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'No Man's Sky' now available on Mac via Steam

'No Man's Sky' on Mac

Last updated

No Man's Sky has finally launched on Mac via Steam, and it has cross-save functionality from PC, cross-platform play, and runs on any Apple Silicon Mac.

Apple introduced Metal 3 and MetalFX during WWDC in 2022, and two games were set to take advantage of these systems: No Man's Sky and "Resident Evil: Village." While "Resident Evil: Village" launched in October 2022, No Man's Sky remained absent, until now.

The game finally releases today, June 1, on Mac, and it has some surprises for existing PC players. Anyone who already owns the game in the PC version of Steam gets the Mac version for free.

Also, save data can freely migrate between the Mac and PC version. That means users can play No Man's Sky on their dedicated gaming PC and then take it with them on their MacBook Pro.

No Man's Sky game

No Man's Sky


No Man's Sky is a game about exploration and survival in an infinite procedurally generated universe.

All seven years of updates are included in the Mac version of "No Man's Sky." This is the full game with no compromises, thanks to Metal 3 and MetalFX.

If you haven't heard of No Man's Sky, it's a procedurally generated universe filled with countless solar systems, planets, moons, and space stations waiting to be explored. Players can venture out and explore, build bases, and engage in the trade systems or focus on the main plot, which aims to take players on a journey to the center of the universe.

Cross-save and cross-play compatible Cross-save and cross-play compatible

Since this is the same game that is found on other platforms, it is also cross-play compatible. Mac players can play alongside Xbox, Playstation, PC, and VR users without issue.

MetalFX Upscaling enables fast loading and consistent performance across all Apple Silicon Macs. It also ensures battery life is maintained while playing on MacBooks.

"We've worked closely with Apple to produce a version that feels at home on Mac," a Hello Games press release stated. "This paves our way for an exciting future on Apple hardware."

Compatibility and availability

Any Mac with an M-series processor can handle "No Man's Sky." Even the entry MacBook Air.

'No Man's Sky' available on Steam for Mac 'No Man's Sky' available on Steam for Mac

Limited Intel compatibility is also available. The minimum specs for Intel Macs are an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a Radeon Pro 570X 4GB Graphics Card, and 20GB of storage.

No Man's Sky launches on Mac via Steam today, June 1. The game is expected to arrive on the Mac App Store "shortly."

Hello Games states that players should expect future updates to release simultaneously on Mac going forward.

Get No Man's Sky on Steam for $59.99.



7 Comments

❄️
beowulfschmidt 12 Years · 2361 comments

Cool!  And Mac users should rejoice that they don't have to deal with the mess that was the release version. 🤣

🎅
ArianneFeldry 5 Years · 61 comments

Behold, Mac gaming! Announce a port of a 6 year old game and it is released a year later.

Really makes me want to ditch Windows!

🎄
elijahg 18 Years · 2843 comments

Behold, Mac gaming! Announce a port of a 6 year old game and it is released a year later.

Really makes me want to ditch Windows!

I assume the 6 years was because a tiny team was working on rewriting the engine to support proprietary Metal instead of open source Vulkan. Which is why they also "worked closely with Apple". Well at least they didn't use MoltenVK, I guess. In the intervening years before Vulkan but after people started to move away from DirectX, a couple of OpenGL games turned up. These had support on Macs and Windows almost simultaneously, because the engine didn't need a rewrite. But Apple knows best.

🍪
mygig 10 Years · 40 comments

It has actually become a superb sci-fy game. Recommend it to anyone that likes this genre.

🕯️
Marvin 18 Years · 15355 comments

Behold, Mac gaming! Announce a port of a 6 year old game and it is released a year later.

Really makes me want to ditch Windows!

At the moment, these games are more for people who own Macs out of preference anyway. It runs very well, even on a Macbook Air (1080p, ultra, 60FPS):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-7f-U3Nfwg

Windows gaming laptops are barely usable on battery. Someone may have a big Windows gaming computer and a lightweight Macbook Air. With cross-save, they can play on both and the Air will give them better battery life than any Windows gaming laptop ever would and no fan noise.