X-Plane 11

Publisher: Laminar Research

Limited data. X-Plane 11 runs excellently natively at a median 50 fps (2 reports) on M3, M4. Only 2 reports so far, so this is not a reliable verdict yet.

2017
Simulation

Mac Performance

Experience Reports

Average Rating

5.0/ 5

Play Methods

Native2
CrossOver0
Parallels0
Other0

Game Information

Just Updated

X-Plane 11.51 update is now available. The update contains bug fixes and includes more custom airports. See the detailed list of new items here:

Buzz

Laminar Research releases X-Plane 11.50 final

Laminar Research, creator of the X-Plane flight simulator franchise, is proud to announce the final Vulkan/Metal update of X-Plane 11. After many months of converting our graphics engine and beta testing, we are today announcing the final release of version 11.50 for the X-Plane desktop platform.

Vulkan (PC) and Metal (Mac) are rendering level APIs that change how X-Plane interacts with the graphics card. They are faster than OpenGL that X-Plane has used in the past. Overall, most users will see improved frame rates and reduced stutters when using Vulkan or Metal.

In X-Plane 11.50, there is a check-box in the graphics settings that enables Vulkan or Metal, and a restart of X-Plane is necessary for the change to take effect. If for some reason a user can’t use Vulkan or Metal, OpenGL is still available by simply unchecking the box.

Numerous bug fixes, enhancements, and new airports are also included in this release.

About the Game
The future of flight simulation is now.
X-Plane 11 is the detailed, realistic, and modern simulator you’ve been waiting for.

New in X-Plane 11
A completely redesigned, intuitive user interface that makes setting up and editing your flight a breeze.
Consistently usable 3-D cockpits and stunningly high-resolution exterior models for all included aircraft.
A new effects engine for lighting, sounds, and explosions.
Realistic avionics: all planes are IFR-ready right out of the gate.
Busy, “living” airports with pushback tugs and roaming fuel trucks, able to service both your aircraft and the simulator’s AI planes.
New buildings & roads to better simulate European cities
…and more!

Experience Reports

Native

EXCELLENT

Graphics:: MEDIUM
FPS:: 40
Hardware:: M3 BASE

Review Note:

Runs pretty well on my 8 GB RAM MacBook Air.

Native

EXCELLENT

Graphics:: HIGH
FPS:: 60
Resolution:: 2560x1440
Hardware:: M4 BASE

Review Note:

with graphics set pretty high, and depending on the aircraft you can get 60-100 on the M4 16gb. using the levelUp zibo 737 it dips down to 30-50 struggles more at complicated airports.
Other than the obvious storage issues the game rules well and is perfectly playable, not sure how it will handle a full sim setup but should do just fine.