How many FPS does Control Ultimate Edition get on the MacBook Air M3? 1080p, 1440p and 4K performance
20FPS
1080p High
Estimate
12
1440p
6
4K
About 20 FPS at 1080p on High: Control Ultimate Edition runs natively on the MacBook Air M3 (Apple M3, 8-core GPU, 8 GB). That is on the edge, but it is playable with lower settings. For 30 FPS, use 1080p Low + MetalFX Quality (about 34 FPS).
Data reviewed October 1, 2026 · how we calculate it
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Control Ultimate Edition FPS on MacBook Air M3 by resolution and quality
Estimate| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 28FPS | 24FPS | 20FPS | 16FPS |
| 1440p | 17FPS | 15FPS | 12FPS | 10FPS |
| 4K | 9FPS | 8FPS | 6FPS | 5FPS |
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
Not reached even on Low at 1080p, nor with MetalFX.
For 30 FPS
1080p · Low
+ MetalFX Quality
≈ 34 FPS
Moving to 1440p High puts the MacBook Air M3 at about 12 FPS. MetalFX renders at a lower resolution and upscales, so it is the cheapest way to play at the display’s native resolution.
Performance with MetalFX
MetalFX renders Control Ultimate Edition at a lower internal resolution and reconstructs the image: you gain FPS for a little sharpness. Figures on High with 8 GB.
| Resolution | Native | Quality | Balanced | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 20FPS | 24FPS | 29FPS | 33FPS |
| 1440p | 12FPS | 15FPS | 18FPS | 21FPS |
| 4K | 6FPS | 8FPS | 9FPS | 11FPS |
All figures are without ray tracing. The real MetalFX gain varies by game and version.
The MacGameFPS verdict
Calibrated on real Mac benchmarks, not spec sheets
Is the MacBook Air M3 enough for Control Ultimate Edition?
It falls short: 20 FPS at 1080p High. For 30 FPS use 1080p Low + MetalFX Quality.
Struggles · 1440p 12 FPS · 4K 6 FPS
MacBook Air M3 or MacBook Air M4 for Control Ultimate Edition?
In Control Ultimate Edition at 1080p High, the MacBook Air M3 gets 20 FPS and the MacBook Air M4 25 FPS: 25% more.
MacBook Air M3 specs
- Chip
- Apple M3
- GPU cores
- 8 / 10
- Unified memory
- 8 / 16 / 24 GB
- Cooling
- Fanless
- Geekbench Metal
- 41,753
- Tier
- Entry level · 11/100
Other Macs with the M3 chip
The Apple M3 also powers the MacBook Pro M3 and the iMac M3. In Control Ultimate Edition, the MacBook Pro M3 gets 28 FPS at 1080p High, 40% more than the MacBook Air M3, 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. Control Ultimate Edition asks for 8 GB minimum.
| Memory | 1080p High | 1440p High |
|---|---|---|
| 8 GB | 20FPS | 12FPS |
| 16 GB | 21FPS | 13FPS |
| 24 GB | 21FPS | 13FPS |
Other Macs for Control Ultimate Edition
1080p · High
MacBook Pro M3
M3 · 10 GPU
28FPSView analysis
iMac M3
M3 · 8/10 GPU
23FPSView analysisMacBook Pro M3 Pro
M3 Pro · 14/18 GPU
39FPSView analysis
MacBook Neo
A18 Pro · 5 GPU
14FPSView analysisMacBook Air M4
M4 · 8/10 GPU
25FPSView analysisMacBook Pro M4
M4 · 10 GPU
35FPSView analysis
Mac mini M4
M4 · 10 GPU
37FPSView analysisiMac M4
M4 · 8/10 GPU
29FPSView analysis
Control Ultimate Edition on every Mac →
Shopping for an all-round gaming Mac? Mac ranking by real FPS →
Other games on the MacBook Air M3
- Death Stranding Director's Cut38FPS
- Hitman World of Assassination43FPS
- Lies of P56FPS
- Metro Exodus33FPS
- Frostpunk 242FPS
- GRID Legends54FPS
- No Man's Sky42FPS
- Resident Evil 242FPS
- Resident Evil 332FPS
- Resident Evil 7 biohazard42FPS
Official Mac requirements
- Minimum
- Mac with Apple silicon
- Recommended
- Ray tracing requires M3 or later
Source: apps.apple.com
FAQ
Can the 8 GB MacBook Air M3 run Control Ultimate Edition?
Yes. With 8 GB we estimate 20 FPS at 1080p High.
Can Control Ultimate Edition hit 60 FPS on the MacBook Air M3?
Not consistently. For 30 FPS, use 1080p Low + MetalFX Quality (about 34 FPS).
Does the MacBook Air M3 throttle in Control Ultimate Edition?
The MacBook Air M3 has no fan. In long sessions it lowers clocks to manage heat, and our figures already account for that sustained loss, around 15% in a game this demanding.
What about 1440p and 4K?
On High, the MacBook Air M3 gets about 12 FPS at 1440p and about 6 FPS at 4K in Control Ultimate Edition. These are native figures: MetalFX raises both noticeably.
Do these figures include MetalFX or ray tracing?
No. The headline figure is native resolution, no MetalFX and no ray tracing. The table below shows MetalFX turned on. Ray tracing, where a game offers it, costs a lot of FPS on any Mac.
Is Control Ultimate Edition native on Apple Silicon?
Yes, it has a native Apple Silicon version, available on Steam and the Mac App Store. No CrossOver, Parallels or Game Porting Toolkit needed.