There are two ways to play the classic remastered, Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition, on M1 Mac. The first is with the Parallels desktop application and the second option is the Cross Over. We will discuss both software methods so that in the end you can decide which one is best for you.
Play Age of Empires DE via:
Play Age of Empires using Parallels Desktop
Parallels Desktop is a third-party application that allows you to run Windows on your Mac. This means you can play any Windows game or use any Windows application on your Mac.
Steps to play Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition using Parallel Desktop:
- Download and Install Parallels Desktop on your Macbook Air.
- Open Parallel Desktop App and complete the Windows setup.
- Download and Install Steam right there on the Parallels Desktop Virtual Windows.
- Open Steam.
- Start the Game.
That’s it.
The great thing about Parallels Desktop is that it’s very easy to set up and use. Windows will run virtually on your M1 Mac just like any other Mac application.
The latest version available for download is the Parallels Desktop 17, which is better optimized for macOS Monterey, Windows 10, and 11. In addition to that, the performance is also improved in the new update.
The bad news is that the Parallels desktop uses half of your system’s memory. For example, if you have an 8GB ram Macbook Air (2020) and want to use the program at its fullest potential then only 4 Gb will be allocated for Parallel Desktop–which isn’t enough when doing gaming or other heavy tasks! We recommend getting one with 16 gigs so it can handle everything without slowing down too much
We tested the Age of Empires 2 Definitive edition on a Parallel desktop running on the Macbook Air M1(8 Gb ram) and it was not playable. So make sure you get at least a 16Gb ram model of Mac book.
The only advantage of Parallels Desktop over Crossover in terms of playing Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition is the better compatibility with Mac Monterey. Thus, very few bugs!
Install Cross Over to Play Age of Empires 2 DE
CrossOver is similar to Parallels Desktop as it allows you to run Windows on your Mac but it does not run full Windows virtually or emulate it. The program just translates Windows commands into Mac commands. This means the games and applications will function seamlessly, without any sort of simulation running in the background or tweaking.
Steps to play Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition using Cross Over:
- Download and Install Cross Over on your Macbook Air.
- Open CrossOver and install Steam from there(Note: This will be a Windows version of Steam that will run only with CrossOver)
- Now Start the Steam.
- Just Play your Game Now.
That’s it.
The disadvantage that Crosses Over has is that it doesn’t support every other Windows title. Although it runs most of the popular games and the support is also increasing with time.
M1 CrossOver Windows compatible games list
Fortunately, the Cross over is hundred percent compatible with the Age of Empires 2 Definitive Edition.
On a Macbook Air M1(8GB) of Ram, the Age of Empires 2 Definitive edition runs perfectly fine. I played a full two-hour match on high settings and there was about zero lag.
Below is the video that I made, to show you how well the Age of Empires 2 Definitive edition runs via Cross over:
Final Conclusion
We recommend going for CrossOver by the Crossweaver team to enjoy playing Age of Empires 2 definitive edition comfortably on any Mac M1 model. However, if you have the high-end 16GB or above model, then you can try Parallels Desktop. Further, if you like to play it on an external monitor connected with an M1 Mac, then we have also written a good guide on it.