Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. When you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more here.

Apple’s MacBook Neo Is No Gaming Machine, But We Found the Best Mac for Gaming

The cheapo MacBook Neo isn’t that good at gaming. These MacBooks are better for that.

By Matt Jancer | Reviewed by Ysolt Usigan

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

The Mac isn’t that bad of a gaming platform anymore. For the 2000s until the 2020s it was an afterthought. PC gaming ruled on Microsoft’s Windows operating system, and for all the Mac’s supremacy among video editors, graphical designers, and people who just wanted a clean, no-fuss computer, the Mac as a gaming platform was just something of a joke. Few games came to macOS, and those that did ran kind of poorly.

Apple has spent the past few years beefing up its gaming credentials, adding support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which PC gaming laptops had long supported. And so when Apple introduced the budget, $590 MacBook Neo in March 2026, everybody wanted to know how well it could game.

And the answer is: not particularly well. But if you want to stick with Apple, you have better options for a Mac gaming laptop.

juicier apples than the neo

All said and done, I’m not at all surprised that Digital Foundry found that the MacBook Neo struggled to........

© Vice