Many MacBook Air owners wonder if they can run The Sims 4 on their devices. Keep reading this guide to find the answer.
Can my MacBook Air run The Sims 4?
Your MacBook Air can run The Sims 4, but it will get hot after about an hour of playing. To keep it from getting too hot, don’t play for more than an hour at a stretch.
MacBook Air computers are not powerful devices and are not designed for gaming.
The Sims 4 is a complex game that demands significant processing power and memory, and your MacBook Air may struggle to run it.
However, this doesn’t mean MacBook Airs cannot run The Sims 4.
By adjusting your graphics settings to low and closing all other programs and tasks on your device, you should be able to launch the game, although performance may be suboptimal.
Remember that adding more packs to your game will slow down your MacBook Air further.
Additionally, using a lot of custom content will only contribute to a decrease in-game performance.
Playing The Sims 4 on MacBook Air can speed up battery wear
Playing Sims 4 on a MacBook Air can wear out your battery faster due to processor and GPU strain and heat buildup.
MacBook Airs aren’t built for heavy gaming, and Sims 4’s graphics demand a lot on high settings. This strains the processor and graphics card, causing more power usage.
Gaming generates heat, and MacBook Airs have limited cooling. This heat can harm the battery’s performance over time.
Battery Impact
- Continuous gaming can lead to a lower maximum charge capacity.
- Gaming accelerates the number of charge cycles, affecting the overall lifespan of the battery.
Preventive Steps:
- Use a cooling pad to prevent overheating during gaming.
- Lower in-game graphics settings to ease the strain on your MacBook Air.
- Avoid long gaming sessions on battery power. Plug in your MacBook to reduce battery strain.
The Sims 4 won’t run on non-Metal MacBooks
The Sims 4 is no longer supported on Non-Metal Mac OS devices.
Apple discontinued support for the OpenGL graphics processing technology, transitioning to the Metal technology.
As a result, EA updated The Sims 4 to exclusively support Metal.
If you’re unable to upgrade to a new MacOS device with Metal support, you can still play The Sims 4: Legacy Edition.
In summary, The Sims 4 is no longer supported on MacBook devices older than 7 years.
Sims 4 game bugs on Macbook Air
Running The Sims 4 on an older MacBook Air may lead to glitches.
For instance, when you rotate the camera, it might move in the opposite direction, and moving the mouse to the right could make it go left.
Many MacBook Air users have complained about their devices getting excessively hot during Sims 4 gameplay, suggesting overheating is a common issue.
To mitigate this, place your computer on a cooling pad while gaming.
Also, be prepared for non-instantaneous loading times and frequent lag issues.
Conclusion
MacBook Air devices cannot smoothly run The Sims 4 due to their low graphics and processing power.
To improve your gaming experience, enable Laptop Mode and lower your settings.
While you can install and run The Sims 4 on MacBook Air devices with Metal support, your gaming experience will likely disappoint.
Expect lag and various graphics glitches during gameplay.
For a better gaming experience, you should play the Sims on a Macbook Pro version or, better yet, a Windows computer.
By the way, you can transfer your Sims 4 saves from your Mac to your PC.
Feel free to use the comment section below to tell us more about your Sims gaming experience on MacBook Air.
Updated in December 2023.