Playing PS5 games on Mac
No PlayStation 5 game runs natively on macOS. Three routes exist: Remote Play from a PS5 you own, the PC port when there is one, and renting a remote PS5 that you play in Safari or Chrome.
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The three routes, compared
| Route | What you need | Limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Remote Play | A PS5 at home, switched on | You must already own the console |
| PC port via translation layer | The game must exist on PC | Sony no longer ports its single-player games, and GTA 6 has no PC version |
| Rented remote PS5 | A browser and 25 Mbit/s | Latency depends on your connection |
Swipe the table to see all the columns.
Why the PC port is no longer enough
In 2026 Sony stopped porting its first-party single-player games to PC. Gran Turismo 7, Astro Bot, Ghost of Yōtei, Saros, Marvel's Wolverine and God of War Laufey stay on console. GTA 6, for its part, has no PC version announced. Apple's translation layer, the Game Porting Toolkit, can only translate what exists: with no Windows version, there is nothing to translate.
What a Mac can do with the video stream
Every Apple Silicon Mac, from the M1 MacBook Air to current models, decodes video in hardware. The processor barely works, the machine stays cool and silent, and battery life holds. Safari and Chrome are enough, with nothing to install.
| Item | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| System | macOS 13 and later |
| Browser | Safari or Chrome, up to date |
| Connection | 25 Mbit/s minimum, 40 comfortable |
| Network | Ethernet or 5 GHz Wi-Fi, never congested 2.4 GHz |
| Controller | DualSense over Bluetooth or USB |
Swipe the table to see all the columns.
One thing matters more than the Mac's power: network stability. A slow but steady link gives a nicer picture than a fast but erratic one. The subject is covered in latency in cloud gaming.
Renting a PS5 from a Mac
Ploud assigns you a physical PlayStation 5, hosted in France, reserved for you alone. You open a tab, sign in to your PlayStation Network account, and play your games. 200 GB of storage are reserved for you, the same console comes back to you from one session to the next, and time is counted to the second.
Test what your connection can do, before you even sign up.
Frequently asked questions
Can you play PS5 games on a MacBook Air?
Yes, by playing a remote PlayStation 5 from the browser. Apple Silicon MacBook Airs decode the stream in hardware, without heating up. No PS5 game, however, installs on macOS.
Does Apple's Game Porting Toolkit let you play PS5 exclusives?
No. It translates Windows games to macOS. PlayStation exclusives with no Windows version cannot be translated.
Do you need to install an app on the Mac?
No. Safari or Chrome is enough. There is nothing to download.
What connection do you need on Mac?
25 Mbit/s download is enough, 40 Mbit/s gives headroom. Consistency matters more than raw bandwidth: prefer Ethernet or 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
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