Questions
Game Mode on a Mac, and what it does for a controller
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. You do not switch it on in System Settings; there is no such setting. You make the game full screen, and you turn it off or back on from the Game icon in the menu bar.
What it does
Apple lists two things (Use Game Mode). The game gets the highest priority on the CPU and GPU, and background tasks get less. And 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.
Which Macs have 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.
How to turn Game Mode on
Make the game full screen: use the game's own full-screen or display setting, or the green button at the top left of its window. When Game Mode is on, a Game icon appears in the menu bar. 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 (next section).
How to 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 page and apply to that game only.
Game Mode and 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, 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, Share or View for three seconds instead of the Home button. See emergency stop.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Questions
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).
Is there a Game Mode setting in System Settings?
No. Game Mode has no switch in System Settings. It follows the game: full screen turns it on, and the Game icon or Game menu in the menu bar turns it off or on for that game.
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.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.