015
Metascore	89	82	81
Our rating	★★★★★ Full Review	★★★★☆ Full review	★★★★☆
Requirements	✅ Not Demanding	⚠️ Demanding	✅ Not Demanding
Check Price	Humble Bundle	Check Price	Steam

Intel Mac benchmarks

We previously tested the game on these Intel Macs:

• iMac (5K, 27-inch, Mid-2017): 3.8 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, AMD Radeon Pro 580 (8GB)
• iMac (5K, 27-inch, Late 2014): 3.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, AMD Radeon R9 M290X (2GB)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, Touch/Mid-2017): 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, AMD Radeon Pro 560 (4 GB)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2016): 2.0 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, Intel Iris Graphics 540 (1.5GB)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2013): 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, Intel Iris 5100 (1.5GB)

Be aware that Intel Integrated Graphics cards are not officially supported, but more on that below.

These are the settings we used to test Ark: Survival Evolved using our in-house FPS counter Count It for a fixed duration of 5 minutes:

We knew going in that the hardware requirements for Ark: Survival Evolved were challenging on the Mac side, and our results confirm that.

Can my Mac run Ark: Survival Evolved?

There’s no question that a high-end Mac can play this game at our default settings. Frame rates of 49 FPS (a 2014 iMac) and 81 (2017 iMac) put our iMacs in the Smooth and Very Smooth range, respectively, while our 2017 15-inch MacBook Pro (using the dedicated graphics card) hit a barely Playable 30 FPS.

While these are OK results for a game known to be demanding and poorly optimized for macOS, we still hoped that a brand-new iMac would have blown the FPS out of the water on medium settings. And a brand new MacBook Pro barely hitting playable on medium settings was disappointing, to say the least.

This is what can be expected when turning the settings to high:

Can you play Ark: Survival Evolved on a MacBook Pro?

As proven by our M1 MacBook Air, the game can run relatively smoothly on medium settings. But be warned: Do not expect to run this game at higher settings without severely compromising performance. But to see it run at those levels on a base M1 MacBook Air was encouraging. Expect much better results on a MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro processor.

ARK: Survival Evolved on macOS

Things get trickier for Intel MacBook Pros, as they often do with more demanding games. Our 2016 MacBook Pro was nearly Borderline at 19 FPS with our default settings. With settings turned to the minimum it was firmly in the Borderline range at 27 FPS. While this is not ideal, it indicates that the game should be playable on newer machines with integrated graphics.

Ultimately it’s a decision for you whether you want to spend your time and money on a game you’ll have to play at very low graphics settings.

But what if you have an older Mac?

As you’d expect, the news gets worse. Our 2013 13-inch MacBook Pro stayed firmly in the Unplayable range, maxing out at 15.5 FPS with all the settings on minimum. If you have an older Mac with a dedicated graphics card, however, there’s a good chance you’ll be in better shape.

The difference between our 2014 iMac and 2013 MacBook Pro indicates that it’s the graphics card that’s doing much of the heavy lifting here, and a look at Ark’s system requirements (see below) indicates that even older machines with a dedicated card might well be fine.

Bottom line: Ark: Survival Evolved is demanding on hardware and does not seem to be well optimized for Macs. You’ll need a computer with a dedicated graphics card to get the most out of this game. A newer (last 2-3 years) Mac with integrated graphics should be able to make Ark playable but at low graphics settings.

How to download ARK: Survival Evolved on Mac

You can download ARK: Survival Evolved from Steam.