Yes, you can game on an M1 MacBook. Here's how you can with these remaining Prime Day deals

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By Daryl Baxter
published

Gaming on a Mac is not a myth

electric volt xbox controller and MacBook Air M1
(Image credit: TechRadar)

There's been plenty of great Prime Day deals for MacBooks this year as it concludes, so you may be tempted to upgrade your existing Mac to one of the M1 models.

Even though Windows 11 is rumored to be on the horizon, these deals may be good enough to make you switch to Apple's macOS operating system instead.

With the M1 chip designed by Apple, it's designed to be a workhorse but with low voltage and a long-lasting battery. With games, there have been some surprising results, even with its emulation app, called Rosetta. This translates to a game that runs on Intel Macs, onto M1 Macs. You can easily play Shadow of the Tomb Raider for example, with almost no slowdown on medium settings.

For example, the MacBook Air (M1, 2020) with a 256GB SSD, which is our pick as the best laptop in the world right now, has had a hefty price cut of £106, and is now just £893 at Amazon.

With Apple's commitment to games with Apple Arcade on iOS, it's also allowed these games to be played on the Mac as well, thanks to the M1 chips as well. We may see a further improvement where more sophisticated games arrive to the Mac with Apple Arcade, but time will tell.

Thanks to a recent macOS update, you can use your Xbox or PS5 controller with your Mac, saving you the trouble of trying to game on the trackpad and keyboard. You can definitely play games on a Mac with ease, and with the deals below, you can have a great gaming machine on the Mac, with a great controller to boot.

Not in the UK? Scroll down for MacBook deals in your region.

Today's best Xbox Controller deal on Prime Day

Xbox Volt Green Controller: at Amazon Save $5 -
Best Xbox Controll...

Xbox Volt Green Controller: <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FXbox-Wireless-Controller-Electric-Windows-Devices%2Fdp%2FB08ZNQN1FP%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">$64.99 $59.00 at Amazon
Save $5 - If you want a controller that makes a statement and also comfortable to hold, this is the one for you. Thanks to a recent macOS update, you can pair the controller with your Mac, and play many games with this for as long as the battery allows.

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Today's best MacBook Air deals on Prime Day

M1 MacBook Air (256GB): £999 £893 at Amazon Save £106 -
Best MacBook deal

M1 MacBook Air (256GB): <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2FApple-MacBook-Chip-13-inch-256GB%2Fdp%2FB08N5NHG4H%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"">£999 £893 at Amazon
Save £106 - Prime Day laptop deals have brought the cheapest ever price on the latest Apple MacBook Air M1. This is not only one of the best sales this year, but it's also one of our favorite ultrabooks right now full stop. With the latest M1 chip, these MacBook Airs are simply awesome - not just for the basics, but for heavy use as well.

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Apple MacBook Pro&nbsp;13 (M1, 256GB): £1,299£1,152 at Amazon Save £150 -

Apple MacBook Pro 13 (M1, 256GB): <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8428&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2FApple-MacBook-Chip-13-inch-256GB%2Fdp%2FB08N5MWPY6%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"">£1,299 £1,152 at Amazon
Save £150 - Oh boy, the new MacBook Pro 13-inch sure is expensive. Luckily, if you're after a premium machine that can do anything besides gaming it's worth every penny. It's also near its lowest ever price right now at Amazon UK, making it ever so slightly easier on the pocket. 

View Deal

These MacBook deals temporarily went out of stock earlier, so they must be very popular.

While the UK has seen some great MacBook deals, the US hasn't, sadly. The best we've found is the below from Best Buy, which knocks $50 off the price of the new MacBook Air. Not a huge amount, but a price cut is a price cut.

M1 MacBook Air (256GB): $999 $949 at Best Buy Save $50 -

<a href="https://shop-links.co/link?skuId=6418599&publisher_slug=future&exclusive=1&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fmacbook-air-13-3-laptop-apple-m1-chip-8gb-memory-256gb-ssd-latest-model-gold%2F6418599.p%3FskuId%3D6418599&article_name=hawk-article-name&article_url=hawk-article-url" data-link-merchant="bestbuy.com"" target="_blank">M1 MacBook Air (256GB): $999 $949 at Best Buy
Save $50 - Right here is a return to the lowest price we've seen so far on the stunning Apple MacBook Air M1 folks - all courtesy of today's Prime Day laptop deals. With that powerful chip and stunning Liquid Retina display, these are fantastic everyday laptops that look fantastic and run oh-so-quietly.

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More MacBook deals

No matter where you live, you'll find all the lowest prices for MacBooks from around the web right here, with offers available in your region. 

More Amazon Prime Day deals

Daryl Baxter
Daryl Baxter
Software & Downloads Writer

Daryl had been freelancing for 3 years before joining TechRadar, now reporting on everything software-related. In his spare time, he's written a book, 'The Making of Tomb Raider'. His second book, '50 Years of Boss Fights', came out in June 2024, and has a newsletter, 'Springboard'. He's usually found playing games old and new on his Steam Deck and MacBook Pro. If you have a story about an updated app, one that's about to launch, or just anything Software-related, drop him a line.