How many FPS does Total War: PHARAOH get on the MacBook Air M3? 1080p, 1440p and 4K performance
18FPS
1080p High
Estimate
11
1440p
6
4K
About 18 FPS at 1080p on High: Total War: PHARAOH runs natively on the MacBook Air M3 (Apple M3, 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 M3 by resolution and quality
Estimate| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 25FPS | 22FPS | 18FPS | 15FPS |
| 1440p | 16FPS | 13FPS | 11FPS | 9FPS |
| 4K | 8FPS | 7FPS | 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
Not reached even on Low at 1080p, nor with MetalFX.
Moving to 1440p High puts the MacBook Air M3 at about 11 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 M3 enough for Total War: PHARAOH?
No: at 18 FPS on 1080p High it is not playable. You need a more powerful Mac.
Too slow · 1440p 11 FPS · 4K 6 FPS
MacBook Air M3 or MacBook Air M4 for Total War: PHARAOH?
In Total War: PHARAOH at 1080p High, the MacBook Air M3 gets 18 FPS and the MacBook Air M4 23 FPS: 28% 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 Total War: PHARAOH, the MacBook Pro M3 gets 25 FPS at 1080p High, 39% 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. Total War: PHARAOH asks for 8 GB minimum.
| Memory | 1080p High | 1440p High |
|---|---|---|
| 8 GB | 18FPS | 11FPS |
| 16 GB | 19FPS | 12FPS |
| 24 GB | 19FPS | 12FPS |
Other Macs for Total War: PHARAOH
1080p · High
MacBook Pro M3
M3 · 10 GPU
25FPSView analysis
iMac M3
M3 · 8/10 GPU
21FPSView analysisMacBook Pro M3 Pro
M3 Pro · 14/18 GPU
36FPSView analysis
MacBook Neo
A18 Pro · 5 GPU
13FPSView analysisMacBook Air M4
M4 · 8/10 GPU
23FPSView analysisMacBook Pro M4
M4 · 10 GPU
32FPSView analysis
Mac mini M4
M4 · 10 GPU
33FPSView analysisiMac M4
M4 · 8/10 GPU
27FPSView 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 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
- 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 M3 run Total War: PHARAOH?
Yes. With 8 GB we estimate 18 FPS at 1080p High.
Can Total War: PHARAOH hit 60 FPS on the MacBook Air M3?
Not consistently. It does not even reach 30 FPS on Low.
Does the MacBook Air M3 throttle in Total War: PHARAOH?
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 11 FPS at 1440p and about 6 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.