Cyberpunk 2077 comes to Apple Silicon next year with path tracing and frame generation

In brief: Apple Silicon processors can run demanding AAA games like Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed, and Baldur's Gate 3 at high frame rates, but Cyberpunk 2077 is on another level. The bleeding-edge RPG will likely put Macs to the ultimate test as it brings new technologies to Apple's platform.

CD Projekt Red and Apple have confirmed plans to launch Cyberpunk 2077 and its expansion, Phantom Liberty, on Apple Silicon Macs early next year. While an exact release date is still forthcoming, the game will be available on the Mac App Store, Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store.

It remains unclear whether users who already own the game on any of those platforms will automatically receive access to the Mac port. Given that CDPR specifically mentioned the Ultimate Edition bundle, it is possible that the Mac version will be free for current Phantom Liberty owners.

The first-person RPG, which launched to harsh criticism in late 2020 but redeemed itself with significant patches over the following three years, will be an interesting test of Apple Silicon's gaming capabilities. Although some high-end games run smoothly on recent Mac systems, none utilize the demanding ray tracing technology that Cyberpunk 2077 is famous for.

For instance, the Mac release of Resident Evil Village disabled the ray tracing features available in the PC and console versions. By contrast, Apple and CDPR have confirmed that the macOS release of Cyberpunk will include path tracing – a more advanced form of ray tracing that, when used in 4K, challenges even the most powerful dedicated graphics cards.

In a recent overview of ray tracing implementations across 36 games, we cited CDPR's RPG as one of a handful of titles where the technology significantly enhances visual quality.

Also read: Path Tracing vs. Ray Tracing, Explained

Apple's processors are expected to rely heavily on MetalFX to run the game. MetalFX upscaling has previously shown performance and image quality results comparable to Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR, but Cyberpunk 2077 is the first title confirmed to integrate frame generation into Apple's toolchain.

The game's announcement coincides with the reveal of an upgraded iMac, Mac Mini, and MacBook Pro, featuring the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max processors.

Apple is also expected to release M4-powered versions of the MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro next year. The Mac Pro may even feature an as-yet-unannounced M4 Ultra processor, which could further enhance performance for tasks like path tracing.

A grid of upcoming Apple Silicon titles, shown during the M4 MacBook Pro unveiling presentation, suggests that more high-end games are expected to come to the Mac next year.

The presentation included a brief clip from the upcoming Assassin's Creed Shadows, which may also utilize ray tracing on M-series chips. Other titles in the lineup include RoboCop: Rogue City, Control (another game known for its RT effects), Dead Island 2, Resident Evil 2, and Where Winds Meet.