Apple Silicon Macs Running Linux Receive Major Gaming Update

The Asahi Linux project has released the first conformant OpenGL ES 3.1 drivers for Apple silicon Macs in a significant update for improved gaming performance on Macs running the Linux operating system.

Linux on M1 Feature
The Asahi Linux project is a collaborative effort aimed at bringing the Linux operating system to Macs that contain M1 or M2 chips. The OpenGL ES 3.1 drivers represent the first time that conformant GPU drivers have been made available for Apple's newest hardware running on the Linux platform.

Conformant drivers meet specific industry standards, ensuring that they function correctly with various applications. The OpenGL ES 3.1 drivers have apparently undergone extensive testing, including tens of thousands of individual tests, to ensure that they meet the necessary criteria. The drivers are recognized as conformant by Khronos, the organization responsible for overseeing the standards related to OpenGL.

Unlike Apple's proprietary drivers for the GPUs integrated into the M1- and M2-series SoCs, which do not conform to standard graphics APIs such as Vulkan, OpenGL, or OpenGL ES, the drivers released by the Asahi Linux team are in line with these official standards. This means that users running Linux on Apple silicon can expect more stable and predictable performance from graphics-intensive applications, such as games, ostensibly marking a significant milestone in the development of Linux support for Apple's latest Mac hardware.

Tag: Linux

Popular Stories

apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Users Report Static Speaker Noise While Charging

Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging. There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Next Year With These 12 New Features

Tuesday December 23, 2025 8:36 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another nine months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models. The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID Front camera in...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Monday December 22, 2025 8:47 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple released iOS 26.2, following more than a month of beta testing. It is a big update, with many new features and changes for iPhones. iOS 26.2 adds a Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. Below, we have highlighted a total of eight new features. Liquid Glass Slider on Lock Screen A new slider in the Lock...
samsung glitter blue

Samsung's Year End Sale Introduces Major Discounts on Popular Monitors and TVs

Monday December 29, 2025 6:29 am PST by
Samsung kicked off a new end-of-the-year sale this week, introducing great deals on monitors, TVs, Galaxy smartphones, and home appliances. Many of these deals are the exact same all-time low prices we tracked during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep ...

Top Rated Comments

Luna Murasaki Avatar
31 months ago
Really happy to hear of any progress with Asahi Linux. Someday the M1 MacBook Pro I am using is going to be out of support and it will be nice to have something available to keep it useful.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
k1121j Avatar
31 months ago
I really want some cool gaming brought to the Mac. It seems to be going backwards. All that there is these days is Nintendo style kiddy games in my opinion. :( makes me sad
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iAssimilated Avatar
31 months ago
Good to hear! Any benefits brought about by this endeavor are welcome.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SexExpert Avatar
31 months ago

Isn’t Asashi now part of Fedora as a remix distribution? Either way, I support this. At least we will have a supporter operating system we can still use on are M1 Macs when Apple does planned obsolescence.
How exactly does Apple make your M1 mac obsolete? Do they do a remote-wipe on it when it reaches a certain age or what? Is this a new feature of Apple Silicon macs?

Please let me know cos I've got a 15+ year old mac i still use from time to time and don't want Apple to remotely obsolete it!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hyperchaotic Avatar
31 months ago

How exactly does Apple make your M1 mac obsolete? Do they do a remote-wipe on it when it reaches a certain age or what? Is this a new feature of Apple Silicon macs?

Please let me know cos I've got a 15+ year old mac i still use from time to time and don't want Apple to remotely obsolete it!
I understand what you are trying to say in this round-about way, but also what what people mean when they say obsolete - that it stops getting major OS upgrades.

I remember when my Macbook Pro Core 2 Duo suddenly didn't get OS upgrades anymore despite being a perfectly good computer. And after a while major web browsers stopped supporting the macOS version I was using on my dearly loved MBP. Fortunately I was able to install Ubuntu on it and continue to use the latest browsers.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
31 months ago
Isn’t Asashi now part of Fedora as a remix distribution? Either way, I support this. At least we will have a supporter operating system we can still use on are M1 Macs when Apple does planned obsolescence.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)