Borderlands 3 on Mac: How to Play & M1 Benchmarks

The brand-new Borderlands 4 remains (natively) unavailable for Mac, but if you must scratch that itch, BL3 (and BL2) offer native versions for macOS.  Borderlands 3 not only supports macOS but also features impressive graphics. But what does it take to run this notoriously demanding game on macOS? How well can your Mac run Borderlands 3? Can it run on M1 Macs?

Can you play Borderlands 3 on Mac?

You can absolutely play Borderlands 3 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.

Borderlands 3 on macOS

Borderlands macOS versions have always been by Aspyr Media, which is good because Aspyr is one of the oldest and more knowledgeable Mac porting companies in the industry. This time, though, developer Gearbox decided to take the Mac version of the game on its own hands. This was the first time they handle a macOS port of a game, and unfortunately, it shows… Borderlands 3’s Mac performance is abysmal and you’ll need a top of the line machine to run this game properly. 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

Borderlands 3 on Mac: Everything you need to know

The Borderlands franchise does not need an introduction. The first Borderlands basically created the looter shooter genre, and the subsequent entries have refined it. If you’re looking for an action-packed shooter full of weapons but also abilities and powers, look no further than Borderlands 3. And if you’re a superhero fan, watch The Boys and all the Marvel movies; you’ll feel oddly at home too.

Featuring new vault hunters, new skills, and new guns, the game still delivers exactly what you would expect from a borderlands game. Shoot, kill, loot, rinse and repeat. It definitely does not disappoint old fans of this franchise, and new players are in for a blast.

But if for any of those here for the story, this might be the wrong place for you. Borderlands was never known for their amazing plot, but it had plenty of memorable characters for you to laugh with and care for. Just look at Handsome Jack, one of the best villains in video game history. That same spark just isn’t there for this one, so take note of that before you buy.

Borderlands 3 Mac requirements

These are the game’s official Mac requirements:

How to play Borderlands 3 on Mac

As mentioned before, Borderlands 3 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 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 Borderlands 3 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 Borderlands 3 on Mac? Benchmarks

These are the Borderlands 3 M1 benchmarks we have gathered so far:

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.

Into Adventure games? These are our favorites:

Game	★ Best Overall	Best Value	Best MacBook
	Minecraft	Psychonauts 2	Vampire Survivors
Genre	Sandbox	Exploration	Run & Gun
Release date	2009	2021	2022
Metascore	93	89	86
Our rating	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★
Requirements	✅ Not Demanding	✅ Not Demanding	✅ Not Demanding
Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price

Can you play Borderlands 3 on a MacBook Pro?

When Aspyr was at the helm, performance was on check. But as mentioned before, this was not the case with Borderlands 3.

Based on the tests performed by friend of the channel MrMacRight, Borderlands 3 is an extremely demanding game to run. This is also somewhat the case on Windows, which indicates the game could probably use further performance optimizations. Having said that, the macOS version of the game is in a particularly rough spot. When trying to run in it on a base M1 MacBook Pro, the game could barely run, sitting somewhere around 22 FPS, which is much too low for our taste.

Borderlands 3 does run significantly better on an M1 Pro (or better), which means that this is a game you should avoid at all costs unless you have a top of the line Intel or M1/M2 Mac…

Download Borderlands 3 for Mac

You can download the game on Epic Games (we usually prefer Steam but for some weird deal between publisher 2K Games and Epic Games, the macOS version of the game is not available on Steam).