Apple Explains How Game Mode Works in macOS Sonoma

[MacRumors]

In macOS Sonoma, Game Mode prioritizes CPU and GPU performance for gaming purposes on Macs. For those unfamiliar with Game Mode, Apple on Tuesday published a support document providing more information on how to use the new feature.

Game Mode optimizes your gaming experience by giving your game the highest priority access to your CPU and GPU, lowering usage for background tasks. And it doubles the Bluetooth sampling rate, which reduces input latency and audio latency for wireless accessories like game controllers and AirPods.

Game Mode requires a Mac with Apple Silicon. Here's how to turn it on in macOS Sonoma.
How to Turn on Game Mode

Game Mode turns on automatically when you use these steps to view your game in full screen:

1. Move your pointer over the green button in the upper-left corner of the game window.
2. Choose Enter Full Screen from the menu that appears.

When you enter full screen in this way, a Game mode menu appears in the menu bar. You can use this menu to confirm that Game mode is turned on for your game.

How to Turn Off Game Mode

Game Mode turns off automatically when you stop viewing your game in full screen, but you can also turn it off while your game is still in full screen mode: From the Game Mode menu in the menu bar, choose Turn Game Mode off. Note that Game Mode will remain off for the game you were playing until you turn it on again, even if you quit and reopen the game.

• How to Pair a PS5 DualSense Edge Controller With Your Mac

Have you seen better gaming performance on your Mac using Game Mode? If so, what games have you been playing? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Apple Explains How Game Mode Works in macOS Sonoma

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

honestly gaming feels MUCH better with game mode (opening control center or notif center is super laggy though but that's the expected tradeoff) . gotta monitor battery consumption

 

[CmdrLaForge]

honestly gaming feels MUCH better with game mode (opening control center or notif center is super laggy though but that's the expected tradeoff) . gotta monitor battery consumption

Which game?

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Which game?

a8

 

[WiiDSmoker]

Dumb question but why wouldn’t I want this on all the time?

 

[ersan191]

Dumb question but why wouldn’t I want this on all the time?

Battery life I would assume. And so one application doesn't hog all of the system resources.

 

[hyena.ftw]

Wishing Apple good luck with this. Should they keep up doing a good job, in a few years time we may see the new generation of gamers who would be preferring to play on Macs and iPads as opposed to gaming PCs and Consoles.

 

[pappkristof]

Does it work on Intel or M1/M2 only?

 

[sack_peak]

Signs that Apple is making efforts to expanding beyond the casual gaming space.

By Dec 2028 the Vision Pro, iPhone, iPad and Mac combined will likely have 20% of the non-casual gaming market.

 

[samuraiQ]

I thought it would switch automatically.
Does that mean it's technically not possible?
Pathetic.

 

[andrewxgx]

I thought it would switch automatically.
Does that mean it's technically not possible?
Pathetic.

did you read the damn article?

 

[Armada2]

Does it work on Intel or M1/M2 only?

Here.. I read the small article for you..

Game Mode requires a Mac with Apple Silicon. Here's how to turn it on in macOS Sonoma.

 

[joptimus]

Any benchmarks yet? If it helps less than 5%, meh.
I‘d rather see Apple throwing money at studios to optimize for AS, too.
Looking at you, Colossal Order and Cities Skylines 2…
The selection of games running on AS Mac at all is small compared to what could be possible.

 

[steve09090]

I thought it would switch automatically.
Does that mean it's technically not possible?
Pathetic.

How to Turn on Game Mode
Game Mode turns on automatically when you use these steps to view your game in full screen:
How to Turn Off Game Mode
Game Mode turns off automatically when you stop viewing your game in full screen, but you can also turn it off while your game is still in full screen mode:

I'm wondering why they even bother putting details in their stories…

 

[Kylo83]

Didn’t notice any difference

 

[benwiggy]

The Game menu isn't available on apps that aren't games. How does it know? Does it only work on a whitelist?

 

[galad]

The Game menu isn't available on apps that aren't games. How does it know? Does it only work on a whitelist?

It checks the app Info.plist LSApplicationCategoryType key. However it could be doing some more checks.

 

[josselinco]

How useful is it on desktops?

 

[Darajavahus]

But some games work better in windowed mode than full screen

 

[PassiveSmoking]

Could this be used to eke more performance out of productivity apps that are GPU-heavy like Blender?

 

[AFPoster]

What game is that in the images?

 

[4odomi]

In macOS Sonoma, Game Mode prioritizes CPU and GPU performance for gaming purposes on Macs. For those unfamiliar with Game Mode, Apple on Tuesday published a support document providing more information on how to use the new feature.

Game Mode requires a Mac with Apple Silicon. Here's how to turn it on in macOS Sonoma.
How to Turn on Game Mode

Game Mode turns on automatically when you use these steps to view your game in full screen:

1. Move your pointer over the green button in the upper-left corner of the game window.
2. Choose Enter Full Screen from the menu that appears.

When you enter full screen in this way, a Game mode menu appears in the menu bar. You can use this menu to confirm that Game mode is turned on for your game.

How to Turn Off Game Mode

Game Mode turns off automatically when you stop viewing your game in full screen, but you can also turn it off while your game is still in full screen mode: From the Game Mode menu in the menu bar, choose Turn Game Mode off. Note that Game Mode will remain off for the game you were playing until you turn it on again, even if you quit and reopen the game.

• How to Pair a PS5 DualSense Edge Controller With Your Mac

Have you seen better gaming performance on your Mac using Game Mode? If so, what games have you been playing? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Apple Explains How Game Mode Works in macOS Sonoma

Seems Apple are getting very serious about gaming, both on Mac & iPhone, however until they get access to Steam on both devises, it's just optics 😏

 

[JosephAW]

Hopefully we can leave it on while using Safari in full screen so it seems snappier.

 

[springsup]

Dumb question but why wouldn’t I want this on all the time?

It de-prioritises other running programs because gaming is typically an immersive experience and you aren't multi-tasking while doing it. The OS already de-prioritises background applications in favour of the foreground application, but this is even more extreme.

 

[springsup]

This is a pretty obscure way of doing it. Not easy to enable or check at all :S