Optimisation guide · Updated October 1, 2026
How to boost Baldur's Gate 3 FPS on Mac
Baldur's Gate 3 runs natively on Apple Silicon Macs. These are the settings that cost the most FPS and the preset that holds 60 FPS on each Mac.
What you would gain on a MacBook Pro M4 Pro
Ultra, unoptimised
50FPS
With the guide’s settings
60FPS
1080p, 24 GB. Applying the guide gains 20% FPS on this Mac. See every figure →
The settings that cost the most FPS
- Shadow Quality: the costliest GPU option in busy scenes. Medium is a good compromise.
- Fog Quality and Cloud Quality: Low barely changes how the game looks from the default camera.
- Animation level of detail and crowd-heavy areas: the Lower City in Act 3 is limited by the CPU, not the GPU.
Which preset to use on each Mac
The highest setting that holds 60 FPS (or 30 when 60 is out of reach).
| Mac | Native | 1080p High |
|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air M1 | — | 14FPS |
| MacBook Pro M1 | — | 18FPS |
| MacBook Pro M1 Pro | 1440p Low · 31 FPS | 35FPS |
| MacBook Air M2 | — | 19FPS |
| MacBook Air M3 | — | 20FPS |
| MacBook Pro M3 Pro | 1440p Medium · 30 FPS | 40FPS |
| MacBook Air M4 | 1080p Medium · 31 FPS | 26FPS |
| MacBook Pro M4 | 1440p Low · 32 FPS | 36FPS |
| Mac mini M4 | 1440p Low · 33 FPS | 37FPS |
| iMac M4 | 1080p High · 30 FPS | 30FPS |
| MacBook Pro M4 Pro | 1080p High · 60 FPS | 60FPS |
| MacBook Pro M4 Max | 1440p High · 67 FPS | 101FPS |
| MacBook Pro M5 | 1080p Medium · 60 FPS | 50FPS |
| MacBook Air M5 | 1440p Low · 31 FPS | 35FPS |
| MacBook Pro M5 Pro | 1440p Low · 66 FPS | 75FPS |
| MacBook Pro M5 Max | 1440p Ultra · 69 FPS | 117FPS |
| Mac mini M6 | 1080p High · 61 FPS | 61FPS |
| Mac mini M5 Pro | 1440p Low · 69 FPS | 77FPS |
| Mac Studio M5 Max | 1440p Ultra · 71 FPS | 119FPS |
| MacBook Neo | — | 14FPS |
Baldur's Gate 3-specific tips
- Expect lower FPS in Act 3 whatever your Mac: lowering resolution helps much less there than in Acts 1 and 2.
- Use the game’s built-in upscaler in Quality mode before dropping below your screen’s native resolution.
- A turn-based game plays fine at 30–40 FPS; prioritise stable frame times over a higher peak.
- Play in full screen so macOS turns on Game Mode, and close your browser: memory is shared with the GPU.
FAQ
Which setting gains the most FPS in Baldur's Gate 3?
Shadow Quality: the costliest GPU option in busy scenes. Medium is a good compromise.
Does Baldur's Gate 3 support MetalFX?
Not in the Mac version: resolution is the setting that matters most.
How many FPS does this guide gain?
On a MacBook Pro M4 Pro, going from Ultra to the recommended settings takes the game from 50 to about 60 FPS at 1080p (+20%).
Want to know exactly how many FPS YOUR Mac gets in Baldur's Gate 3?
Baldur's Gate 3 FPS on every Mac →Estimates from our calibrated formula. Methodology