After several successful years on Early Access, RimWorld was finally released in 2018. And after all these years, it remains one of the most popular and best-selling Simulation games on Steam!
One of the finest simulation games for Mac, RimWorld is a sci-fi colony simulator driven by an intelligent AI storyteller able to generate stories by simulating psychology, combat, climate, biomes, diplomacy, medicine, trade, and more.
But what does it take to run this fine simulation on macOS? How well can your Mac run RimWorld? Can it run on M1 Macs?
Can you play RimWorld on Mac?
You can absolutely play RimWorld on your Mac, and that includes 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 mentioning that the game never received Apple Silicon native support, and despite several fans asking for more information, developer Ludeon hasn’t responded yet…
| Art | Game | Genre | 64-bit? | 64-bit | API | M1 Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | RimWorld | Simulation | Yes |  | TBC | Rosetta |
RimWorld on Mac: Everything you need to know
In RimWorld, you’ll begin your adventure with three survivors shipwrecked on a randomly generated world. From there, you’ll have to manage your colonist needs, fight pirates and wild animals, build structures and weapons, trade with other colonies, and much more. This is especially true when taking into account the several Expansions the game has received.
With the recently released Biotech expansion, the game now allows its colonists to raise a family, care for their babies, experiment with genetic modifications and command their mechanoid army and workforce.
RimWorld running on macOS
RimWorld Mac requirements
These are the game’s official Mac requirements:
| Requirements | |
| OS: | 10.12 |
| Processor: | Core 2 Duo |
| Memory: | 4 GB RAM |
| Graphics: | Intel HD Graphics 4000 or other shader model 4.0 |
| Hard Drive: | 14 GB |
| A 64-Bit OS and processor are required | |
How to play RimWorld on Mac
As mentioned before, RimWorld runs natively on macOS, and that includes 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 RimWorld 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 my Mac run RimWorld? Benchmarks
These are the RimWorld M1 benchmarks we have gathered so far (you can find more details about the game’s Apple Silicon version here):
| Game | Machine | Resolution | Settings | Other | FPS | Tester | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RimWorld | 💻 M1 MacBook Air 13", 7-core GPU, 8 GB | 2560x1600 | - | 57 | u/blazin2323 | https://www.reddit.com/r/mac/comments/jvw4uk/quick_benchmarks_of_some_games_on_the_new_m1/ |
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 Simulation games? These are our favorites:
| Game | ★ Our Pick | Also Great | Best Value |
 Cities: Skylines |  Farming Simulator 2022 |  Euro Truck Simulator 2 |
|
| Genre | City-builder | Farming-sim | Truck-sim |
| Release date | 2015 | 2021 | 2012 |
| Metascore | |||
| Our rating | ★★★★★ Full Review | ★★★★☆ Full Review | ★★★★★ Full Review |
| Requirements | High | Medium | Low |
| Check Price |
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)
- MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012): 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 4000 (0.5GB)
For the record, we benchmarked the game using the 2480×1280 resolution and our in-house FPS counter, Count It.
Can you play RimWorld on a MacBook Pro?
RimWorld is one of those games that has so much depth it can get away with having simple graphics. RimWorld won’t impress anyone in the graphics department, but that’s ok because this game is about the countless systems and options it puts at your disposal. Plus, those simple graphics mean you can play RimWorld on most Macs, even older ones with integrated graphics.
Plus, with its top-down view and simple art style, this game is all but demanding. For that reason, virtually any Mac that meets the official system requirements will be able to run it smoothly, even at higher resolutions.
Download RimWorld for Mac
You can download RimWorld on Steam.
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