Running Planet Coaster on MacOS

nate99 · Nov 4, 2021

Hi all,

Are there any Planet Coaster players out there using a Mac? How well does it run on your machine? (I know, I know, "Macs aren't good for gaming")

A few months ago I purchased the 2021 M1 iMac, and even upgraded to the model with the 8-core CPU and 8-core GPU and 16 GB unified memory. So far I have played Planet Coaster on it (primarily through Steam, although I also have the App Store version) and it seems to run "fine" enough, however the fan gets LOUD on anything intensive. The M1s are well-known for running quietly, but I am shocked how hot this computer gets and how the fans start spinning very noticeably. The FPS on the game is actually not horrible (and seems to run better through Steam than the App Store version) but it just gets SO hot. Continuously running at 96-99 degrees C. Which is very unlikely the computer doing literally anything else. Minecraft with decent settings will keep the machine around 55-70 degrees C and no noticeable fan noise. Obviously Planet Coaster is a lot more intensive than something like Minecraft. But dang, if this Mac doesn't run it smoothly and quietly, what Mac does?

I would possibly understand if this was a MacBook Air, but this is an iMac with an "upgrade." I know Macs aren't the best for gaming, but they released Planet Coaster on Mac for a reason, right? Do I just have to deal with the computer getting super hot and loud every time I want to play? Anyone else have this issue, or does anyone's run quietly?

Also, does anyone have experience running the game via the Mac App Store versus Steam? The App Store version seems to get hotter and louder, more quickly, for whatever reason.

Thanks all!

CCFan007 · Nov 19, 2021

Unfortunately, I've heard from other M1 users that they too experience what you're describing. The loud fans and the overheating. I have a 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro i7 and for some reason PlanCo runs amazingly smooth with no fan noises or heating issues shrugs

I uploaded a video of actual gameplay footage from my MacBook Pro to my YT channel to give you an idea of how its running on mine:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwSNs6xunQk

MrSimside · Nov 22, 2021

I actually played yesterday for the first time on my MacBook Pro with M1 Pro - it worked awesome, Fans were on a little bit, but not much

brett1 · Nov 23, 2021

Using on M1 Mac Mini and M1 16" MBP Pro, and no fans at all. Even on my more-than-complicated park designs.

nate99 · Jan 11, 2022

Thanks all. I wonder if it is something regarding the build of the new iMac. Like I said, the game runs just fine. It just gets very hot and quite often loud.

Anyway, I saved up some money and my Christmas bonus and decided to fork over the money to build a PC. I got it up and running this weekend and it is the best thing I've ever bought. It runs Planet Coaster like an absolutely dream, and my 10,000-guest park with 23 coasters and several flat rides runs almost flawlessly. I'm so excited to play the game "guilt-free" now, without fear of overheating the machine by keeping it at 99 degrees for hours on end.

Pixelated Sparkster · Nov 9, 2023

This thread is useful to read, I have Planet Coaster Console edition on my PS5 and loved it, but I always felt I was missing something with the build limit.

Now that I am jumping from my 2018 i9 MacBook to the new M3 Max, I was thinking of double dipping if performance is better on Mac + No build limit. It's a shame that 3 of the DLCs on PC are not available on Mac though, I was keen to try them out.

OLSinFLA · Nov 15, 2023

I have an M1 Mac Mini (16GB) It always ran ok, but with the updated OS and game mode even my most complex parks run fine with no stutter/

Pixelated Sparkster · Nov 16, 2023

OLSinFLA said:
I have an M1 Mac Mini (16GB) It always ran ok, but with the updated OS and game mode even my most complex parks run fine with no stutter/

This makes me super excited to try out Planet Coaster on Mac!

I just made a thread on the Games by Frontier Off-topic section about the new game mode feature and better hardware that may make sim management games much more engaging on Apple's platform than what we had before the implementation of Silicon chips. Hopefully, this may be a promising platform to support more of Frontier's Sim management-focused projects on Mac.