Asahi Linux Brings Support For AAA Gaming To Apple Silicon Macs

The Fedora Asahi Remix GNU/Linux distribution is now available with alpha versions of OpenGL, OpenCL, and Vulkan graphics drivers, enabling some games to run on Macs with M1 or M2 series processors. However, most PC games are designed for Windows PCs with DirectX drivers and x86 processors, requiring emulation to run on Macs with ARM-based processors and Linux-based operating systems. The Proton software developed by Valve has made it possible to run many PC games on Linux, which has contributed to this achievement. A live demo at XDC 2024 showed the Steam game client running on an Apple Silicon Mac with Asahi Linux. Due to emulation overhead, most games require 16GB of RAM, making entry-level gaming on low-RAM Macs unlikely. Some playable titles include Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, and Portal 2, but performance improvements are needed for newer AAA titles to run at 60 frames per second or higher. Less demanding games like Hollow Knight should run at full speed. The Asahi team is working on improving performance, but there's still a difference between playable and smooth gameplay. The current alpha drivers are a significant step forward, but more work is needed to achieve seamless gaming on Macs with ARM-based processors.