Use Game Mode on Mac

Game Mode automatically prioritizes the performance of your game for smoother, more consistent frame rates and improved in-game responsiveness.

About Game Mode

  • Game Mode optimizes your gaming experience by giving your game the highest priority access to your CPU and GPU, lowering usage for background tasks.

  • Game Mode doubles the Bluetooth sampling rate, which reduces input latency and audio latency for wireless accessories like game controllers and AirPods.

Turn Game Mode on or off

Requires a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS Sonoma 14 or later

To use Game Mode, your game must be able to use the full-screen mode built into macOS. When your game enters full screen in this way, Game Mode automatically turns on for that game. Exiting full screen or quitting the game automatically turns Game Mode off.

You can also use the steps below to turn Game Mode off or back on while your game is still in full screen.

macOS Tahoe 26 or later

  1. While your game is in full screen, press Command-Esc (Escape) to open Game Overlay in the corner of the screen. Or click the Game icon in the menu bar. (To show the menu bar while in full screen, move your pointer to the top of the screen.)

  2. In Game Overlay, click the Settings button, then click Game Mode. If you turn Game Mode off in this way, it remains off for that game until you turn it on again — even if you quit and reopen the game.

macOS Sequoia 15 or macOS Sonoma 14

  1. While your game is in full screen, click the Game menu in the menu bar. (To show the menu bar while in full screen, move your pointer to the top of the screen.)

  2. Choose Turn Game Mode Off or Turn Game Mode On. If you turn Game Mode off in this way, it remains off for that game until you turn it on again — even if you quit and reopen the game.

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