How many FPS does Civilization VI get on the MacBook Air M4? 1080p, 1440p and 4K performance
77FPS
1080p High
Estimate
48
1440p
25
4K
About 77 FPS at 1080p on High: Civilization VI runs through Rosetta 2 on the MacBook Air M4 (Apple M4, 8-core GPU, 16 GB). It has headroom to spare, so you can raise resolution or quality.
Data reviewed October 1, 2026 · how we calculate it
Affiliate linkDon't have Civilization VI yet?
Official Steam key that also activates on Mac. Cheaper on Eneba.
Play in your browser — no downloads, no sign-up.
Coin Crest
Play free →
Kaboom Blocks
Play free →
Balcony Splash
Play free →
Nara and the Forest Roots
Play free →
Hexalia
Play free →
Héroes de Éter
Play free →
King's Towers
Play free →
Snake Odyssey
Play free →
Chess
Play free →
Trivia Party
Play free →
Civilization VI FPS on MacBook Air M4 by resolution and quality
Estimate| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 106FPS | 92FPS | 77FPS | 64FPS |
| 1440p | 68FPS | 58FPS | 48FPS | 40FPS |
| 4K | 35FPS | 30FPS | 25FPS | 21FPS |
Estimated average in normal gameplay with the game and macOS up to date. Green: 60+ · lime: 45+ · amber: 30+ · orange: 20+ · red: under 20.
Recommended settings
For 60 FPS
1440p · Low
≈ 68 FPS
For 30 FPS
1440p · Ultra
≈ 40 FPS
Moving to 1440p High puts the MacBook Air M4 at about 48 FPS. This game has no MetalFX, so resolution is the setting that matters most.
The MacGameFPS verdict
Calibrated on real Mac benchmarks, not spec sheets
Is the MacBook Air M4 enough for Civilization VI?
Yes, comfortably: 77 FPS at 1080p High. You can move to 1440p (48 FPS) or your display’s native resolution.
Excellent · 1440p 48 FPS · 4K 25 FPS
MacBook Air M4 or MacBook Pro M4 for Civilization VI?
In Civilization VI at 1080p High, the MacBook Air M4 gets 77 FPS and the MacBook Pro M4 98 FPS: 27% more.
MacBook Air M4 specs
- Chip
- Apple M4
- GPU cores
- 8 / 10
- Unified memory
- 16 / 24 / 32 GB
- Cooling
- Fanless
- Geekbench Metal
- 49,002
- Tier
- Entry level · 13/100
Other Macs with the M4 chip
The Apple M4 also powers the MacBook Pro M4, the Mac mini M4, and the iMac M4. In Civilization VI, the Mac mini M4 gets 99 FPS at 1080p High, 29% more than the MacBook Air M4, mainly because its fan keeps clocks up under load.
How much memory do you need?
On Apple Silicon the GPU shares memory with the system, so the RAM you picked when buying the Mac is also your video memory. Civilization VI asks for 6 GB minimum.
| Memory | 1080p High | 1440p High |
|---|---|---|
| 16 GB | 77FPS | 48FPS |
| 24 GB | 77FPS | 48FPS |
| 32 GB | 77FPS | 48FPS |
Other Macs for Civilization VI
1080p · High
MacBook Neo
A18 Pro · 5 GPU
46FPSView analysis
MacBook Pro M4
M4 · 10 GPU
98FPSView analysis
Mac mini M4
M4 · 10 GPU
99FPSView analysis
iMac M4
M4 · 8/10 GPU
81FPSView analysisMacBook Pro M4 Pro
M4 Pro · 16/20 GPU
146FPSView analysisMac mini M4 Pro
M4 Pro · 16/20 GPU
147FPSView analysisMacBook Air M5
M5 · 8/10 GPU
104FPSView analysisMacBook Pro M5
M5 · 10 GPU
128FPSView analysis
Civilization VI on every Mac →
Shopping for an all-round gaming Mac? Mac ranking by real FPS →
Other games on the MacBook Air M4
- Death Stranding Director's Cut48FPS
- Hitman World of Assassination52FPS
- Lies of P70FPS
- Metro Exodus40FPS
- Resident Evil 435FPS
- Resident Evil Village36FPS
- Frostpunk 252FPS
- GRID Legends67FPS
- No Man's Sky52FPS
- Resident Evil 252FPS
Official Mac requirements
- Minimum
- macOS 10.14.6 Mojave · Intel Core i5 2.7 GHz · 6 GB memory · 1 GB GPU · 17 GB storage · Intel build, runs on Apple silicon through Rosetta 2
Source: store.steampowered.com
FAQ
Can the 16 GB MacBook Air M4 run Civilization VI?
Yes. With 16 GB we estimate 77 FPS at 1080p High.
Can Civilization VI hit 60 FPS on the MacBook Air M4?
Yes: at 1440p Low it runs around 68 FPS.
Does the MacBook Air M4 throttle in Civilization VI?
The MacBook Air M4 has no fan. In long sessions it lowers clocks to manage heat, and our figures already account for that sustained loss, around 5% in a game this demanding.
What about 1440p and 4K?
On High, the MacBook Air M4 gets about 48 FPS at 1440p and about 25 FPS at 4K in Civilization VI. These are native figures.
Do these figures include MetalFX or ray tracing?
No. The headline figure is native resolution, no MetalFX and no ray tracing. Civilization VI has no MetalFX on Mac. Ray tracing, where a game offers it, costs a lot of FPS on any Mac.
Is Civilization VI native on Apple Silicon?
Not quite: it has an official macOS version ported by Aspyr, but built for Intel. On Apple Silicon it runs through Rosetta 2, built into macOS, with nothing else to install. Our figures already include that overhead.