If you have never bothered to try playing video games on your MacBook, you might be surprised by how viable it can be.

Sure, most gamers prefer custom-built desktop computers, consoles, and even gaming laptops. Nevertheless, it does not mean that you can discard the option to game on a Mac.

Of course, for those who have a relatively old MacBook, the problem could be that the overall computer performance leaves you unhappy.

In such cases, it might take a while to optimize Mac for gaming, but you should still do it. After all, spending time to improve the computer’s performance will also help when you want to use it for work and cannot find the patience to deal with all the technical problems.

Cleaning the Dust Inside the Device

Loud fan noise is one of the best indications that there are issues with the MacBook’s performance. If you launch a video game and hear a loud noise coming from the internal fans, it can be tricky to figure out what to do.

The likely cause is too much dust inside the Mac. If you have not bothered cleaning the dust for a while, it accumulated and reached a point where the clogging for the internal fans is too much.

Carefully take the MacBook apart to clean it thoroughly. If you do not want to do the task yourself because you are afraid of damaging the computer, someone with experience you can ask for help could be an option.

As a side note, there is also the consideration of getting a cooling pad. An accessory to provide fresh air is one of the best ways to fight the overheating issue, though it should not take priority over cleaning the dust inside the MacBook.

Freeing Up Disk Storage

Making sure that there is enough free disk space is another important element of optimizing your MacBook for gaming.

Video games themselves require quite a lot of storage space, and you are putting yourself in a bad spot by neglecting to manage the MacBook’s drive.

The first thing should be to remove the redundant data. Files you no longer need can be removed permanently.

If you find that there are quite a few files that you do not wish to remove, why not transfer them to iCloud? An external hard drive or a flash stick could be an option as well.

Finally, for those that keep too much media on the MacBook, it is better to switch to streaming services and consume media there.

Checking for Malware

Macs are some of the most secure computers, but you should still be careful and not underestimate the possibility of having to deal with a computer virus.

Use a reliable antivirus tool to check the entire system of the MacBook and find out whether the device is malware-free.

In case the scan detects a potential threat, eliminate it and take care of any corrupted files that could be slowing down the MacBook’s performance.

Killing Background Processes

Too many redundant background processes are not a good sign for resource consumption. Ideally, you want to get rid of every background process that you do not need while playing video games.

Dedicated computer memory and other resources, as much as possible, help with the MacBook’s performance and ensure a smoother performance.

You can check background processes in the Activity Monitor tool, which is part of the built-in macOS system setup.

If you notice that there is an out-of-place app that should not be running in the background, close it.

It is possible that you have too many startup items and forget to quit certain applications after the MacBook boots. Instead of bothering to close startup items every time, why not disable them in the first place and eliminate the problem?

Investing in Hardware Upgrades

Most Mac models are the opposite of flexible when it comes to hardware upgrades. Apple is pretty strict and does not wish to have their computers be modified with third-party hardware.

Nevertheless, there are some exceptions, and if your model is compatible with hardware upgrades, it is one of the best methods to improve the device’s performance and have a better gaming experience.

Adding RAM is a solid option, as is replacing a hard drive with a solid-state drive. But perhaps the most impactful idea is to invest money in an external graphics processing unit.

Tinker With Game Settings

You can introduce positive changes not just by modifying your computer. No, you should also be able to tinker with in-game graphics.

Most video games have the settings section, including the graphics tab, where you can disable various effects and reduce the visuals of the game. Sure, the visual quality suffers, but you can still feel better when there are fewer FPS drops, and the gameplay is smooth.