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.
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.
PlayOnMac will allow you to play your favorite games on Mac easily. Development Education Functions Games Graphics Internet Multimedia Office Other Patches.
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.
Last Updated: November 4th, 2019
You must have enjoyed playing games on your iPhone, iPad or PC, but what about gaming on a Mac? Mac is not considered good for gaming as compared to a Windows PC, you may have played Steam games on Mac which includes Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2 to name some. There are many free iPhone and iPad games available for a free download, choosing free Mac games can be a daunting task. To make your task easy listed below are some of the best free Mac games which you can download right now. Games like Team Fortress 2, Shadow Fight 2 and Touchgrind can be played on your Mac for hours without paying a dime. Consider going through best web browsers for Mac.
Play These Best Free Mac Games
1. Team Fortress 2
Team Fortress 2 is a “Free to Play” addictive multiplayer first person shooter game where you can choose to play from 9 classes of players. Team Fortress 2 is one of the most popular game among users and the developer updates the game regularly. You can make your own character by buying and trading weapons, hats. The game can be played in various game modes- Capture the Flag, Control Point, Payload, Arena, King of the Hill and more. You won’t get tired of playing this free game on your Mac for hours.
2. Dota 2
Dota 2 is a multiplayer battle arena game (MOBA) like League of Legends played by millions of gamers. The game consists of two teams having five players each. Each player in both the teams controls a “hero” who has special abilities, and style to play. Both the team players play to first destroy the “Ancient”, a large structure located in the other team’s base. The team which destroys the “Ancient” of the other team first is the winner.
3. League of Legends
League of Legends is one of the most popular multiplayer battle arena game (MOBA) by Riot Games. In the game, the player controls a “champion” who has unique special abilities and fight against a team of other players with an objective to destroy the other team. Players start with low level but earn rewards as the game progresses.
4. Shadow Fight 2
If you have played Shadow Fight 2 by Nekki on iPhone, you will enjoy playing the game on your Mac too. The game is a mixture of RPG and classical Fighting. You are a warrior in the game where you can equip your character with lethal weapons to win against your enemies. Customize your avatar with epic swords, nunchacku, armor suits, magical powers and others by making in -app purchases.
5. Super Stickman Golf 3
Enjoy playing golf? Super Stickman Golf 3 by Noodlecake Studios is a multi-player game which you can play on your Mac for free. The Super Stickman Golf 3 has more than 65 hats which have abilities to change the way you play the game. The game comes with 20 new courses, 35 new characters and can be played in turn-based play or real-time race mode. The game has daily races, rewards, and achievements which let you hooked to the game for hours.
6. BombSquad
BombSquad is a fun game which you can play on your Mac using iPhone as a controller with your friends. The game has superb graphics, music and can be played in Single Player mode or with others. In the game, you can throw bombs at your enemies, punch them or freeze them with an ice bomb. There are various mini-games which include, Capture-the-Flag, King-of-the-Hill, Bomber-Hockey, and of course Epic-Slow-Motion-Elimination to play with friends. BombSquad is one such game which will enjoy playing with your friends for a long time.
7. Touchgrind
Have you played finger skateboards? Touchgrind by Illusion Labs brings fingerboarding to your Mac. You will have to place two fingers on the trackpad of Mac to use skateboard around. Touchgrind is a good game but you will need time to an expert in the game.
Don’t forget to install Antivirus App on Mac.
If you are a gamer and have played games on PC or PS4 then you should try to play the above mentioned best free games on your Mac. Do you play games on Mac? Share your thoughts in the comment below!
Comments are closed.