Introduction
Update: At number 12, we’ve added an open-world sandbox game that may have driven past your radar.
The idea that Macs can’t do gaming is an outdated one. Sure, you can’t crack open one of Apple’s computers and slot a Nvidia GTX 980 inside, but today’s iMacs and MacBooks fare much better than they used to thanks to improvements in Intel’s integrated graphics solutions and AMD’s increasingly powerful mobile GPUs.
Heck, you could even say that casual gaming is more accessible on the Mac thanks to the wide variety of titles available in the App Store. And, though it’s nowhere near as eclectic as its Windows equivalent, Steam’s library on macOS is growing every day.
Click on to discover the best Mac games available on the Mac App store and elsewhere.
Gabe Carey also contributed to this article
1. XCOM 2
If turn-based strategy is your thing, XCOM 2 is one of the best in its class. Improving upon its predecessor, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2 bears the same ostensibly hopeless setting and makes things only more oppressive by randomizing systems like weapon mods, soldier stat boosts, special ammo, and more in an attempt to throw you off. By trying anything to keep you from survival, XCOM 2 is among the most domineering games on the App Store, and it’s all the better as a result.
2. Undertale
As you can probably tell by the graphics, Undertale is an ode to old-school role-playing games akin the earlier Final Fantasy games on the SNES. Heavy on humor and light on system requirements, it’s a perfect fit for macOS whether you’re on a MacBook or a Mac Pro. If you like cleverly designed boss battles and despise linearity, Undertale is dressed to impress.
Don’t let the pixel art style fool you – Undertale is a modern game in every respect save forits visuals. In fact, its rendition of the classic “New Game Plus” mode, which faces you against the consequences of your actions in the previous go-around.
3. Homeworld Remastered
Originally launched in 1999, the influence of real-time strategy classic Homeworld runs deep in the DNA of today’s fantasy RTS games. Homeworld went beyond the genre’s traditionally flat battlefields by allowing you to position your fleet of spaceships anywhere in a 3D map of space. The extra freedom requires a whole new level of tactical nous, which you’ll need if you want to get through its 30-hour campaign without tearing your hair out. When you’re not overseeing ship formations and tactics, you’ll be monitoring fuel levels, harvesting resources and fighting against gravitational pull to keep your squad together.
4. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
Even a decade later, Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic may be one of the best Star Wars game of all time, thanks to a choose-your-own-path approach that lets you customize a character, make moral choices along the way, and explore the galaxy’s ample depth as you desire. It looks and feels a little dated at this point, but it remains the most thorough franchise realization yet.
5. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
A truly beloved adventure games classic, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition brings the 1990 entry to the Mac App Store with a fresh coat of paint, thanks to enhanced visuals and full voiceover work. You can always switch to the old graphics at any point, and however you play, it’s really the rich humor and smart puzzles that make this an enduring favorite.
6. Limbo
Set in a mysterious and monochromatic world, Limbo sends you off into the shadowy 2D space without explanation or prompt, tasking you with guiding a young boy through a series of environmental puzzles. Also one of our best indie games, Limbo is a gripping puzzle/platform adventure that mesmerizes plenty within just a few hours’ span, and the one-of-a-kind presentation really makes it memorable.
7. Alien: Isolation – The Collection
If you like survival horror games or movies then you’re in luck because Alien: Isolation combines the best of both worlds. By taking the beloved setting and characters of the classic Alien movie franchise, we’re greeted with a delightfully terrifying experience reliant on stealth and jump scares to tell its story.
In fact, Creative Assembly paid so much respect to the Alien movies that Isolation almost makes up for the disaster that was Aliens: Colonial Marines.
8. Braid
Braid takes many of its cues from classic platform adventures like Super Mario Bros, but Nintendo’s portly plumber never mined the kind of emotional territory that reveals itself over the course of this puzzle-tinged affair. Gorgeous hand-painted visuals and contemplative storytelling help frame the action, which uses a time-manipulating effect to shake up the platform approach.
9. Doom 3
Itching for a bit of big-budget ultra-violence? Doom 3 is the culmination of id Software’s legendary first-person shooter franchise, sending you running through dark corridors filled with all sorts of horrifying beasts. Several years after its release, it’s no longer the flashiest shooter around, but it still delivers an effective burst of horror at a pretty fantastic price.
10. Life Is Strange
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go back? Suddenly faced with the ability to rewind time and overwrite history, Life Is Strange centers around Max Caulfield, a troubled teenager out to protect her best friend Chloe Price from the dangers of reality using her newfound superpower. The overarching plot in Life Is Strange is as endearing as it is riveting.
Sure, you’ll roll your eyes at words like “hella” being repeated like a broken record, but by the end of the second episode, the cringe will be overshadowed by twists, turns and cliffhangers that’ll leave you on the edge of your seat in anticipation. And, if you’re a fan of morality systems, you’ll be pleased to know that Life Is Strange features one of the best, with seemingly minuscule choices resulting in major consequences by the end of the game.
What’s more, Apple users will rejoice, as Life Is Strange is well-suited to the macOS platform thanks to its barebones system requirements and pick-up-and-play control scheme.
11. Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery
An off-beat but gripping pixel adventure, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP finds you exploring a stunningly imagined fantasy world while you solve puzzles, take in the quirky dialogue, and even engage in occasional boss battles. It’s difficult to understand in moments, but that actually adds to its odd charm, making for one seriously memorable quest.
12. Cities: Skylines
The best city builder is now available on Mac. Developed by the team behind transport management sim Cities in Motion, Cities: Skylines sees you take care of everything from building infrastructure to macro and micro management, land planning, traffic routes and collecting garbage. A stunning-looking game, Skylines makes creating a bustling metropolis great fun from start to finish.
13. Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition
Though it might be a stretch to expect Grand Theft Auto V on macOS any time soon, the next best thing is available directly through the app store. Originally released back in 2012, Sleeping Dogs launched to critical success because of its Batman Arkham-like combat and innovative leveling system unusually implemented in an open-world game. Unlike similar sandbox games like GTA and Watch Dogs, Sleeping Dogs exhibits a unique settings outside of those inspired by today’s United States. As a result, it manages to feel fresh despite the obvious parallels.
Source: techradar.com
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hmm these are the 7 best Mac games? I'll stick with my self built Windows gaming PC and find something else to spend the £1k I saved not buying a Mac
Love gaming on my Mac. Keep these articles coming.
XCOM 2 is my favorite on that list. There's a lot of newer ones too that are very good. There's Firewatch, The Banner Saga 2 and even Sleeping Dogs.
Welcome to the internet. You must be new here.
Cities Skylines? Civilization V? The Sims 4?
While my biggest issue is trying to sort through my almost 700 games on Steam and try to figure out which one to play next, this list kind of makes me sad for a platform that was once considered worth it's high cost due to how powerful the machines were.
Then make sure you tune in for Techradar's article next week on the 8 best toasted sandwiches you can make in your slow cooker.
I find these articles really lazy and absent of any thought (normally it's updated a week after another blockbuster – regardless of performance or rating) and gives no added value. I especially think it's odd how they added MKX to the best 4k games – a game that was widely panned for its shoddy PC release and not optimised for 4k. (Seriously, if you want to wind up your PC gaming friends, by them a MKX and Batman Arkham Knight double gift set.) I suppose there is some value in raising the profile of good games for Mac because not many titles will natively run on OSX, but just doing a list is no more useful than someone just opening up Steam and it automatically telling them the games they can download or, if not accessing Steam from a Mac, by clicking on 'Mac compatible games'…
I don't know if you can see the history of the versions of 'Best games for your PC' article but the number just increases by one after each major release and they chuck that at the end. I'm looking forward to 'The best 28 games you can buy for PC' next week to include XCOM2 as game 28, and 'The best 29 games you can buy for your PC' at the end of the month to include The Division at 29.
Argh. Bit of a rant there sorry. I do feel these articles do dilute the quality of journalism available on this site.