Apple Silicon can play certain games using the power of the Metal API – which extends into non-natively supported titles. However, games with anti-cheat software still pose a challenge, and titles such as Fortnite cannot natively run on Mac.
As modern Macs are built with Apple Silicon in mind, they cannot run traditional x86 programs – which naturally includes most games. A translation layer is needed, which is why tools such as Whisky and Crossover are needed.
Fortnite is one of the most popular games today | Image Credits: Epic Games
As such, our options for playing Fortnite on Macs are quite limited and involve two basic methods.
Can you play Fortnite on an Apple laptop?
Macs are capable of playing most Windows games | Image Credits: Apple
While Macs (and Apple laptops) are most certainly quite capable of gaming, they are just not compatible with anti-cheat software (they are, after all, built on top of UNIX – a completely separate platform when compared to Windows).
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You can play Fortnite on Macs though. The method involves leveraging the power of cloud streaming – and is not a local version of the game running natively on Mac hardware.
While there are many streaming options available, the following are recommended:
Xbox Cloud Gaming (requires a subscription to Xbox Game Pass)
Amazon Luna (requires an Amazon Prime subscription)
Nvidia GeForce Now (offers both paid and free tiers)
Moonlight (local streaming; requires a PC running the game on your local network)
Except for Moonlight, the other 3 methods require linking your Epic Games account to the streaming service of choice. Once logged in, simply launch the game and play as usual – either with a controller or using the keyboard and mouse.
Moonlight, on the other hand, does not rely on the cloud for streaming. It simply streams your game running on a secondary PC via your local network. This method is the most difficult to get up and running but comes with the advantage of having full user control as well as lower latency.
Either method mandates the use of a fast, high-bandwidth internet connection though. Wi-Fi over cellular data is also recommended.
The other alternative involves playing Fortnite natively on a Mac, but sadly, this method is only applicable to Intel-based machines. Using the BootCamp Assistant, we can create a separate Windows 10 partition.
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After booting into the Windows partition (and installing the necessary drivers), it is possible to install the Epic Games launcher and start playing Fortnite. This method ensures the most compatibility and 100% native performance.
Keep in mind that Intel Macs are quite outdated at present, and as a general productivity machine (or even a macOS driver) it is recommended to get a modern, Apple Silicon-based Mac instead. Buying an Intel-based Mac for playing Fortnite is a really bad idea.
Want more macOS guides? Check out how to play Marvel Rivals on Macs.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
