However, this brings us to the biggest drawback of all for Parallels Desktop 16.5 for Mac. Many popular Windows-based games aren’t available for the Mac, and while you can use the Intel-based version of Parallels to run many of them, it’s usually not the best experience. That last bullet point may get gamers’ hearts beating faster.

This is great news for users of portable Macs, as running Windows historically has been a significant drain on battery life. The greater efficiency of the M1 chip means Parallels Desktop for Mac users 2.5 times less energy than on a 2020 Intel MacBook Air.The muscle and energy-stingy features of Apple’s M1 processor gives a boost to Parallels, according to the company: Sign up for my Release Notes newsletter, bringing you consumer tech insights, help and practical tips.