MacGameFPS

How many FPS does Stellaris get on the MacBook Pro M4? 1080p, 1440p and 4K performance

98FPS

1080p High

Estimate

63

1440p

32

4K

Excellent

About 98 FPS at 1080p on High: Stellaris runs through Rosetta 2 on the MacBook Pro M4 (Apple M4, 10-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

Stellaris FPS on MacBook Pro M4 by resolution and quality

Estimate
ResolutionLowMediumHighUltra
1080p131FPS116FPS98FPS83FPS
1440p87FPS75FPS63FPS52FPS
4K45FPS39FPS32FPS27FPS

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 · High

≈ 63 FPS

For 30 FPS

1440p · Ultra

≈ 52 FPS

Moving to 1440p High puts the MacBook Pro M4 at about 63 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 Pro M4 enough for Stellaris?

Yes, comfortably: 98 FPS at 1080p High. You can move to 1440p (63 FPS) or your display’s native resolution.

Excellent · 1440p 63 FPS · 4K 32 FPS

MacBook Pro M4 or MacBook Air M5 for Stellaris?

In Stellaris at 1080p High, the MacBook Pro M4 gets 98 FPS and the MacBook Air M5 104 FPS: 6% more.

MacBook Pro M4 specs

MacBook Pro M4
Chip
Apple M4
GPU cores
10
Unified memory
16 / 24 / 32 GB
Cooling
Fan
Geekbench Metal
59,901
Tier
Entry level · 16/100

See the MacBook Pro M4’s FPS in every game →

Other Macs with the M4 chip

The Apple M4 also powers the MacBook Air M4, the Mac mini M4, and the iMac M4. In Stellaris they perform practically the same as the MacBook Pro M4.

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. Stellaris asks for 8 GB minimum.

Memory1080p High1440p High
16 GB98FPS63FPS
24 GB98FPS63FPS
32 GB98FPS63FPS

Other Macs for Stellaris

1080p · High

Stellaris on every Mac →

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

Other games on the MacBook Pro M4

Every game on the MacBook Pro M4 →

Official Mac requirements

Minimum
macOS 13 Ventura · Intel Core i5-4570S · 8 GB memory · 1 GB GPU · 10 GB storage · Intel build, runs on Apple silicon through Rosetta 2
Recommended
macOS 13 Ventura · Intel Core i5-4670 · 8 GB memory · 2 GB GPU

Source: store.steampowered.com

FAQ

Can the 16 GB MacBook Pro M4 run Stellaris?

Yes. With 16 GB we estimate 98 FPS at 1080p High.

Can Stellaris hit 60 FPS on the MacBook Pro M4?

Yes: at 1440p High it runs around 63 FPS.

What about 1440p and 4K?

On High, the MacBook Pro M4 gets about 63 FPS at 1440p and about 32 FPS at 4K in Stellaris. 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. Stellaris has no MetalFX on Mac. Ray tracing, where a game offers it, costs a lot of FPS on any Mac.

Is Stellaris native on Apple Silicon?

Not quite: it has an official macOS version, 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.