Good afternoon. I have a copy of Bioshock Infinite I purchased from the Mac App Store that I'd like to install on my new M4 MacBook Air. I Mac App Store states that it is not compatible since it is so old but I wanted to ask if anyone had suggestions about options (e.g., Parallels) there may be to run an old game on this new Mac?
Thank you, in advance.
MacBook Air 15″, macOS 15.3
Bioshock infinite might use 32-bit code.
https://steamcommunity.com/app/8870/discussions/0/1744512350929609213/
Rosetta 2 does not support running 32-bit code in translation, and since VMs on Apple Silicon Macs are ARM VMs, you can’t set up a pre-Catalina version of macOS inside a VM to use it to run the game.
No. A game like BioShock requires a lot of system resources to maintain decent frame rates and a VM is not going to cut it.
BioShock was created for Intel CPUs so even if CodeWeavers' CrossOver Mac would allow the app to run, performance may still be a huge issue. This is the best option that has any hope of working unless 2K Games decides to make an M-series port (doubtful). CodeWeavers does provide a free trial period.
Unless the game is available from the Apple App Store specifically for an M-series Mac, then be very careful about purchasing any game from any other source. Games are not like standard apps when it comes to compatibility. Games usually require a lot of system resources so any compatibility layers will tend to have a negative impact on game performance. Plus games are coded to use very specific CPUs & GPUs.....so using anything else will likely result in issues of some sort. As you have discovered with BioShock Infinite, you cannot go by the system requirements which mention macOS version XX+ or CPU/GPU YY+.
Keep in mind Macs are and have never been a gaming platform/computer. Yes, some games are available for certain Macs and will run fine, but you must do thorough research to determine if a particular game will work with a specific model Mac and its version of macOS and how well it performs. Be careful since some people may say a game works fine for them even if it is stuttering at low frame rates....some people don't care.
If you want to play games on a computer, then a Windows gaming system is the best option. A dedicated game console such as XBox or PlayStation are usually the best option so you don't have to deal with Windows issues & hardware issues/compatibility.
Edit: Actually just stumbled across this site which has one review where a user mentions BioShock Infinite runs fine using an M1 Mac and Parallels 16 (take it with caution since only one person has provided the rating):
https://www.applegamingwiki.com/wiki/BioShock_Infinite
Install old Mac game on M4 with Sequoia. What options to I have?
