Game Mode on a Mac: turn it off, and what it does for a controller
InputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
Game Mode turns on by itself when a game goes full screen on a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS Sonoma 14 or later. It gives the game first call on the CPU and GPU, and it doubles the Bluetooth sampling rate, which cuts input lag for wireless controllers and AirPods. There is no switch for it in System Settings: you make the game full screen, and you turn it off or back on from the Game icon in the menu bar.
On this page
Steps
- Make the game full screen with its own display setting or the green window button.
- Look for the Game icon in the menu bar.
- If it was turned off for this game, turn it back on from the Game icon or Game menu.
Know what it does, and what it does not
Apple lists two things (Use Game Mode):
- Priority. The game gets the highest priority on the CPU and GPU, and background tasks get less.
- Bluetooth. The Bluetooth sampling rate doubles, which reduces input latency for controllers and audio latency for wireless headphones.
It ends when you quit the game. It does not change what any button does, and it does nothing for a game streamed from the cloud, where the delay is the network. For those, see controller input lag on a Mac.
Check that your Mac has it
Any Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) on macOS Sonoma 14 or later. Intel Macs do not get Game Mode. On an Intel Mac, the way to cut controller lag is a cable straight into the Mac, and a clear line between the controller and the Mac.
Turn Game Mode on
- You: Make the game full screen, with the game's own full-screen or display setting, or the green button at the top left of its window.
- macOS: Turns on Game Mode and shows a Game icon in the menu bar.
- Check: If the game is in a window, or the icon never appears, Game Mode is not running for it.
If you turned it off for a game before, it stays off for that game, even after you quit and reopen it. That is the most common reason a game that used to feel fine starts lagging. Turn it back on the same way you turned it off, in turn it off or back on.
Turn it off or back on
- macOS Tahoe 26 and later. With the game full screen, click the Game icon in the menu bar or press Command-Esc, click Settings, then switch Game Mode.
- macOS Sequoia 15 and Sonoma 14. Click the Game menu in the menu bar and choose Turn Game Mode Off, or Turn Game Mode On.
Both steps are from Apple's Game Mode page, read October 27, 2026, and apply to that game only.
If Game Mode is missing or grayed out, the Game Mode not working page goes through each cause.
Game Overlay and the shortcut
On macOS Tahoe 26 or later, Command-Esc opens Game Overlay while the game is full screen. Click the Settings button there, then Game Mode. The Game icon in the menu bar opens the same overlay. Apple's page gives no other shortcut for Game Mode itself. Command-Esc is the shortcut, and it only works while the game is full screen.
Use Game Mode with a mapped controller
If you play with the controller mapped to keys and the mouse through InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store, the app reads the controller at its own polling rate, which Game Mode does not change. Out of the box that is 120 times a second on the power adapter and 60 on battery. For aiming on a MacBook away from the charger, set Settings, Advanced, Polling rate, On battery to 120 or 240.
One more thing I built around: with Game Mode on, macOS can keep a press of the controller's Home or PS button for itself, so an app may never see it. That is why InputConfig's emergency stop defaults to holding Back and Start together for three seconds instead of the Home button. See emergency stop.
The short version
- It is automatic. Full screen on an Apple silicon Mac with Sonoma or later turns it on.
- It remembers. Turned off once for a game, it stays off for that game until you turn it back on.
- It helps Bluetooth. The doubled sampling cuts controller and AirPods lag.
If a game suddenly feels laggy, check the Game icon before anything else.
Questions
How do I turn off Game Mode on a Mac?
Make the game full screen. On macOS Tahoe 26 or later, click the Game icon in the menu bar or press Command-Esc, click Settings, then click Game Mode. On Sequoia and Sonoma, click the Game menu and choose Turn Game Mode Off.
Why is Game Mode grayed out or not turning on?
Apple says it needs an Apple silicon Mac, macOS Sonoma 14 or later, and a game that supports macOS full-screen mode. Make the game full screen first, because in a window the Game icon never appears. I have not seen Apple describe a grayed out switch beyond that.
Does Game Mode reduce controller input lag on a Mac?
Yes. Apple says it doubles the Bluetooth sampling rate, which reduces input latency for wireless controllers. It needs an Apple silicon Mac on macOS Sonoma or later, and the game must be full screen.
How do I turn on Game Mode on my MacBook?
Make the game full screen and it turns on by itself. If it was turned off for that game before, turn it back on from the Game icon in the menu bar (Tahoe: Command-Esc, then Settings) or the Game menu (Sonoma and Sequoia).
How do I turn Game Mode off for good on a Mac?
You cannot do it everywhere at once. Game Mode has no switch in System Settings, and Apple's page describes no global setting. Turning it off is per game, and Apple says it stays off for that game until you turn it on again, even after you quit and reopen it.
Does Game Mode work on an Intel Mac?
No. It needs a Mac with Apple silicon. On an Intel Mac, use a cable for the controller and keep the Mac's Wi-Fi on 5 GHz.
Does Game Mode help AirPods too?
Yes. Apple says the doubled Bluetooth sampling rate also reduces audio latency for wireless headphones like AirPods.
Does Game Mode use more battery?
Apple's Game Mode page says nothing about battery. It gives the game priority on the CPU and GPU, and I have not measured the difference on a MacBook.
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