Finding good games for Mac® used to be slow and painful. There were very few games to choose from, and the options available were quite old. But things have definitely changed a lot.
To play, open a game the same way you open any app on your Mac, then have fun. You can play alone in a single player game or play with others in a multiplayer game (real-time or turn-based). If a multiplayer game supports sessions, where the game data is stored in iCloud, you and your friends can come and go in the game whenever you want. Apple MacBooks and Macs are popular among photographers, producers, and creatives, but out of the many groups associated with Macs, gamers are not among them. That said, Macs can still boast some.
Thanks to committed developers such as Aspyr, Feral Interactive, and even Blizzard and Valve, there are now lots of great, recent games you can play on your Mac. And with the continuous improvements of tools such as Parallels Desktop for Mac, playing Windows games on your Mac is becoming easier and easier.
Today Ric from MacgamerHQ.com will share ten of the best games you can play on macOS®, including some of the most exciting Mac games from 2018 and a few Windows-only games that run great thanks to Parallels Desktop.
1. Rise of the Tomb Raider
This action survival game is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Tomb Raider reboot from 2013. The game picks up right where its predecessor ended and takes Lara around the world in her quest to discover the secret of immortality.
This game has a solid story waiting for you, but what makes it great are the excellent survival elements, shooting mechanics, and insane action sequences. If you enjoy action adventure games, this is the best you will find on macOS.
Developed for Mac by Feral Interactive, Rise of the Tomb Raider is also one of the finest usages of Metal 2, the new graphics API from Apple. For the longest time, Mac games have suffered in terms of performance compared to Windows. With the improvements made to Metal 2 and the great job some studios have done to implement it, Mac games’ performance continues to improve. Also, having one of the best Mac computers for gaming certainly helps, too…
2. Fortnite: Battle Royale
Fortnite is such a sensation, it probably needs no introduction. But in the remote possibility that you’re not aware of this game, Fortnite is not only the most famous Battle Royale game right now, it’s the most famous game of the moment, period.
Pitting you in a huge map with 100 other players, you’ll need to scavenge weapons and armor to survive until you become the last man standing. Fortnite somehow creates tension and excitement for everyone involved, from the experienced to the beginners. That’s what makes it such a fun game to play.
Behind the playful graphics hides an intense game that is free to play. You read that right—the gaming sensation of the moment is one of the best free games for Mac. What are you waiting for?
3. Rocket League
Rocket League is one of those games that is hard to explain. Combining high-flying rocket-powered cars with soccer, the game pits you against another team, and you’ll need to use your battle-car to score.
That is, of course, easier said than done, because the game features an impressive physics-based gameplay that will require you to have perfect timing, placement, and anticipation in order to score. You can play solo against another opponent or as part of a team.
Needless to say, this is a multiplayer game that is ten times more fun when playing with friends. If you haven’t tried it yet and are looking for a team-focused online game, Rocket League is for you.
4. Civilization 6
Perhaps the best strategy game out there, we sure are glad that Aspyr brought Civilization 6 to MacOS. The follow-up to the stellar Civilization 5, Civ 6 lets you once again take the helm of an infant civilization and turn it into a mighty empire.
Your objective is simple: create the greatest and most powerful civilization in the World. It will then be up to you to decide how to best do it. Do you want to conquer the world using your mighty army? Or perhaps you want to create a trade empire that puts the other Civs to shame? It will be up to you. Even if you’ve played hundreds of hours of Civ games before, Civ 6 has plenty of new features and improvements in store for you.
Civ 6 also introduced new mechanics and improved graphics that take the franchise even further. A quick warning, though, Civ 6 is a very demanding game. In fact, you should have a modern Mac from 2016 onwards to properly enjoy it.
5. Subnautica
As you can see, some of the most famous AAA games support macOS. That’s great, but we can’t forget about all the world-class indie games that helped Mac gaming thrive.
Subnautica is one of the latest examples. In this survival adventure game, you’ll have to explore an alien underworld planet and gather whatever resources you can find to survive.
Subnautica somehow manages to find the right balance between survival and exploration. As you progress, you get to upgrade your equipment and go further into the depths to find better loot—but also face bigger dangers.
6. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
The sequel to one of the highest-rated RPGs of all time, Pillars of Eternity II broke crowdfunding records, raising over four million dollars. Those are insane figures, but I’m happy to report developer Obsidian made good use of every dollar it raised.
This isometric RPG managed to surpass the original in virtually every way. The game features a rich story, deep characters, a fascinating world, and improved tactical combat. Granted, this RPG is reminiscent to old-school RPGs, and if you’re looking for an action-heavy game, Pillars of Eternity might not be for you. But if you’re looking for a good story and fascinating world to immerse yourself in, give it a try.
7. DiRT Rally
DiRT Rally isn’t simply another racing game from Codemasters; this is probably their best game to date.
DiRT Rally features excellent gameplay that is both precise and exciting. The sense of speed is there, and you can always fine-tune the difficulty settings to suit your preferences. Whether you want a challenging simulation or an intense casual game, DiRT Rally can be both. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a rally fan or not—this game has so much to offer.
Plus, DiRT Rally is the perfect example of how to do a Mac port right. Feral Interactive somehow managed to create a bug-free game that looks great and can run flawlessly on older Mac computers.
8. Terraria
Described by many as Minecraft in 2D, Terraria is so much more than that.
In Terraria, every game takes place in a randomly generated world full of monsters to fight, rare resources to find, and dangerous caverns to explore. But then it’s up to you to decide the kind of game you want to play. You can focus on exploring the world in search of treasure and rare resources. You can seek one of the bosses that hide within the world and fight it to the death. Or you can build a city of your own and house mysterious allies.
Terraria may be a few years old, but because of its cool retro graphics and deep gameplay, it’s still an excellent game to play today.
9. Overwatch
In spite of all of these macOS-ready titles, there are a few games that are sorely missing.
Overwatch is one of those games. Released in 2016 and winner of most Game of the Year awards, this team-based multiplayer shooter keeps getting better and better. It currently has over 30 million registered players and has received countless free updates, including new characters and maps.
Overwatch is also the only game from Blizzard that doesn’t support macOS. That makes us miss it even more. Luckily, it can run beautifully on a Mac using Parallels Desktop. The Parallels team recently tested it again to make sure it runs properly under Windows 10 and Parallels Desktop. As you can see from the video below, the game runs beautifully.
So if you were disappointed that Overwatch is not available for Mac, you can still play it with the help of Parallels.
10. Crysis
Conclusion
By now you should be convinced that macOS offers enough quality games to keep most gamers entertained.
And if you ever felt frustrated that the one game you were dying to play is not available on Mac, remember that you can always check if it works with Parallels Desktop. That includes demanding games such as Overwatch or brand-new games such as Jurassic World Evolution.
So, what will you be playing next?
Thanks to Ric from MacgamerHQ.com for this very interesting Guest Blog post.
If you want to try out any Windows Game that doesn’t work on the Mac, check out these instructions how to make it work with Parallels Desktop for Mac and watch our Playlist with different Windows games that work perfectly on the Mac.
© Hollis Johnson Emulators can be an incredibly useful tool on your computer. Hollis Johnson- An emulator is typically a program that lets you run software from a completely different device on your computer.
- The most common uses for emulators are to play video games and run different operating systems — for example, you can put a Mac operating system on your Windows computer.
- Emulators can allow you to run apps that normally wouldn't work on your computer.
- Most emulators tend to run slower than the device they're simulating, and can potentially take a lot of processing power.
- Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.
An emulator is a computer program (or occasionally custom computer hardware) that's designed to simulate another kind of device.
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For example, WINE is a program that allows you to run Windows software on certain Linux and Mac computers. Dolphin is an app that lets you play Nintendo GameCube and Wii games on your computer. Even Logic Pro X, the popular music recording app for Mac, lets you simulate the sound of a guitar amplifier within your computer.
These are all different types of emulators. Here's what you should know about emulators, including why people use them, how they commonly work, and what kinds there are.
Why people use emulators
Every kind of computer and operating system is unique. This often means that a program or app that works on one system won't work on another.
This is especially true when comparing operating systems like Windows and MacOS, or completely different devices like a laptop and a PlayStation.
This is where emulators come in. Emulators can bridge the gap between these devices, allowing programs to work on all sorts of hardware.
For example, if you have a Windows app that you need to run on your MacBook, you can download the Parallels emulator. Parallels will, in a sense, create a Windows computer inside of your MacBook — this will let you run any Windows app you need.
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© Parallels Newsroom Here, Windows 10 and an older version of MacOS are running on a new MacBook using emulators. Parallels NewsroomSome emulators can even enhance the hardware that they're simulating. For instance, old video games made for 4:3 televisions can be upgraded to run in widescreen resolution, as well as at a higher framerate.
If you're someone who likes to be able to run all their programs anywhere, at any time, then an emulator is what you need.
Video: Here's why it may make sense to upgrade to iPhone 12 for 5G capabilities—And why not (CNBC)
However, there are some risks that you should be aware of.
The downsides to emulators
Because emulators need to reproduce the behavior of an entirely different device, without having their own dedicated hardware or power source, emulators are often slower than the system they're simulating.
This is especially true if you're emulating a new system. For example, nearly any computer can emulate an '80s-era Nintendo Entertainment System without much delay. But you'll need a powerful graphics card and CPU to emulate the Nintendo Switch, which only came out in 2017. And even then, it might be hard to make that Switch emulator run smoothly.
© BSoD Gaming/YouTube You'll need a powerful computer to run most new AAA games. BSoD Gaming/YouTubeUsers also have to be careful not to download a virus masquerading as an emulator. Be sure to only download emulators and programs from sources that you trust, and always do your research before installing anything.
Lastly, there's also a legal risk. Although emulators are legal almost everywhere, downloading programs to use on those emulators without paying for them may not be. Look up the regulations surrounding emulated programs in your country before downloading them.
The most popular types of emulators in use today
The two most common uses for emulators are ones for playing video games, and ones for running other operating systems. Here's a few examples of the most popular emulators around.
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Video game emulators
- Dolphin lets you play Nintendo GameCube and Wii games on a computer, as well as modify them in various ways. Some originally single-player games even have online multiplayer modes added to them.
- MAME is an open-source emulator originally released in 1997 that's designed to run older arcade games.
- VisualBoyAdvance, or VBA, can run nearly every Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance game ever released.
There are also various game emulators that run on Android phones.
Operating system emulators
- Parallels and WINE both allow you to run Windows on a Mac computer. It'll open a Windows desktop in a new window, just like any other app.
- BlueStacks lets you download and open Android apps on a desktop computer.
- Xcode is a program designed and released by Apple that can run iPhone apps on a Mac. Soon, Apple claims that there will be an even easier way to emulate both iPhone and iPad apps on your Mac.