MacGameFPS

How many FPS does Resident Evil 2 get on the MacBook Air M1? 1080p, 1440p and 4K performance

29FPS

1080p High

Estimate

18

1440p

9

4K

Struggles

About 29 FPS at 1080p on High: Resident Evil 2 runs natively on the MacBook Air M1 (Apple M1, 7-core GPU, 8 GB). That is on the edge, but it is playable with lower settings. For 60 FPS, use 1080p Low + MetalFX Balanced (about 61 FPS).

Data reviewed October 1, 2026 · how we calculate it

Resident Evil 2 FPS on MacBook Air M1 by resolution and quality

Estimate
ResolutionLowMediumHighUltra
1080p41FPS35FPS29FPS24FPS
1440p25FPS22FPS18FPS15FPS
4K13FPS11FPS9FPS8FPS

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

1080p · Low

+ MetalFX Balanced

≈ 61 FPS

For 30 FPS

1080p · Medium

≈ 35 FPS

Moving to 1440p High puts the MacBook Air M1 at about 18 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 Resident Evil 2 at a lower internal resolution and reconstructs the image: you gain FPS for a little sharpness. Figures on High with 8 GB.

ResolutionNativeQualityBalancedPerformance
1080p29FPS36FPS43FPS49FPS
1440p18FPS22FPS27FPS31FPS
4K9FPS12FPS14FPS16FPS

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 M1 enough for Resident Evil 2?

It falls short: 29 FPS at 1080p High. For 30 FPS use 1080p Medium.

Struggles · 1440p 18 FPS · 4K 9 FPS

MacBook Air M1 or MacBook Neo for Resident Evil 2?

In Resident Evil 2 at 1080p High, the MacBook Air M1 gets 29 FPS and the MacBook Neo 30 FPS: 3% more.

Resident Evil 2 on MacBook Neo →

MacBook Air M1 specs

MacBook Air M1
Chip
Apple M1
GPU cores
7 / 8
Unified memory
8 / 16 GB
Cooling
Fanless
Geekbench Metal
29,497
Tier
Entry level · 8/100

See the MacBook Air M1’s FPS in every game →

Other Macs with the M1 chip

The Apple M1 also powers the MacBook Pro M1, the Mac mini M1, and the iMac M1. In Resident Evil 2, the Mac mini M1 gets 37 FPS at 1080p High, 28% more than the MacBook Air M1, mainly because its fan keeps clocks up under load.

MacBook Pro M1Mac mini M1iMac M1

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. Resident Evil 2 asks for 8 GB minimum.

Memory1080p High1440p High
8 GB29FPS18FPS
16 GB30FPS19FPS

Other Macs for Resident Evil 2

1080p · High

Resident Evil 2 on every Mac →

Shopping for an all-round gaming Mac? Mac ranking by real FPS →

Other games on the MacBook Air M1

Every game on the MacBook Air M1 →

Official Mac requirements

Minimum
Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later)

Source: apps.apple.com

FAQ

Can the 8 GB MacBook Air M1 run Resident Evil 2?

Yes. With 8 GB we estimate 29 FPS at 1080p High.

Can Resident Evil 2 hit 60 FPS on the MacBook Air M1?

Yes: at 1080p Low + MetalFX Balanced it runs around 61 FPS.

Does the MacBook Air M1 throttle in Resident Evil 2?

The MacBook Air M1 has no fan. In long sessions it lowers clocks to manage heat, and our figures already account for that sustained loss, around 10% in a game this demanding.

What about 1440p and 4K?

On High, the MacBook Air M1 gets about 18 FPS at 1440p and about 9 FPS at 4K in Resident Evil 2. 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 Resident Evil 2 native on Apple Silicon?

Yes, it has a native Apple Silicon version, available on Mac App Store. No CrossOver, Parallels or Game Porting Toolkit needed.