The best lessons move gradually by focusing on a few keys at a time before building to letter chains, words and sentences. This can take a while, so it's important for software to have fun games to keep kids typing and practicing their new skills. The best strategy games for Mac have always been excellent, but in recent years, they got even better. Whether you’re into fast-paced real-time strategy (RTS), complex turn-based games or more casual alternatives for your MacBook, this list has something for everyone.
Before digital downloads, finding the best Mac games wasn’t always easy. They were out there, but the Mac section of the computer game stores (they used to have those) seemed to stock nothing but “Mario Teaches Typing,” and the games that included Mac and Windows versions would inevitably be scattered around the “PC” sections of the store. As such, compiling a list of the best classic Mac games is pretty tough.
That didn’t stop us from doing it. And because we want you to actually play these games, we made sure you can still buy them all in either their original form or as enhanced editions (not remakes).
It also means some of our favorite old Mac games—such as Myth, Red Baron, and Fallout—didn’t make the list. Don’t worry, though; there’s plenty here to keep you entertained well into the summer. When this turn-based fantasy RPG from Spiderweb Software arrived in 2000 it already looked and played like throwbacks to RPGs of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. But it did so in the best ways possible. Avernum is an underground prison, and of course, your adventure begins when you’re exiled there from the surface world, known as the Empire. But Avernum isn’t simply a prison; an entire culture exists in this subterranean world, presenting you with myriad options on what to do next. With numerous quests, spells, and party members to customize and control, Avernum unfolds with the freedom of pencil and paper adventures.
Avernum: The Complete Saga gives you a ridiculous amount of content and a cohesive story arc that’s tremendously satisfying. The graphics are rudimentary, but Avernum is very satisfying if you can overlook that. Another name synonymous with Mac gaming back in the ‘90s was Ambrosia Software. You simply didn’t know a Mac user who didn’t have at least one Ambrosia game on her PowerPC. Perhaps their most fondly remembered title is EV Nova, the third game in the Escape Velocity series. A space exploration and combat game, EV Nova is set amongst warring factions scattered throughout the Milky Way. Consider it Divergent amongst the stars, as you will select your faction then find your role in it.
Gameplay involves jumping between star systems to accept and execute missions, upgrade your ship, and wreck havoc. There are six major storylines and plenty of branching missions, and how you get involved is up to you. That leads to plenty of replay options. It’s still easy to get overwhelmed by EV Nova despite its age, but Ambrosia offers plenty of resources at the company’s website. Our second sci-fi first-person shooter to make the list finds you waking from cryostasis to a ship full of unknown aliens, a screwed up AI, and your now zombified companions. We’ve been through this before, so pick up the weapons and health packs and have at it, right? System Shock 2 doesn’t give you a lot of weapons or health packs.
Rather, it gives you an RPG-like system of upgrades that forces you to use strategy, stealth, and the environment to survive. What really separates System Shock 2 from its peers is the ship itself. It’s creepy and oppressive, and you’ll be more afraid of what could be around the corner than what actually is. Story elements are revealed through logs left by the crew, limiting your knowledge of what’s going on in a manner that reinforces how alone you are. Another game produced by Peter Molyneux, Syndicate Plus is a real-time tactical action game in which you lead a team of cyborg mercenaries in the “problem-solving” department of the Syndicate. When you hear the term “cyborg” you just know there are going to be plenty of customization options via augmentations.
You will use these to create a team that moves through futuristic locations to achieve your employer’s objectives. Although there’s plenty to address between missions, it’s the execution of those missions that is most fun. The citizens and their belongings (cars, for example) are there to suit your purposes, should you need them. Your radar tells you where you need to go, but the direct route isn’t always best. If you need some extra help you can “persuade” the people around to help get the job done. Best of all, the music and sound effects were incredibly effective for the time. The music that suddenly kicks in when you’re spotted will follow me for the rest of my life.
I gave up on the Star Wars movies about 25 minutes into Return of the Jedi, and I’ve never been able to get back into it. I still quite enjoy the games, however, and my all time favorite is 1994’s TIE Fighter from LucasArts. This is because of the excellent story that drives the mission-based flight-sim combat, because of the smooth graphics, and because it was the first time I got to serve the Empire. The missions are what you’d expect from any competent flight sim, asking you to engage in dogfights, take down freighters, protect your own vessels, etc. But because you’re now facing off against the whiney Rebellion, there’s a certain evil glee that goes along with it. I’m also impressed by TIE Fighter’s staying-power. The gameplay is every bit as intense (and difficult) as it was in the mid-90s, and the space combat graphics are still very cool to view.
Just make sure you play it with a joystick. Trust me on this. There was a time when Bungie Studios was the shining light of Mac gaming.
With Mac-only (or at least Mac-first) games such as Myth and Oni, they were the one company that made Windows owners jealous of Mac gamers. But then Microsoft bought them to claim Halo, and that shining light was snuffed out forever. Mac gamers can still see what made Bungie so special by playing the Marathon Trilogy. This revolutionary series of sci-fi themed first-person shooters introduced features such as real-time voice chat and the ability to wield two weapons at once.
The multiplayer options may not do you much good today, but the action and the story are every bit as entertaining as they were in the ’90s. Honestly, Marathon would be higher on this list were it not for the steps required to grab it. The games are free, but you’ll need to install Aleph One ( the free, open source continuation of Bungie’s Marathon 2 FPS game engine) to run them.
“But what if this was set in space?” is a valid question for every video game ever madeeven games that are already set in space. That’s because space makes everything so much bigger and more imaginative.
And the time this worked best was when Sid Meier took Civilization interstellar with Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri. The turn-based strategy elements all remained.
You choose from seven factions, then research an unexplored planet, build new technologies and customize your units, and conquer anything hostile (or friendly, if that suits you) to claim victory. The fun thing about Alpha Centauri is that none of the factions are bad guys. No matter which you select, you feel like you’re doing the right thing when you conquer the others.
Still, why bother playing this when there are many modern alternatives available on the Mac? Because the only thing missing in Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri are the flashy graphics. The writing, voice-acting, and depth of gameplay options are still among the best the genre has ever seen.
For our next game, we go all the way back to the ’80s with Bullfrog’s Populous from Peter Molyneux. If it’s not the first “god” game out there, it’s the first that made god gaming so gleefully fun. In Populous, you’re given an isometric view of your world and tasked with manipulating this world to help your “followers” wipe out the enemy. More followers lead to more mana, more mana leads to more powers, and more powers mean earthquakes, volcanos, and all kinds of fun ways to punish the non-believers.
There are many similar games available now, most of which are much more involved and rewarding. So, why bother going back to 1989 for the original Populous?
Because it’s still fun. It also contains a whopping 500 levels, and the rudimentary graphics create an odd connection with your followers. It’s more like developer and programs than God and subjects.
Those looking to relive the original adventure in this real-time fantasy RPG are in for a treat. The enhanced edition—released in April of this year—comes with the original version from 1999.
No matter which version you’ll play, you are the Nameless One. A name like that means life isn’t good, and the horrors of lives you can’t remember are coming back to haunt you. Worse, a floating skull named Morte is leading your adventure that will take you to the very depths of Hell. The characters you can recruit in Planescape: Torment are highly non-traditional, including a crossbow-wielding cube and a haunted suit of armor. You’re free to change your class and alignment throughout the 50+ hour adventure, so you’re not stuck with one way of thinking as with most RPGs of this time. Here’s a case where the enhanced edition of a game expertly accomplishes its goal; it reminds fans of why they loved the original while making the game accessible to modern gamers.
To start, the remastered graphics lovingly reflect the look of the original, serving mainly to make them look sharp on today’s much larger monitors. The enhanced edition also adds four new characters you can simply ignore if you want to remain faithful to the original, and it builds Shadows of Amn and Throne of Baal right into the package. There’s now a multiplayer option, too. The reason Baldur’s Gate II is so fondly remembered is because of the excellent story and well-balanced combat. As you’d expect from a Forgotten Realms-based game, you can play through as the good guy, the bad guy, or someone in between. Your actions affect how NPCs and members of your own party see you and will open and close quests and other options. Good RPGs create worlds you don’t just want to play through, but live in.
And in that regard, Baldur’s Gate II is one of the most successful of all time. The thing about putting together a list of the best classic Mac games is that it’s constantly changing. More games become “classic” each year, but it’s more than that. Countless games bubble just under the surface, waiting to be rediscovered or to get their “enhanced” edition to lift them back into the consciousness of Mac gamers.
And with the ease of digital distribution, don’t be surprised if we’re soon talking about more of our favorites. In the meantime, can someone remind me why the Mac versions of Fallout and Fallout 2 disappeared again? Disclaimer: Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission (this is how we pay the bills). This commission comes at no additional cost to you. Please understand that I only mention games because I believe they’re interesting, good, and/or fun. Never because I received a free copy or to earn a small commission. Kirk's love for Apple and Mac gaming lead him to Applelinks.com in 1997, where he would eventually become editor.
He was then hired to become editor of AppleTell.com before it was bought out and shut down eight years later. During this time, he also contributed to GamerTell, Inside Mac Games, Mac Gamer’s Ledge, and Dealerscope.
Kirk is now vice president of client services at Dynamics Online, Inc, and is also co-founder and managing editor of BESTAppleTV.com, a website dedicated to viewing, gaming, and browsing on the Apple TV device.
If you’re a Mac user then you’d already know that Apple’s computers aren’t really known for their gaming prowess. Similarly priced Windows PCs have far better gaming performance and therefore Windows users have access to many more games. However, that doesn’t mean our Mac using brethren will have to invest in a Windows PC in order to play games. Quite a few popular games for Windows have now been ported to macOS and Mac users even have a ton of great free titles to jumpstart their gaming journey. So, if you’re a Mac user who’s been meaning to delve into the vast world of gaming then you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve curated a list of the 15 best free Mac games, spanning across various genres, that you should try before investing in more premium titles. Best Free Mac Games You Should Play. First-Person Shooters 1. Fortnite Battle Royale Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year or so, then you’ve probably already heard of Fortnite, the battle royale sensation that has taken almost all popular streaming platforms. Developed by Epic games, Fortnite Battle Royale takes you in a flying bus to a giant map where you’ll have to find weapons, collect resources and fight 99 other players to become the last man standing. The game is quite demanding and requires a specific API, so you won’t be able to play on any old MacBook.
The game requires Macs that support the Metal API and are running macOS 10.12.6 or above. Minimum system requirements for Fortnite Battle Royale include a 2.4GHz Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and Intel HD 4000 graphics card. Even if you have that configuration, don’t expect the game to run as well as it would run on a gaming laptop.
But if you’re planning to game on a Mac, you’ll have to make that compromise. Paladins Hi-Rez Studios’ Paladins is a nearly identical Overwatch clone which is available on macOS. The game, much like Blizzard’s Overwatch, allows players to choose a champion which are divided into four categories – front line, damage, support and flank – and play with their friends to take down the enemy team. The game has three different game modes and a large champion pool, boasting of a variety of champions with vastly different abilities and play styles. Along with the first-person shooter elements, the game lays a whole lot of importance on team play and strategy, with each match a little bit different than the previous. Much like Fortnite, Palandins is also a rather demanding game and won’t run on low-end machines. Minimum requirements for Paladins on Mac include OS X 10.10 or above, an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and a dedicated graphics card with 512MB of VRAM and Shader Model 3.0+ support.
Fistful of Frags Fistful of Frags is another great first-person shooter for Macs which is based in the American Wild West. Although the game doesn’t look very impressive, compared to modern FPS titles, it pays a lot of attention to combat mechanics which makes it quite challenging and fun to play. The games features a number of modes, including several single player challenges and multiplayer modes.
Multiplayer modes include a fast-paced battle royale mode, a team-based death match, a team elimination mode and a 1v1 dual mode. Unlike +modern FPS titles, which feature modern weapons, Fistful of Frags features historical black gunpowder based weapons such as the Colt Peacemaker, S&W Schofield, Volcanic Pistol, Sharps Rifle, etc. In order to run the game, you’ll need a Mac running OS X 10.7.x or above, a dual core Intel processor, at least 1GB of RAM and an Intel HD 3000 GPU or higher.
This means that you’ll be able to run the game on pretty much any machine as long as it’s from 2016 or later. Team Fortress 2 Team Fortress 2 is an evergreen title which, albeit a little dated, is still a whole lot of fun. The games features cartoon-styled graphics and players get to choose from 9 different classes of characters.
The classes are further divided into three groups, including the Offense group, the Support group and the Defense group. Developed by Valve, the game is just too damn entertaining and it’s definitely worth a shot if you haven’t tried it out already. Team Fortress 2 has a variety of game modes, including Capture the Flag and King of the Hill, which you can enjoy with your friends or play with random people online. In order to run the game, you’ll need a device running OS X version 10.5.8 or above, with at least a 1.7GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and Intel HD 3000 graphics or higher. Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) 1. League of Legends Possibly the world’s most played game in the world, League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena game in which two teams of 5 players play against each other to take down the other team’s nexus.
The game boasts of an insane champion pool, with over 137 champions, each of which have different abilities and play styles. The champions are divided into five primary categories, including marksman, mage, support, tank and fighter, each of which have different roles in the game. Since the game has a number of different champions and a ton of items, it has a steep learning curve, but if you find someone to help you out or watch a few YouTube videos about the game, you can get a decent head start over other newbies.
The games has a number of different maps and game modes, however, the primary objective remains the same in each mode – destroy the enemy nexus. Riot Games, the developer, invests a lot of time and effort to constantly update the game and introduce new champions and rotating game modes, so you’ll surely never get bored. In order to run the game, you’ll require a Mac running OS X 10.8.5 or higher, with a 2GHz processor, at least 2GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT or better GPU. The game manages to run on Intel HD graphics as well, but the experience won’t be as good as you’d expect. DOTA 2 DOTA 2 is another popular multiplayer online battle arena game which, in essence, is a lot like League of Legends. The sole objective remains the same, destroying the enemy’s base, with the most important structure being the Ancient instead of the nexus. You can choose from over a hundred unique heroes with different play styles and once again, the game has a major learning curve to it.
Unlike League of Legends, however, all heroes a free to play from the beginning and you don’t have to grind for in-game currency to buy new heroes. DOTA 2 is also constantly updated which keeps it interesting for both new and old players alike. In order to run DOTA 2, you’ll need a system running OS X Mavericks 10.9 or newer, with at least a dual core processor from Intel, 4GB of RAM, and Intel HD 3000 graphics or higher. For both League of Legends and DOTA 2 you’ll also need a fairly stable internet connection because both the games are quite fast paced and split-second reactions go a long way in swaying the outcomes of matches. Heroes of the Storm Heroes of the Storm is Blizzard’s answer to League of Legends and DOTA 2, with similar game mechanics and objectives. However, while League of Legends and DOTA 2 have a top-down perspective of the maps, Heroes of the Storm has a slightly different perspective, which gives a unique feel.
Otherwise, the game follows pretty much the same basic tenets of a MOBA – choose a champion, play along with your team and destroy the enemy base. The game has a variety of heroes with unique abilities and roles that you can control to take down the enemy. Heroes of the Storm is also updated constantly, with Blizzard introducing new content and events to keep players hooked. If you wish to run Heroes of the Storm on your Mac, you’ll require a device running OS X 10.9.x or newer, at least an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an Nvidia GeForce 330M or better and 4GB of RAM.
Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) 1. World of Warcraft Another title from Blizzard that has made it to the list is the much acclaimed World of Warcraft.
The game, which boasts of one of the largest virtual open worlds ever created, is probably one of the most addictive games I’ve ever played. Players get to choose characters from a variety of classes and races which are divided between two warring factions, the Alliance or the Horde. Each class has its own specific play style and each race that qualifies for the class brings with it some of its own unique passives, giving players a variety of different ways in which they can choose to play the game. The game has immersive PvP and PvE elements, in which you can choose to fight alongside your faction to take down players from the other faction or join a guild to take down massive mythic monsters scattered around the large open world. The game is very engaging and has a amazing story line which makes progressing in the game rewarding and entertaining. While World of Warcraft ins’t completely free, you can play the first twenty levels of the game for free which will give you a fair idea about the game’s mechanics. In case you like the game, you can choose to pay a small fee and continue playing past level 20.
To run the game on your Mac, you’ll require a system running OS X 10.12, powered by an Intel Core i5-750M or better coupled with an Intel HD 530 or better, and at least 4GB of RAM. Since the game is so massive, you’ll also need at least 70GB of free space on your system. Lord of the Rings Online Another great MMO which follows the storyline of the epic Lord of the Rings saga is, you guessed it, Lord of the Rings Online. The game, which is developed by Turbine, is perfect for fans of the LOTR franchise and takes the player on an amazing journey across Middle-Earth. Pretty much everything about the game is free and the game doesn’t offer a pay to win mechanic, but it does hide some premium features behind a small fee, which is quite justifiable since it offers so much for free. The game is pretty much like every role-playing game out there, you pick up a character and go on an adventure across Middle-Earth taking down enemies and making some friends in the process. In order to run the game on your Mac, you’ll need to be running OS X 10.7.5 or newer, powered by an Intel Core i5 processor, at least 2GB of RAM and Intel HD 3000 graphics or better.
The game will also require at least 25GB of free hard drive space for installation. Real-Time Strategy Games 1. Starcraft II If you like strategy games more than anything else, then you’d probably enjoy Starcraft II. Another one of Blizzard’s highly-acclaimed titles, Starcraft II is a military science fiction based real-time strategy game in which players wage an intergalactic war. The game has an epic story campaign, one of the best multiplayer modes in the genre and collaborative co-op missions. While the game isn’t completely free, its Wings of Liberty campaign is completely free and will give you a fair idea of the game. Once you get a hang of the game in the campaign, you can also play unranked matches against opponents or take down AI without paying a dime.
You can even unlock ranked mode by completing 10 first wins of the day in unraked or versus AI, which is a small price to pay for so much free content. On top of that, the game also offers three commander for free in their entirety, with all other commanders available for free up till level 5. To run the game you’ll require a system running OS X 10.11, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an Nvidia GeForce GT 330M or better, 4GB of RAM and you’ll require 30GB of free space on your hard drive. Developed by Wildfire Games, 0 A.D is a free and open-source real-time strategy title which focuses on a historical war much like Age of Empires. In fact, the game initially began as a total conversion mod concept for Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings and then took its own path to become a completely independent title. As you’d expect, the gameplay is quite a lot like Age of Empires, with players training an army and undertaking technology and combat research to take down opponents. Offers both single player and multiplayer modes.
In the single player mode, players take down AI-controlled enemies, while in multiplayer mode you’ll be facing other players in real-time combat. The game offers a total of thirteen ancient civilizations which have their own progression tree, their own unique armies and different play styles. What’s really great that the game will run on any Mac purchased after 2006, all it requires is for you to be running OS X 10.8 or later. Card-Based Strategy Games 1. Hearthstone If you’re a fan of card-based strategy game then you should definitely give Hearthstone a shot. The game, which features cards based on characters from the World of Warcraft universe, has been developed by Blizzard and supports cross-platform play.
![Best mac games for preschoolers Best mac games for preschoolers](https://gamejod.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/grid-autosport-gameplay-screenshot.jpg)
Much like other card-based strategy games, the game utilizes a turn-based mechanism in which two opponents compete with each other using their decks of 30 cards along with a selected hero. Unlike other Blizzard games on this list, which are free to a certain extent, Hearthstone is completely free on all platforms and you can easily transition between your Windows, Mac, iOS or Android device using the same profile. The game features cards that are based on a total of 9 classes and all classes have their own unique cards and abilities. It’s honestly a whole lot of fun and if you’ve ever played a card-based game before you’ll feel right at home with Hearthstone. In order to run the game you’ll require a system running OS X 10.10 or newer, powered by at least an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT graphics card or better, at least 2GB of RAM and a decent internet connection. The Elder Scrolls: Legends Much like Hearthstone, The Elder Scrolls: Legends is also a card-based strategy game which follows the same underlying mechanic of other 1v1 turn-based card games.
However, unlike Hearthstone, which is based on characters from the World of Warcraft universe, The Elder Scrolls: Legends is based on characters from the Elder Scroll universe. So if you’re a fan of any Elder Scrolls game, you’ll be familiar with most of the cards in game. The game is completely free to play, but offers some in-app purchases and a trading system which will allow you to get a better deck of cards more quickly.
It offers several game modes, allowing players to play on their own against an AI or play against other players in real-time. In order to run the game you’ll require a system running OS X 10.8 or later, powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and an Nvidial GeForce 8600M GT graphics card or better. You’ll also need a decent internet connection so that you don’t lose any multiplayer games because of random disconnecting or lag. Casual Games 1. Spelunky If all of the aforementioned games seem a bit too intense for your taste, then you can play Spelunky – a free to play indie-adventure game in which you’ll control an unnamed adventurer/explorer known as the Spelunker and explore the underground tunnels to gather all the treasure you can lay your hands on. While it may sound a bit too easy, the game has a number of traps and enemies which you’ll have to take down while hunting for the treasure.
All the levels are randomly generated so the game remains interesting for a long time, however, it may get a bit frustrating as you’ll have to begin from scratch every time you die in a level. Thanks to its old-school design, the game barely requires any processing power to run, which means that it can easily run on older Mac devices. The game is completely free from start to finish, with no hidden charges whatsoever. OLDTV Another great game for casual gamers which will keep you entertained for quite a while is OLDTV.
The game has a very simple backdrop – you play as a gifted child who switches through every channel on an old TV. The game tests your focus and mental ability, providing challenges one after the other. Since the game primarily requires players to solve a bunch of puzzles, I’m not going to spoil it by going too much into details, but I’d highly recommend it to everyone who likes a decent challenge from time to time. However, since the game has a lot of flashing screens and the gameplay depends on a player’s ability to differentiate colors, it isn’t recommended for anyone who’s prone to epilepsy or any form of color blindness.
In order to run the game you’ll require a system running OS X 10.7 or higher, with at least a 1.80GHz processor, 2GB of RAM and any video card with 512MB of VRAM. SEE ALSO: These are the Best Free Games for Mac Well, that rounds up our list of the 15 best Mac games you should try. You can choose one (or more) of the aforementioned games depending on the genres you like or you could give each of them a shot and find out which one suits your fancy. Do let us know if you fall in love with any of the aforementioned games and make sure you drop a comment letting us know in case we’ve missed out a title that you really like.