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Parallels Desktop gaming performance?
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There's no DirectX 12 support, so that will limit what you can play on it. You're bumping up against a couple of issues, you're running Arm version of Windows, within a VM that has limited DX support. Any game you play within windows will be via emulation, so you're incurring a penalty right there. Given the performance of the M1 Pro, I think non-AAA games should be ok, but any demanding games will be a no go imo
I am not a gamer, but it's interesting that DxDiag reports DirectX 12 with the latest Parallels (see below). Maybe just emulating what is lacking in driver(s)? I can't find any mention of DX12 n the Parallels web site though; DX11 was supported all the way back in Parallels 15. I don't have a benchmark that runs DX12, but it's interesting...
Their product page only mentions DX11 and from googling it, people are still waiting for DX12 to show up. I've tried some games on my MBP and so far it doesn't really do as well as I had hoped. That was a while ago, maybe I'll retry again and see what happens.
I've tried Parallels a number of times in the past to run games and there have *always* been fairly nasty problems. Even with older non-demanding titles, where performance is fine, I've had flickering screens, woeful loading times, a host of rendering issues, and the like.
I gave up and will never be bothering to try it again.
IMHO, save the few good Mac compatible games for when you are traveling and have no internet. The rest of the time just build yourself a very modest PC Gaming Rig and then stream your games to your laptop, iPad, etc. using Steam. Works like a charm with excellent results. Streaming is the limit, so you'll only need to build a rig that can manage 60fps at 1080p, which you can do with some budget equipment on the PC side if you really want to.
I gave up and will never be bothering to try it again.
IMHO, save the few good Mac compatible games for when you are traveling and have no internet. The rest of the time just build yourself a very modest PC Gaming Rig and then stream your games to your laptop, iPad, etc. using Steam. Works like a charm with excellent results. Streaming is the limit, so you'll only need to build a rig that can manage 60fps at 1080p, which you can do with some budget equipment on the PC side if you really want to.
Make sure you are evaluating comments or opinions based on current versions of Parallels. Consider comments that offer specific guidance not generalities. You can find the full gamut of positive/negative comments about any piece of software/hardware available today, that kind of advice is largely worthless. And there is always someone that will offer their own opinion "Just do this" with no substance to help you evaluate if that makes sense to you. You are looking at a financial decision here, and you wouldn't buy a car based on similar whimsical advice.
A lot of people base their comments on old versions, maybe even 3 major releases ago, and not on Windows 11 possibly - that was only fully supported on Parallels 18. Make sure any specific opinions you consider are Windows 11 and Parallels 18.1.1, or at least Parallels 18.1, which had gaming improvements. Use a definitive source; for example, the AppleGamingWiki web site, tracks games by title and how well they run - as you can see if you go there, a lot of games run "perfectly". It's current (last update today!) and crowd-sourced to keep it accurate. Check the games you want to play there, you may have good luck but at least you will know the truth for you, and will make a buying decision that you will be happy with.
BTW, you can search that site for "Fortnite", and it says the same thing - can't play due to anti-cheat software. I read that anti-cheat is a show stopper right now. But do a search on that site for other games if they do not show up in the compatibility list.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
A lot of people base their comments on old versions, maybe even 3 major releases ago, and not on Windows 11 possibly - that was only fully supported on Parallels 18. Make sure any specific opinions you consider are Windows 11 and Parallels 18.1.1, or at least Parallels 18.1, which had gaming improvements. Use a definitive source; for example, the AppleGamingWiki web site, tracks games by title and how well they run - as you can see if you go there, a lot of games run "perfectly". It's current (last update today!) and crowd-sourced to keep it accurate. Check the games you want to play there, you may have good luck but at least you will know the truth for you, and will make a buying decision that you will be happy with.
BTW, you can search that site for "Fortnite", and it says the same thing - can't play due to anti-cheat software. I read that anti-cheat is a show stopper right now. But do a search on that site for other games if they do not show up in the compatibility list.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Geforce Now.... I use it for Elite Dangerous, works a treat streamed to my Mac.
I was even sadder when they dropped any further developement on Console. Hence why I've gone the GFN route....
To be clear, I'm currently running Parallels 18.x.x across 3 machines for an array of needs. Still would not recommend using it for gaming unless you only want to run a handful of games that are explicitly known to be 100% working (without jumping through hoops.) I never found a title that ran the way I wanted. Not. A. Single. One. So be sure it's on the list mentioned above and that you won't be floundering with a bunch of titles that just don't work well.
The streaming method from your own game rig (or a subscription service; personally I'm less fond of that, but that's more of a personal preference thing.) For example; you can pair an xbox controller to your iPad, then set your iPad to stream to your Airplay compatible device, and then your iPad will essentially work as a go-between for your game rig and your game rig controller, and TV or Projector; and as long as you have a reasonably decent connection it works *incredibly* well. Over the internet also works very well as long as your connection is stable (overall speed is less important than stability and latency). You can do things like play games using the positional hardware on your iPad also. I can play Outer Worlds on my game rig, put the touch controls on the iPad, hold it and move it around, and my viewport is moving as I do (think; 'poor version of VR' - but it's still a pretty cool thing.)
The streaming method from your own game rig (or a subscription service; personally I'm less fond of that, but that's more of a personal preference thing.) For example; you can pair an xbox controller to your iPad, then set your iPad to stream to your Airplay compatible device, and then your iPad will essentially work as a go-between for your game rig and your game rig controller, and TV or Projector; and as long as you have a reasonably decent connection it works *incredibly* well. Over the internet also works very well as long as your connection is stable (overall speed is less important than stability and latency). You can do things like play games using the positional hardware on your iPad also. I can play Outer Worlds on my game rig, put the touch controls on the iPad, hold it and move it around, and my viewport is moving as I do (think; 'poor version of VR' - but it's still a pretty cool thing.)
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Sorry to not answer your initial question but I am a bit surprised about the posts here. I game on an M1 MBA under Parallels, Crossover and Native and there are many games that work very well.
ARK
Satisfactory
Crusader Kings 3
Valheim
Empyrion
Captain of Industry
Soviet Republic Workers and Resources
Final Frontier
Humankind
…
and of course games like Rimworld, Terraria and Dwarf Fortress.
If you need a special title to be tested or more information, just ask.
Kind regards
Mario
Author of Silversword RPG and Lootbox RPG
ARK
Satisfactory
Crusader Kings 3
Valheim
Empyrion
Captain of Industry
Soviet Republic Workers and Resources
Final Frontier
Humankind
…
and of course games like Rimworld, Terraria and Dwarf Fortress.
If you need a special title to be tested or more information, just ask.
Kind regards
Mario
Author of Silversword RPG and Lootbox RPG
Hey puzzel, would you be willing to try out Lord of the Rings Online? (free to sign up)
Thanks!
--rob
Thanks!
--rob
On an M-series Mac? Or Intel-based Mac?
While Parallels with Win 11 (for ARM) on my M1 Pro is serviceable, it's hardly fast, even for office-style apps. Can't imagine trying to game on it.
I am talking about a Macbook Air M1 (2020) with 16 GB RAM and 8 GPU Cores (not 7).
I am running Parallels 18.1.1 under Macos Ventura 13.1 with Windows 11 Home 21H2 (for ARM).
8 GB are dedicated to my VM.
Windows starts up in under 5 seconds and is blazing fast no matter what Software I try to use.
Office runs super fast, Visual Studio runs super fast, I even use it to compile the Windows-Version of Lootbox RPG with Unity3D for Distribution on Steam.
All titles from above run with reasonable fps. ARK of course only with nearly lowest details but still playable.
Crusader Kings 3 runs faster under Parallels/Win than the native Macos game Client.
Of course, it doesn't beat my Windows Gaming Laptop with a GeForce 3060 GPU. But you can play many games (just look at the already mentioned Apple Gaming Wiki Website) - LOTRO being one of them with fantastic fps - even on battery for hours. And it does not make -any- noise. Because it is... fanless. And I never experienced any GPU throttling due to high temperature in the past 18 months.
I am running Parallels 18.1.1 under Macos Ventura 13.1 with Windows 11 Home 21H2 (for ARM).
8 GB are dedicated to my VM.
Windows starts up in under 5 seconds and is blazing fast no matter what Software I try to use.
Office runs super fast, Visual Studio runs super fast, I even use it to compile the Windows-Version of Lootbox RPG with Unity3D for Distribution on Steam.
All titles from above run with reasonable fps. ARK of course only with nearly lowest details but still playable.
Crusader Kings 3 runs faster under Parallels/Win than the native Macos game Client.
Of course, it doesn't beat my Windows Gaming Laptop with a GeForce 3060 GPU. But you can play many games (just look at the already mentioned Apple Gaming Wiki Website) - LOTRO being one of them with fantastic fps - even on battery for hours. And it does not make -any- noise. Because it is... fanless. And I never experienced any GPU throttling due to high temperature in the past 18 months.
I'm impressed then. For me, it's functional, but "blazing" isn't a word I would use to describe it.
There are games that are natively supported by macOS, and they are running really well. Try installing some games from App Store like Asphalt 9 or Castlevania. Some steam games have mac versions too.
Probably not good. I was able to play Age of Empires II Directors Cut on a MacBook Air M1, 8GB RAM. It ran... barely. For MacBook Pro, you'll have to use Windows 11 ARM, and any game will be running in an Intel Emulator. Plus, you usually need 1/2 your RAM free, so if you have an 8GB machine, you can only give Windows 11 4 GB of RAM.