Everyone seems to be talking about Cyberpunk 2077 on Apple devices these days — and honestly, fair enough! After months of waiting, it finally launched on the App Store last Thursday, and excitement has been high.
I haven’t picked it up yet. Partly because it’s around $100 Canadian, which feels a little steep for me right now, and partly because I’m hesitant to run it on my M2 MacBook Air. I was especially disappointed it didn’t launch on mobile, like iPad, since I could have made use of my M4 iPad Pro. But nope, it’s Mac-only on Apple devices.
I’ve been lurking on Reddit, watching people’s feedback. Most folks seem satisfied with performance, but I’ve seen some complaints, especially on base M1 and M2 models — like my MacBook Air. Just recently, someone posted on the Mac Gaming subreddit about poor performance on their M2 Air, though I suspect part of the issue was the 8GB of memory. Luckily, I’ve got the 16GB model, so maybe I’ll have better luck.
I’ll probably grab it at some point — I haven’t played Cyberpunk 2077 yet, and I really want to. Fingers crossed it runs decently on the Air!
Rethinking My Apple Setup
All of this has me rethinking my Apple setup. Before the MacBook Air, I had a solid Intel MacBook Pro. When I upgraded to M-series, I figured the Air would be enough for my needs. Gaming wasn’t really a factor back then since I mainly played on Xbox.
But now, with Apple slowly pulling in more AAA titles, I’m wondering if I even need a console anymore, especially since I don’t play as much as I used to. Maybe the MacBook Air isn’t cutting it anymore for gaming.
If I still want the Air for its awesome portability — perfect for moving between work, school, and home — maybe I need something more powerful just for at-home gaming. And if I don’t want another laptop, that leaves… a Mac Mini. Definitely something to think about.
Why Dredge Is Still My Favourite Apple Game
Anyway! Enough about Cyberpunk and Apple hardware. Let’s talk about Dredge, which remains my favourite game on Apple devices right now.
Earlier this year, I saw that Dredge won one of Apple’s 2025 Design Awards. Apple gives these awards to highlight innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement in app and game design — and to celebrate the work of Apple developers.
Dredge won for Interaction, praised for ‘delivering intuitive interfaces and effortless controls perfectly tailored to the platform.‘ And honestly? I totally agree. It’s one of the most intuitive, satisfying interfaces I’ve ever played with. More importantly, the game is just so compelling — the storytelling, the artwork, the characters — and it’s simply fun. In my opinion, the award was well deserved.
Diving Into The Pale Reach DLC
To celebrate the award, I decided to pick up one of the DLCs on my M4 iPad Pro. I had only bought the base game originally, which I loved, but I had been meaning to try the DLCs. Seeing the award reminded me, so I went for it.
There are two DLCs:
Here, I’m focusing on The Pale Reach, which cost $8 Canadian. Combined with the $35 base game, I’ve now spent $43 on Dredge. The Iron Rig costs nearly double at $15, so I’m guessing it’s a bigger, more extensive expansion.
For reference, I played The Pale Reach on my M4 iPad Pro, max settings, using an Xbox controller.
My Experience with The Pale Reach
Since the DLC’s been out for a while, I won’t do a full review — there are plenty of those already. But here’s a quick take on my experience.
The Pale Reach adds a mysterious icy region to the south of the map. You break through ice with a new icebreaker upgrade, fish for new species, dodge a narwhal-like creature, and follow clues from a doomed expedition. Along the way, you piece together how the crew became trapped and obsessed with a monster frozen beneath the glaciers, and eventually use ice-axes to free the cursed sailors and break the monster’s hold.
For context, the base game took me around 10–12 hours to finish, including some side quests and exploration. Full completion might take closer to 15 hours. At $35, that’s under $3 per hour — great value, but more importantly, I just loved the experience.
The Pale Reach, on the other hand, was a bit of a letdown. I finished it in about an hour, even with some extra exploring. At $8, the dollar-to-playtime value was over double the base game. And while the content was mildly enjoyable, it wasn’t mind-blowing or essential.
Should You Buy The Pale Reach?
While the story is interesting and the icy setting is cool (no pun intended), it’s very short and doesn’t add anything major to the base game. You’re not missing much if you skip it. I’d only recommend buying it on sale.
That said, I’m hopeful The Iron Rig, priced at nearly double, offers more content and better value; and from the Steam reviews I’ve seen, it looks promising.
Finally, big congrats to the Black Salt Games team for making such an awesome game with Dredge. I’m excited to see what they come up with next.
Until next time — happy gaming!
Scholars Rest 