Arma 3 is arguably the most well-made military sim on the market. Developed and published by Bohemia Interactive, Arma 3 doesn’t offer native support for macOS. Fortunately, the developer did release native experimental versions of the game for Macs.
Recently, there’s been an update for those experimental versions. The Mac experimental clients have been updated to support M1 and M2 chips. With the possibility of a non-experimental Mac native client on the horizon, let’s take a closer look at what Arma 3 has to offer.
Arma 3 on Mac: A Rocky Road
The 2.12 Port Arma 3 update was released on June 21st, 2023. This entire update is focused on updating Arma 3’s Apple silicon (M1/M2) compatibility. This includes all Arma 3 DLC as well. It is still experimental but we’re happy to see progress on this native M1/M2 version.
However, this isn’t the first time Bohemia Interactive gave Mac gamers hope for the macOS future of the game. After months of developing an experimental Arma 3 Mac version, Bohemia Interactive decided to stop working on it back in 2019:
Each of theseExperimental Port updates are quite demanding in terms of preparation and testing. […] So as our time and other resources are limited, we do need to consider the business side of things. With that in mind,we’re currently not yet planning a new port update.
Bohemia Interactive has always been transparent about its experimental ports, warning that development could indeed stop at any moment. Bohemian did say they might reconsider supporting their experimental ports again in the future “when fewer updates for Arma 3 are to be expected”. It seems that time has arrived.
Arma 3 Mac gameplay
Arma 3 Mac System Requirements
These are the current Mac system requirements for the game, as listed on Steam:
- Operating System: macOS Big Sur 11
- Processor: Apple M1 or 2-core Intel Core i5 1.4 GHz or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 5000 or better
- GPU: 1 GB, Storage Size: 45 GB
Can you play Arma 3 on Mac?
The last time we tested Arma 3’s macOS experimental port, it used Virtual Programming’s wrapping technology, which according to Bohemia, led to “up to 30% degraded performance in comparison to the Windows version”.
We tested the game on a high-end 27-inch iMac (5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) back in the day (2019) and were disappointed by the game’s choppy performance. We tested the game using a 1280×800 resolution and Medium settings and the game ran at an average 46.3 FPS (frames per second).
But performance should be much better now, especially on an M1 or M2 Mac. If you’d like us to test the game again, leave a comment below and we’ll give it another spin.
Arma 3: A top-tier military sim
Arma 3 is a hyper-realistic military simulator. In a nutshell, consider it a sandbox game like Minecraft but entirely dedicated to the realm of modern warfare. However, the controls are far from basic. The tutorial fails to cover the extensive amounts of hotkey memorization and configuration just to play the game. It is definitely not a “right click to aim” and “left click to shoot” kind of FPS game. But once you get used to all the controls, the immersion will set in. Set up mortar coordinates, prepare claymores, and call in airstrikes at your leisure. Every mission has no set way of completion. It is entirely up to you how you want to complete the mission.
Additionally, every aspect of the military sandbox is covered. Air battles, engineering, and even water missions are available in the game. Tanks, helicopters, and humvees are also a common sight in Arma 3.
But no matter how fun the single-player campaign is, multiplayer is where Arma 3 really shines. With no multiplayer cap, it is possible to orchestrate 100 vs 100 battles. The real problem emerges in finding a dedicated enough place to consistently host these massive Arma 3 games. Once you find a dedicated group, get ready to enjoy some fun military roleplay.
Arma 3: A Hopeful Update
It is great to see the Arma 3 experimental Mac port updated alongside the official version. It shows that Bohemia Interactive hasn’t given up on us yet. The dream for an official crossover Arma 3 server still lives on.
Hopefully, Bohemia Interactive will soon be able to move the experimental Mac launcher into an official one.
What’s next
Stay tuned as we’ll inform you when we know more about future updates about the Mac version of the game, including performance reviews and macOS requirements.
22 Comments
MichalM.Macon May 6, 2015 at 4:40 pm
I worry. External team could also be Virtual Programming :-/
Reply
Mac Gamer Ricon May 15, 2015 at 3:30 pm
That Virtual Programming is behind it is VERY likely. Now, they did take care of Spec Ops and it wasn’t bad. Maybe they’re getting better… (I hope!)
Reply
Rakdenon May 22, 2015 at 1:11 pm
Spec Ops played ok, and the old X3 ports by them were fine but TW2 and Dead Island on the exact same Mac Pro hardware will run near maximum settings under Windows while TW2 is unplayable even on low and Dead Island is nearly as bad.
Reply
Mac Gamer Ricon May 25, 2015 at 9:39 am
Yep, I played Dead Island and didn’t like the performance much. That said, it wasn’t as bad as you say on a Mac Pro…. Strange.
Reply
ironhorse40on May 15, 2015 at 4:30 pm
Dont bash Virtual Programming they have have brought us some great games. Stronghold 3, Patrician, Victoria series. The games they release don’t don’t come out with demanding system requirements. every company is 100% perfect at porting games over to mac.
Reply
MichalM.Macon May 15, 2015 at 5:07 pm
I don’t bash them for porting games like that.
I have problem with:
– badly performing GPU-demanding ports (Witcher 2, Dead Island)
– their support (closing support ticket twice without response.)
– lot of minor things (bugs, controller support, etc.)Reply
Mac Gamer Ricon May 25, 2015 at 9:38 am
Good reasons to bash them…. But I do think they are improving. Problem is, when you compare them with Aspyr or Feral, they can’t really look good…
Reply
mikelyonson May 8, 2015 at 7:11 pm
This one is likely to be too hardcore for me as it is a simulation. Still, I am always happy to see well regarded high profile games come to the Mac. I don’t really mind how it gets there even though obviously I prefer native ports for best performance and compatibility over time. If what they come up with works well though it sure beats not having the title on Mac is how I feel about these.
Reply
Mac Gamer Ricon May 15, 2015 at 3:32 pm
Same here, but if Metal Gear Rising thought us anything, it’s that non native ports can be good enough for most of us!
Reply
mikelyonson May 16, 2015 at 1:25 am
Yeah, that is a game I am happy to have heard good reports about. I want to play that at some point. It looks very fun.
Reply
Nosferatuon May 12, 2015 at 10:40 am
I tried Arma 3 just this weekend, since it was a free weekend.
It ran in bootcamp with my new GTX 980, it ran pretty decent but still couldn’t max out everything. I didn’t buy it yet because it was still a bit much and there’s too many controls for an Apple wireless keyboard (really need to get the wired), but if it get’s cross-platform buy on Steam I probably would.Can someone explain me what native and non-native refers to in this context?
Reply
Mac Gamer Ricon May 15, 2015 at 3:47 pm
Hey there, it basically means that a native port is reworked from the ground up to create an OS X app.
On the other hand, a non-native port means that the Windows app was simply put in a specific “package” to be recognized on Mac. It works too, but as the game itself remains a Windows app, it’s never as optimized as a native port.Hope I was clear, it’s not that easy to explain this!
Reply
Nosferatuon May 15, 2015 at 3:54 pm
It is clear, thanks!
Reply
Josh Hatchetton June 8, 2015 at 3:02 am
Never played Arma III…I’m down!
Reply
Mac Gamer Ricon June 10, 2015 at 7:53 am
Just be careful because if it ever comes out (the developer insists that it isn’t a done deal), you will need one hell of a Mac to run it, apparently… BTW, what is your main gaming Mac?
Reply
Lucas Olaertson December 29, 2015 at 12:33 pm
I have a problem,
when i go to setting I can not adjust them ingame.
How can i change them out of the game? caise i can not use my mouse for a reason ingame.Reply
Mac Gamer Ricon January 8, 2016 at 9:45 am
Sorry man, I won’t be able to help, as I don’t have that game. Have you tried asking VP, the company behind the Mac version of the game?
http://www.vpltd.com/Reply
ikiron September 17, 2017 at 10:37 pm
Virtual programming = bad
Reply
Ricon September 18, 2017 at 10:36 pm
Come on man, don’t be too hard on them, they’re trying 😉
Reply
Jon January 4, 2018 at 11:36 pm
Where would I be able to buy the Mac version of the game?
Reply
Ric Molinaon January 19, 2018 at 9:41 pm
Sorry for the late reply. You can find it on Steam (although the Mac version is in beta, so buy at your own risk!): http://store.steampowered.com/app/107410/Arma_3/
Reply
Thandroson June 30, 2019 at 8:06 pm
Darnit. I hate COD and Insurgency.
The weapon physics and movement are complete insanity on insurgency. The gun will actually DE AIM if you go near a wall, you cant look round feasibly nor roll in prone and the game will just stand you up or move you into fire if you go near certain objects.
Develop Arma guys, we need a real PFS with tactics and strategy.Reply
