Native
Runs directly on Apple Silicon — no extra software.
Difficulty: EasyCost: $69.99Excellent
Native
How to play Assassin's Creed Shadows on Mac
RPG · 2025
Runs natively on Apple Silicon — no extra software needed.
Overall rating: Runs great on Mac · 93% of 259 players say it runs well
Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether Assassin's Creed Shadows will run.
Runs natively on Apple Silicon — no extra software needed.
How to run Assassin's Creed Shadows on your Mac in 2026
Best path: Native Mac build
Assassin's Creed Shadows has a native Apple Silicon build — full Metal acceleration, best battery life, zero faff.
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NativePick | Excellent | Easy | Game price only | |
| Boosteroid | Estimate | Easy | $9.95 /mo | Get it ↗ |
| Xbox Cloud Gaming | Estimate | Easy | $16.99 /mo | Get it ↗ |
| GeForce NOW | Estimate | Easy | Free / $9.99 /mo | Get it ↗ |
Assassin's Creed Shadows
81
Metacritic
8.0
Metacritic Users
Experience an epic action-adventure story set in feudal Japan! Become a lethal shinobi assassin and powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open world in a time of chaos.
Assassin's Creed Shadows has a native Apple Silicon build — download it directly and play without any extra software.
What the world thinks
Performance
How Assassin's Creed Shadows runs on your Mac, from our performance model and player reports.
See exactly how Assassin's Creed Shadows will run on your Mac
Pick your chip and RAM for a personalised estimate.
Recommended settings
Base chips
M1 / M2 / M3 / M4 Base · MacBook Neo
1080p20-30 (demanding — M1/M2 Base may struggle) FPS
Preset: Low
Upscaling: MetalFX Performance
- Dynamic ResolutionEnabled
- Ray TracingLow (cannot disable)
- Shadow QualityLow
- Ambient OcclusionOff
M1 Max is the practical minimum for playable performance. Base chips may dip below 20fps in dense areas.
Pro chips
M1 / M2 / M3 / M4 Pro
1080p30-50 FPS
Preset: Medium
Upscaling: MetalFX Balanced
- Dynamic ResolutionEnabled
- Ray TracingLow
- Shadow QualityMedium
- Volumetric CloudsMedium
Target 30fps for smooth play. Dynamic resolution helps maintain frame rate in open world sections.
Max · Ultra
M1 / M2 / M3 / M4 Max & Ultra
4K40-60 FPS
Preset: High
Upscaling: MetalFX Quality
- Dynamic ResolutionEnabled
- Ray TracingLow
- Shadow QualityHigh
- Volumetric CloudsHigh
M4 Max with 32GB can push Ultra at 4K. Ray tracing is fixed at Low minimum — it cannot be fully disabled.
Don't know your tier?
Sources: macgamingdb.app · reddit.com/r/macgaming
Best way to play it on Mac
Assassin's Creed Shadows has a native Apple Silicon build — download it directly and play without any extra software.
See if this is the right method for your setup
Ways to play Assassin's Creed Shadows on Mac
Native play is available, and Boosteroid and Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce NOW are also available for cloud performance on a strong connection.
Boosteroid
Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.
Difficulty: EasyCost: $9.95 / monthEstimate
Xbox Cloud Gaming
Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.
Difficulty: EasyCost: Game Pass Ultimate subscriptionEstimate
GeForce NOW
Needs 25+ Mbps internet, wired ideal.
Difficulty: EasyCost: Free tier / $9.99+ per monthEstimate
Compare methods at a glance
Lower = betterHow each supported method stacks up on setup effort, time and runtime overhead.
Method
Setup Difficulty
Time Investment
Performance Overhead
- NativeNativeTop pickSetupSimpleTime5 minOverheadLow
- BoosteroidCloudSetupSimpleTime5 minOverheadLow
- Xbox Cloud GamingCloudSetupSimpleTime5 minOverheadLow
- GeForce NOWCloudSetupSimpleTime5 minOverheadLow
Where to buy Assassin's Creed Shadows
Live prices compared across trusted PC key sellers — updates every few hours.
Platform-by-platform reliability
Loading per-platform notes…
Step-by-step setup guides
Idiot-proof walkthroughs for every method.
How to run Assassin's Creed Shadows on Mac with Native
Excellent· NativeAssassin's Creed Shadows has a native Apple Silicon build, which is the gold standard for playing on a Mac. You get full Metal acceleration, best battery life, and no compatibility weirdness. Just buy it from the Mac App Store or Steam for Mac and play.
Step-by-step
- Use the verified store link on this page, or open the store where you already own Assassin's Creed Shadows.
- Confirm the product page lists macOS / Apple Silicon support.
- Install and launch — no extra tools needed.
Video proof
How to run Assassin's Creed Shadows on Mac with Boosteroid
Estimate· StreamingStreaming Assassin's Creed Shadows through Boosteroid is the fastest way to start playing on a Mac — there's nothing to install, no Windows VM, no compatibility layer. The game runs on a remote GPU and your Mac just receives the video, which means even a base M1 MacBook Air can play the most demanding AAA titles at high settings. The tradeoff is that you need a stable internet connection (ideally wired or 5GHz Wi-Fi with 25+ Mbps down) and a subscription.
Step-by-step
- Create a Boosteroid account and pick a plan.
- Use the web client or download the macOS app.
- Add Assassin's Creed Shadows from their library (you'll need to own it on Steam/Epic).
Video proof
Get Boosteroid ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.
How to run Assassin's Creed Shadows on Mac with Xbox Cloud Gaming
Estimate· StreamingStreaming Assassin's Creed Shadows through Xbox Cloud Gaming is the fastest way to start playing on a Mac — there's nothing to install, no Windows VM, no compatibility layer. The game runs on a remote GPU and your Mac just receives the video, which means even a base M1 MacBook Air can play the most demanding AAA titles at high settings. The tradeoff is that you need a stable internet connection (ideally wired or 5GHz Wi-Fi with 25+ Mbps down) and a subscription.
Step-by-step
- Get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
- Open xbox.com/play in Safari, Chrome, or Edge.
- Search Assassin's Creed Shadows and click Play — no install required.
Video proof
Open Xbox Cloud Gaming ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.
How to run Assassin's Creed Shadows on Mac with GeForce NOW
Estimate· StreamingStreaming Assassin's Creed Shadows through GeForce NOW is the fastest way to start playing on a Mac — there's nothing to install, no Windows VM, no compatibility layer. The game runs on a remote GPU and your Mac just receives the video, which means even a base M1 MacBook Air can play the most demanding AAA titles at high settings. The tradeoff is that you need a stable internet connection (ideally wired or 5GHz Wi-Fi with 25+ Mbps down) and a subscription.
Step-by-step
- Sign up at GeForce NOW. The free tier works; Ultimate gives 4K/120fps.
- Download the GeForce NOW Mac app (Apple Silicon native).
- Link your Steam / Epic / Xbox account that owns Assassin's Creed Shadows.
- Search the title in the app and click Play.
Video proof
Start playing on GeForce NOW ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.
Our recommendation
For most Mac players we recommend Native as the fastest, smoothest way to play Assassin's Creed Shadows. Runs directly on Apple Silicon — no extra software.
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| NativePick | Excellent | Easy | Game price only |
| Boosteroid | Estimate | Easy | $9.95 / month |
| Xbox Cloud Gaming | Estimate | Easy | Game Pass Ultimate subscription |
| GeForce NOW | Estimate | Easy | Free tier / $9.99+ per month |
Comments
Share what worked for you running Assassin's Creed Shadows on Mac.
Loading comments…