How many FPS does Total War: PHARAOH get on the MacBook Air M2? 1080p, 1440p and 4K performance
17FPS
1080p High
Estimate
10
1440p
5
4K
About 17 FPS at 1080p on High: Total War: PHARAOH runs natively on the MacBook Air M2 (Apple M2, 8-core GPU, 8 GB), but it does not reach 30 FPS even on Low with MetalFX. You need a more powerful Mac to play it smoothly.
Data reviewed October 1, 2026 · how we calculate it
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Total War: PHARAOH FPS on MacBook Air M2 by resolution and quality
Estimate| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 23FPS | 20FPS | 17FPS | 14FPS |
| 1440p | 15FPS | 13FPS | 10FPS | 9FPS |
| 4K | 8FPS | 6FPS | 5FPS | 4FPS |
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
Not reached even on Low at 1080p, nor with MetalFX.
Moving to 1440p High puts the MacBook Air M2 at about 10 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 M2 enough for Total War: PHARAOH?
No: at 17 FPS on 1080p High it is not playable. You need a more powerful Mac.
Too slow · 1440p 10 FPS · 4K 5 FPS
MacBook Air M2 or MacBook Air M3 for Total War: PHARAOH?
In Total War: PHARAOH at 1080p High, the MacBook Air M2 gets 17 FPS and the MacBook Air M3 18 FPS: 6% more.
MacBook Air M2 specs
- Chip
- Apple M2
- GPU cores
- 8 / 10
- Unified memory
- 8 / 16 / 24 GB
- Cooling
- Fanless
- Geekbench Metal
- 39,429
- Tier
- Entry level · 11/100
Other Macs with the M2 chip
The Apple M2 also powers the MacBook Pro M2 and the Mac mini M2. In Total War: PHARAOH, the MacBook Pro M2 gets 24 FPS at 1080p High, 41% more than the MacBook Air M2, 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. Total War: PHARAOH asks for 8 GB minimum.
| Memory | 1080p High | 1440p High |
|---|---|---|
| 8 GB | 17FPS | 10FPS |
| 16 GB | 18FPS | 11FPS |
| 24 GB | 18FPS | 11FPS |
Other Macs for Total War: PHARAOH
1080p · High
Mac mini M2
M2 · 10 GPU
24FPSView analysis
MacBook Pro M2
M2 · 10 GPU
24FPSView analysisMac mini M2 Pro
M2 Pro · 16/19 GPU
41FPSView analysis
MacBook Pro M2 Pro
M2 Pro · 16/19 GPU
39FPSView analysisMacBook Air M3
M3 · 8/10 GPU
18FPSView analysisMacBook Pro M1
M1 · 8 GPU
16FPSView analysis
MacBook Air M1
M1 · 7/8 GPU
12FPSView analysisMacBook Pro M2 Max
M2 Max · 30/38 GPU
68FPSView analysis
Total War: PHARAOH on every Mac →
Shopping for an all-round gaming Mac? Mac ranking by real FPS →
Other games on the MacBook Air M2
- Death Stranding Director's Cut35FPS
- Hitman World of Assassination41FPS
- Lies of P52FPS
- Metro Exodus31FPS
- Frostpunk 240FPS
- GRID Legends51FPS
- No Man's Sky40FPS
- Resident Evil 240FPS
- Resident Evil 330FPS
- Resident Evil 7 biohazard40FPS
Official Mac requirements
- Minimum
- macOS 13.4 · Apple M1 (8-core CPU, 7-core GPU) or better · 8 GB memory · 50 GB storage
Source: store.steampowered.com
FAQ
Can the 8 GB MacBook Air M2 run Total War: PHARAOH?
Yes. With 8 GB we estimate 17 FPS at 1080p High.
Can Total War: PHARAOH hit 60 FPS on the MacBook Air M2?
Not consistently. It does not even reach 30 FPS on Low.
Does the MacBook Air M2 throttle in Total War: PHARAOH?
The MacBook Air M2 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 M2 gets about 10 FPS at 1440p and about 5 FPS at 4K in Total War: PHARAOH. 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. Total War: PHARAOH has no MetalFX on Mac. Ray tracing, where a game offers it, costs a lot of FPS on any Mac.
Is Total War: PHARAOH native on Apple Silicon?
Yes, it has a native Apple Silicon version ported by Feral Interactive, available on Steam. No CrossOver, Parallels or Game Porting Toolkit needed.