macOS Monterey to Offer Smoother Gameplay With Support for Adaptive-Sync Displays on Newer Macs

As part of WWDC this week, Apple revealed that newer Macs will be gaining support for Adaptive-Sync external displays with variable refresh rates in macOS Monterey.

macos monterey adaptive sync displays recenter
Apple says Adaptive-Sync displays will be supported on any Mac with Apple silicon, like the M1 chip, as well as "many" recent Intel-based Macs. When a supported Adaptive-Sync display is connected to a compatible Mac, users will be able to enable Adaptive-Sync mode by selecting a new variable refresh rate option in System Preferences > Displays.

Adaptive-Sync is a feature of the DisplayPort 1.2a specification, and it serves as the foundation of popular variable refresh rate display technologies like AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, which will now be supported on newer Macs.

Macs gaining support for Adaptive-Sync displays will be particularly beneficial to gamers, as these displays can actively adjust their refresh rate to match a game's frame rate, providing smoother, lower-latency gameplay. Apps or games must be running in full-screen mode on macOS Monterey for Adaptive-Sync mode to function, according to Apple.

macOS Monterey is available now in beta for developers, with a public beta to follow in July. The software update will be released in the fall.

Related Forum: macOS Monterey

Popular Stories

iOS 26

When Will Apple Release iOS 26.2?

Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week. Past Launch Dates Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Sad Siri Feature

Apple AI Chief John Giannandrea Retiring After Siri Delays

Monday December 1, 2025 2:16 pm PST by
Apple AI chief John Giannandrea is stepping down from his position and retiring in spring 2026, Apple announced today. Giannandrea will serve as an advisor between now and 2026, with former Microsoft AI researcher Amar Subramanya set to take over as vice president of AI. Subramanya will report to Apple engineering chief Craig Federighi, and will lead Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and ...
Netflix Smaller 4

Netflix Kills Casting From Its Mobile App to Most Modern TVs

Monday December 1, 2025 4:36 am PST by
Netflix has quietly removed the ability to cast content from its mobile apps to most modern TVs and streaming devices, including newer Chromecast models and the Google TV Streamer. The change was first spotted by users on Reddit and confirmed in an updated Netflix support page (via Android Authority), which now states that the streaming service no longer supports casting from mobile devices...
Touchscreen MacBook Feature

Here Are the Four MacBooks Apple Is Expected to Launch Next Year

Monday December 1, 2025 5:00 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
iphone 17 cyber

iPhone 17 Demand Is Breaking Apple's Sales Records

Tuesday December 2, 2025 9:44 am PST by
Apple's iPhone 17 lineup is selling well enough that Apple is on track to ship more than 247.4 million total iPhones in 2025, according to a new report from IDC. Total 2025 shipments are forecast to grow 6.1 percent year over year due to iPhone 17 demand and increased sales in China, a major market for Apple. Overall worldwide smartphone shipments across Android and iOS are forecast to...
Cyber Week Deals 2025

Best Cyber Week Apple Deals Include Big Discounts on AirPods, Apple Watch, and More

Sunday November 30, 2025 7:33 am PST by
Cyber Week is here, and you can find popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more at all-time low prices. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Specifically,...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
iOS 26

What to Expect From Apple This December: iOS 26.3 Beta, Replay 2025, and More

Monday December 1, 2025 8:40 am PST by
The calendar has turned to December, and the quieter year-end holiday season is now upon us. Nevertheless, we can still expect a few things from Apple this month. Apple previously announced that iOS 26.2 will be released to the general public in December, and we can expect corresponding updates to be released as well, including iPadOS 26.2, macOS 26.2, watchOS 26.2, tvOS 26.2, and visionOS...

Top Rated Comments

Freeangel1 Avatar
59 months ago
Is there gonna be a surge in Mac games with Apple Silicon? Because there are not many out there now.
And you just lost the ability to install Windows on an M1 Chip Machine. Thats where all the games are at.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blazerunner Avatar
59 months ago
There are no AAA games for Mac (Battlefield, Cyberpunk, COD, etc). It's a nice feature.... but, pointless.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
l0stl0rd Avatar
59 months ago
not sure what the point is unless developers make games.

The M1 is mediocre with gtx 1060 like performance.

This is only worth it if we get AAA games and an M1x with like 3070-3080 performance.

Probably better off to buy a PS5 if I could find one lol.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
59 months ago

Is there gonna be a surge in Mac games with Apple Silicon? Because there are not many out there now.
And you just lost the ability to install Windows on an M1 Chip Machine. Thats where all the games are at.
There may be. Now you can write a game for mac and have a much larger potential audience than before (both because mac sales have increased, and because your game can also run on recent iPads if you code it right)
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
killramos Avatar
59 months ago

There are no AAA games for Mac (Battlefield, Cyberpunk, COD, etc). It's a nice feature.... but, pointless.
All the people who keep being “blown away” by M1 would be turned a hilarious shade of purple at the dismal FPS they would get on M1 hardware compared to what true dedicated graphics on PC is able to generate.

this will make for a great angry birds experience though!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blazerunner Avatar
59 months ago

There are/were... for example, Tomb Raider (save for the 3rd) is available. Older ones especially... Borderlands 2, Elder Scrolls Online, Bioshock, Guild Wars 2, among others... it's dried up again as of late.

But to that point, if they want to see more of them... open up some GPU support. The M1 smokes Intel Integrated Graphics, but that's barely setting the bar above floor level and isn't a good long term solution. The move to ARM instructions should be their opportunity to jump into the field and court some development. Maybe kiss and make up with Nvidia, since they control ARM itself now -- that might hasten some development for actual drivers on ARM instead of the current home-brew ones.
How many of those games still work with Catalina / Big Sur? Most of my games in steam are no longer compatible thanks to 32bit support being gone.

The problems with Macs and gaming is endless. It's an embarrassment to Apple.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)