m1 MacBook Air vs 2018 MacBook Air

Unless you're looking for old 32-bit games that cannot run on current versions of macOS and must be run on pre-Catalina versions of macOS, a M1/M2/M3 MacBook Air will be a better bet than a 2018 one.

Both the 2018 MacBook Air and the M1/M2/M3 MacBook Airs use integrated GPUs. But the integrated GPUs that are in the M1/M2/M3 are faster than the Intel UHD Graphics 617 that MacTracker says is in the 2018 MacBook Air. This comparison is for the M1, but I think the M2 or M3 would beat the Intel iGPU by similar margins.

https://technical.city/en/video/Apple-M1-8-Core-GPU-vs-UHD-Graphics-617

Maybe this is why the system requirements for Stray ("you're a cat!") say "Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later."

Apple Silicon Macs can pull another neat trick. Because Apple Silicon chips are higher-end versions of the chips that Apple developed for iPhones and iPads, you can run some iPad games on them. Many of these games have the common modern scourge of being "coin-operated" games that are "free" to download, but then loaded with "in-app purchases" (instead of just costing a few bucks up front).

But there are a lot of companies who develop games for the iPhone and iPad … so this gives you another possible source of games besides those designed specifically for the Mac.

FederalBurrowOfInvestigation wrote:

M1 MacBook Air or 2018 MacBook Air

What should I get?

Your questions about which Mac to get are too general in nature. List what your computing needs are, none of us know your needs, then select the Mac that best meets your needs. FWIW, I would not get a 6 year old computer that is on the cusp of no longer being supported and will soon not be able to run new operating systems or apps.

Note that there have been three generations of Apple Silicon MacBook Airs: M1, M2, M3. The M2 and M3 models have several significant upgrades over the M1 models: better sound systems, MagSafe 3 charging port, choice of 13" and 15" sizes. Plus they're further away from the day when Apple will no longer offer hardware repair service.

If you go with a M1 MacBook Air, make sure you get a good price on it to make up for that.

Also, if you're considering buying a used MacBook Air, make sure that the seller has prepared it properly for resale.

What to do before you sell, give away, trade in, or recycle your Mac - Apple Support

You don't want to live out the Mac buyer's version of

The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying a Used iPad/iPhone – Apple Community

Between those two choices, I would suggest that you consider the M1 MacBook Air.