MacGameFPS

How many FPS does Valheim get on the MacBook Air M3? 1080p, 1440p and 4K performance

65FPS

1080p High

Estimate

40

1440p

21

4K

Excellent

About 65 FPS at 1080p on High: Valheim runs natively on the MacBook Air M3 (Apple M3, 8-core GPU, 8 GB). It has headroom to spare, so you can raise resolution or quality.

Data reviewed October 1, 2026 · how we calculate it

Valheim FPS on MacBook Air M3 by resolution and quality

Estimate
ResolutionLowMediumHighUltra
1080p90FPS78FPS65FPS54FPS
1440p57FPS49FPS40FPS34FPS
4K29FPS25FPS21FPS17FPS

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 · High

≈ 65 FPS

For 30 FPS

1440p · Ultra

≈ 34 FPS

Moving to 1440p High puts the MacBook Air M3 at about 40 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 Valheim?

Yes, comfortably: 65 FPS at 1080p High. You can move to 1440p (40 FPS) or your display’s native resolution.

Excellent · 1440p 40 FPS · 4K 21 FPS

MacBook Air M3 or MacBook Air M4 for Valheim?

In Valheim at 1080p High, the MacBook Air M3 gets 65 FPS and the MacBook Air M4 77 FPS: 18% more.

MacBook Air M3 specs

MacBook Air M3
Chip
Apple M3
GPU cores
8 / 10
Unified memory
8 / 16 / 24 GB
Cooling
Fanless
Geekbench Metal
41,753
Tier
Entry level · 11/100

See the MacBook Air M3’s FPS in every game →

Other Macs with the M3 chip

The Apple M3 also powers the MacBook Pro M3 and the iMac M3. In Valheim, the MacBook Pro M3 gets 83 FPS at 1080p High, 28% 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. Valheim asks for 8 GB minimum.

Memory1080p High1440p High
8 GB65FPS40FPS
16 GB65FPS40FPS
24 GB65FPS40FPS

Other Macs for Valheim

1080p · High

Valheim on every Mac →

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

Other games on the MacBook Air M3

Every game on the MacBook Air M3 →

Official Mac requirements

Minimum
macOS 11 or later · 2.6 GHz quad-core · 8 GB memory · Radeon Pro 450 or R9 M290X · 3 GB storage
Recommended
macOS 14 or later · Apple M1 · 16 GB memory · 3 GB storage

Source: store.steampowered.com

FAQ

Can the 8 GB MacBook Air M3 run Valheim?

Yes. With 8 GB we estimate 65 FPS at 1080p High.

Can Valheim hit 60 FPS on the MacBook Air M3?

Yes: at 1080p High it runs around 65 FPS.

Does the MacBook Air M3 throttle in Valheim?

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 5% in a game this demanding.

What about 1440p and 4K?

On High, the MacBook Air M3 gets about 40 FPS at 1440p and about 21 FPS at 4K in Valheim. 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. Valheim has no MetalFX on Mac. Ray tracing, where a game offers it, costs a lot of FPS on any Mac.

Is Valheim native on Apple Silicon?

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