Apple is determined to make Mac a reference platform for gaming and has managed to secure a new AAA game for its repertoire: Cyberpunk 2077. The announcement comes from CD Projekt RED, the Polish studio behind the game, mentioning that the Ultimate Edition of Cyberpunk 2077 will be launched on Apple devices with Apple silicon in 2025.
Although the exact date has not been disclosed, the company promises a launch at the beginning of next year. By then, more than four years will have passed since the initial release of Cyberpunk 2077, which appeared in December 2020 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and later, in February 2022, it arrived on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Cyberpunk 2077 will be available on the Mac App Store and on additional platforms such as Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.com. Moreover, those who have acquired the Windows version on the Steam platform will receive immediate access to the macOS version.
Since what will arrive on Mac is the Ultimate Edition, users will have access to both the base game of Cyberpunk 2077 and the DLC Phantom Liberty, which was released in September 2023. Although the price has not been confirmed yet, it can currently be purchased in major digital stores for a range of $65 to $67. It will be interesting to see if it introduces any notable discounts upon its arrival on the Apple platform.
Despite its initial problematic launch, Cyberpunk 2077 has significantly improved since then and has become a very popular option. The current PC version has almost 83% positive reviews on Steam and attracts tens of thousands of players every day. However, its developers have indicated that they do not plan to release any more expansions after Phantom Liberty.
Cyberpunk 2077 arrives on Mac to take full advantage of Apple Silicon
Among the highlighted features of Cyberpunk 2077 once it lands on Mac are ray tracing, frame generation, and integrated support for Spatial Audio. The CD Projekt RED title even had a brief appearance in the launch video of the new MacBook Pro with M4 chip. Apple described it as “one of the most complex and graphically demanding games ever created”.
It will be interesting to discover if the game adapts without difficulties to all generations of Apple Silicon or if only Macs with more recent versions of these chips will be able to take full advantage of it. Apple has intensified its support for gaming, especially with the more powerful models of the M2 series.
Indeed, at WWDC 2023, Apple revealed the Game Porting Toolkit, a set of tools designed to help video game developers adapt their creations to Mac without needing to alter any code. This kit includes a DirectX 12 emulator, which has already been tested by some enthusiasts, including Cyberpunk 2077.
A user was able to run the game on a MacBook Pro M1 with 16 GB of RAM using Apple technology, although the performance was not optimal, reaching only a maximum of 15 frames per second with Ultra graphics. However, it was a promising example of what could be possible.
Aside from Cyberpunk 2077, Apple has indicated that Assassin’s Creed Shadows, from Ubisoft, will be available on Mac starting from February 14th. These games will join other AAA proposals already available on the Apple ecosystem, including Death Stranding, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and the remake of Resident Evil 2, which is scheduled for release on macOS and iOS in December.
credits for the images of this post: Hipertextual.com
