You're sitting there with a M1 or M2 MacBook Air, looking at that gorgeous Retina display, and you just want to lie to your friends about being in Electrical. It sounds simple. It should be simple. But if you head over to the Steam store page for Among Us right now, you'll see that little "Windows" icon staring back at you, stubbornly refusing to show the Apple logo. It’s annoying.
Honestly, the Among Us download Macbook Air situation is a bit of a mess because of how Apple transitioned its hardware. If you have an older Intel Mac, you're basically out of luck without some serious technical gymnastics. But if you have the newer ARM-based chips—the M1, M2, or M3 series—you have a golden ticket that most people don't even realize is sitting in their Applications folder.
Why isn't there a native Among Us Mac version?
Innersloth is a tiny team. People forget that. Even though Among Us became a global phenomenon that literally everyone was playing during the lockdowns, the dev team didn't suddenly grow into a 500-person corporate machine. They focused on where the players were: Mobile, PC (Windows), and eventually consoles. Porting a game to macOS isn't just about clicking "export" in Unity. It requires constant maintenance, updates, and troubleshooting for a relatively small slice of the gaming market.
Because of this, we're left in this weird limbo. You can't just download a .dmg file from the official website. You can't hit "Install" on Steam and expect it to run natively. This leads most people to think it's impossible. It's not. It's just... hidden.
The Silicon Loophole
If you bought your MacBook Air in 2020 or later, you're likely running on Apple Silicon. These chips share the same architecture as the iPad and iPhone. This is the "secret sauce" for getting the game running. Since Among Us has a perfectly functional iOS version, your MacBook Air is technically capable of running that exact same code without breaking a sweat.
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The App Store Method: The Easiest Among Us Download Macbook Air Path
Stop looking at Steam. Seriously. If you want the path of least resistance for an Among Us download Macbook Air, open the Mac App Store.
- Click your name/profile icon in the bottom left corner.
- You’ll see a toggle that says "iPhone & iPad Apps." Click that.
- Search for Among Us.
- Hit download.
It works. Mostly. The caveat here is that you're playing the mobile version on a laptop. This means the UI expects a touchscreen. Innersloth has actually done a decent job making this playable with a mouse and keyboard, but it feels "floaty" compared to the native Windows version. You might find yourself accidentally venting because the button was just a little too close to where you were trying to click. It happens to the best of us.
What about the Intel users?
If you’re rocking a 2019 MacBook Air or older, I'm sorry. The App Store trick won't work for you. Your processor speaks a different language than the iPhone app. For you, the only real options are things like Boot Camp (which lets you install Windows on a separate partition) or Parallels. Boot Camp is free but a massive pain because you have to restart your computer every time you want to play. Parallels is sleek and lets you run Windows apps alongside Mac apps, but it costs a yearly subscription that is probably more expensive than the game itself.
BlueStacks and the Android Route
A few years ago, everyone would tell you to download BlueStacks. It’s an Android emulator. It was the go-to recommendation for any Among Us download Macbook Air query. Nowadays? I’d tell you to be careful.
BlueStacks is heavy. It hogs RAM like crazy. On a MacBook Air, which is fanless, running a heavy emulator can make the bottom of your laptop feel like a hot plate. Plus, with the M-series chips, the App Store method is just objectively better. Don't overcomplicate your life with third-party emulators if you don't have to. The only reason to use an emulator in 2026 is if you specifically want to use Android-only mods, which, let's be real, most casual players don't care about.
Making the Controls Feel Human
Once you get the game running via the App Store, the first thing you need to do is go into the game settings. Change the controls from "Touch" to "Joystick" or "Mouse."
Using the "Mouse" setting allows you to move by clicking and holding, which feels a bit more natural on a trackpad. However, if you have a USB mouse plugged in, the experience is 10x better. Trying to do the "Card Swipe" task on a MacBook Air trackpad is a unique form of psychological torture. You'll either go too fast or too slow every single time.
- Pro Tip: Use the keyboard shortcuts. Even in the mobile-emulated version, the 'R' key usually reports bodies and the Spacebar can often trigger interactions. It saves you from frantic clicking when you're trying to outrun a killer.
Performance Expectation vs. Reality
The MacBook Air is a beast for productivity, but it's not a "gaming laptop." Luckily, Among Us has the graphical requirements of a high-end calculator.
You will get 60 FPS. You will have zero lag (assuming your Wi-Fi isn't garbage). The battery life will also hold up surprisingly well. You can probably play for 6 hours straight and only lose 40% of your battery because the M-series chips handle these mobile-architecture apps with incredible efficiency. It’s one of the few games where a MacBook Air actually outperforms many bulky Windows laptops in terms of sheer portability and heat management.
Cross-Play and Accounts
One big worry people have is whether they can play with their friends on PC or Discord. Yes, you can. The Among Us download Macbook Air through the App Store still connects to the same global servers. You can join a lobby with a code just like anyone else.
The tricky part is your account. If you’ve spent $50 on skins and hats on Steam, they won't automatically show up on the Mac App Store version because that’s tied to your Apple ID/Innersloth Account. You need to make sure you use the "Innersloth Account" linking system. Log in on your PC, get the linking code, and enter it on your Mac. It’s a bit of a dance, but it works.
Common Troubleshooting for Mac Players
Sometimes the app just... won't open. Or it crashes the moment you try to join a game. Usually, this is because of a macOS update that broke the iPad app compatibility layer.
If this happens, don't panic. Delete the app and redownload it. Because it’s a tiny file, it takes about 30 seconds. Most of the time, a fresh install clears out the cache issues that plague "transplanted" apps. Also, make sure you aren't running a VPN while trying to connect; Among Us servers are notoriously picky about VPN IP addresses and might kick you for "Reliable Packet 1" errors.
The Future of Among Us on Mac
Will we ever get a real Steam version for Mac? Honestly, probably not. Innersloth has moved on to bigger projects and VR versions. The "good enough" solution of the iPad app running on Silicon Macs has basically removed the incentive for them to build a dedicated macOS port.
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It’s a "workaround culture" now. But honestly, as long as you can do your tasks and scream at your friends in the chat, does it really matter if it's a native port or a mobile container?
Better Ways to Play?
If you find the App Store version too janky, there is one more "expert" way: GeForce Now.
NVIDIA's cloud gaming service actually has the Steam version of Among Us. Since it's streaming from a server, you're playing the "real" PC version with the proper PC UI. If you have a stable internet connection, this is actually the superior way to experience the Among Us download Macbook Air dream. You get the better menus, the better chat interface, and you don't have to worry about your Mac's architecture at all.
Actionable Next Steps
If you want to play right now, don't waste time on forums.
- Check your Mac's "About This Mac" section. If it says M1, M2, or M3, go straight to the Mac App Store.
- Toggle to "iPhone & iPad Apps" in the search results and download the game for free.
- Link your Innersloth account immediately so you don't lose your progress or cosmetics.
- If you have an Intel Mac, skip the headache and sign up for a free GeForce Now account to stream the Steam version.
- Invest in a cheap wireless mouse; the trackpad is your worst enemy in a high-stakes meeting.
Playing on a MacBook Air doesn't have to be a compromise. You just have to know which door to walk through. Once you're in, the gameplay is identical, the betrayal is just as sharp, and the "Sus" jokes are just as tired as they've always been.