How many FPS does Total War: PHARAOH get on the MacBook Air M5? 1080p, 1440p and 4K performance
31FPS
1080p High
Estimate
19
1440p
10
4K
About 31 FPS at 1080p on High: Total War: PHARAOH runs natively on the MacBook Air M5 (Apple M5, 8-core GPU, 16 GB). It is playable, with little headroom. For 30 FPS, use 1080p High (about 31 FPS).
Data reviewed October 1, 2026 · how we calculate it
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Total War: PHARAOH FPS on MacBook Air M5 by resolution and quality
Estimate| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 44FPS | 38FPS | 31FPS | 26FPS |
| 1440p | 27FPS | 23FPS | 19FPS | 16FPS |
| 4K | 14FPS | 12FPS | 10FPS | 8FPS |
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 · High
≈ 31 FPS
Moving to 1440p High puts the MacBook Air M5 at about 19 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 M5 enough for Total War: PHARAOH?
Just about: 31 FPS at 1080p High is playable but has no headroom. Dropping to Medium steadies it.
Playable · 1440p 19 FPS · 4K 10 FPS
MacBook Air M5 or MacBook Pro M5 for Total War: PHARAOH?
In Total War: PHARAOH at 1080p High, the MacBook Air M5 gets 31 FPS and the MacBook Pro M5 44 FPS: 42% more.
MacBook Air M5 specs
- Chip
- Apple M5
- GPU cores
- 8 / 10
- Unified memory
- 16 / 24 / 32 GB
- Cooling
- Fanless
- Geekbench Metal
- 65,377
- Tier
- Mid range · 18/100
Other Macs with the M5 chip
The Apple M5 also powers the MacBook Pro M5. In Total War: PHARAOH, the MacBook Pro M5 gets 44 FPS at 1080p High, 42% more than the MacBook Air M5, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 16 GB | 31FPS | 19FPS |
| 24 GB | 31FPS | 19FPS |
| 32 GB | 31FPS | 19FPS |
Other Macs for Total War: PHARAOH
1080p · High
MacBook Pro M5
M5 · 10 GPU
44FPSView analysisMacBook Pro M5 Pro
M5 Pro · 16/20 GPU
66FPSView analysis
Mac mini M5 Pro
M5 Pro · 16/20 GPU
69FPSView analysisMacBook Pro M5 Max
M5 Max · 32/40 GPU
108FPSView analysis
Mac Studio M5 Max
M5 Max · 32/40 GPU
111FPSView analysisMac mini M6
M6 · 12 GPU
54FPSView analysis
MacBook Neo
A18 Pro · 5 GPU
13FPSView analysisMacBook Air M4
M4 · 8/10 GPU
23FPSView 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 M5
- Baldur's Gate 335FPS
- Control Ultimate Edition34FPS
- Death Stranding Director's Cut65FPS
- Hitman World of Assassination71FPS
- Lies of P93FPS
- Metro Exodus54FPS
- Resident Evil 449FPS
- Resident Evil Village49FPS
- Frostpunk 271FPS
- GRID Legends90FPS
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 16 GB MacBook Air M5 run Total War: PHARAOH?
Yes. With 16 GB we estimate 31 FPS at 1080p High.
Can Total War: PHARAOH hit 60 FPS on the MacBook Air M5?
Not consistently. For 30 FPS, use 1080p High (about 31 FPS).
Does the MacBook Air M5 throttle in Total War: PHARAOH?
The MacBook Air M5 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 M5 gets about 19 FPS at 1440p and about 10 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.