The Best Mac Games

Best Mac games at a glance

How these Mac games were selected

The ranking considers:

• Strength within each genre
• Variety across major releases and lightweight indies
• Solo, cooperative and competitive play options
• Replay value through choices, builds or generated worlds
• Controller support where listed
• Listed memory and storage requirements
• Practical differences between short-session and long-campaign games
• The need to verify compatibility against the exact Mac model

The list does not assume that one Mac configuration represents every Mac. Hardware generation, memory, macOS version and available storage can all affect compatibility.

1. Baldur’s Gate 3

Best overall Mac RPG

Baldur’s Gate 3 is a party-based fantasy RPG where character creation, dialogue and tactical decisions shape the journey.

Quests support multiple solutions. Persuasion, stealth, magic, environmental interaction and direct combat can lead through the same problem in different ways.

Turn-based battles reward positioning, elevation and combinations between party abilities. The environment can become part of the plan rather than a static backdrop.

Companions have personal goals and react to the player’s decisions. Relationships therefore develop alongside the central conflict.

Modes include single-player, LAN co-op and online co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 150 GB of storage.

Choose Baldur’s Gate 3 for a long campaign, extensive role-playing and cooperative storytelling. Verify the current macOS and processor requirements because the large installation and complex 3D scenes make it one of the more demanding picks.

2. Lies of P

Best Soulslike game on Mac

Lies of P reimagines Pinocchio inside the fallen city of Krat, combining dark fantasy with Belle Époque machinery and architecture.

Combat rewards guarding, dodging and learning enemy timing. Bosses punish careless attacks, so restraint is as important as aggression.

Weapons can be assembled from blades and handles, allowing damage characteristics and movesets to be adjusted separately.

The Legion Arm adds specialized tools that can support range, defense or another tactical purpose.

Lies of P is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 50 GB of storage.

Choose it for precise action, difficult bosses and a focused dark-fantasy campaign.

3. Resident Evil 4

Best horror-action game on Mac

Resident Evil 4 follows Leon S. Kennedy into a remote settlement while searching for the kidnapped daughter of the United States president.

Third-person shooting is balanced by ammunition, healing and inventory constraints. Accurate shots create opportunities, but poor resource use can make later encounters harder.

The attaché case turns storage into a spatial puzzle. Weapons, ammunition and healing items must fit inside one limited grid.

Enemy groups pressure the player through numbers, movement and changing attack types, creating more tactical combat than a simple corridor shooter.

Resident Evil 4 is single-player with full controller support. The listed minimum memory requirement is 8 GB RAM.

Choose it for a polished balance of tension, action, upgrades and replay value.

4. Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Best historical open-world game on Mac

Assassin’s Creed Shadows explores feudal Japan through two protagonists with contrasting abilities.

Naoe emphasizes stealth, mobility and tools for avoiding direct confrontation. Yasuke provides a more forceful combat style built around power and armor.

Switching perspectives allows missions and locations to be approached according to preferred tactics.

The open world supports exploration, infiltration and combat across changing environments.

The game is single-player. Minimum requirements include 16 GB RAM and 115 GB of storage, placing it among the most demanding games.

Choose it for a large historical action adventure. Confirm that the intended Mac satisfies the current processor, memory, graphics and macOS requirements before purchasing.

5. Stardew Valley

Best cozy Mac game

Stardew Valley begins with an inherited farm that the player can rebuild according to personal priorities.

Crops, animals, fishing, mining, crafting and relationships create several valid daily routines.

The community center offers long-term collection goals, while festivals and personal events turn Pelican Town into more than a service hub.

Multiplayer allows participants to divide work across the farm and surrounding valley.

Modes include single-player, LAN, online and split-screen co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 2 GB RAM and approximately 0.5 GB of storage.

Choose Stardew Valley for relaxed progression, flexible goals and a small installation.

6. Total War: WARHAMMER III

Best strategy game on Mac

Total War: WARHAMMER III combines a turn-based campaign with real-time tactical battles.

Factions differ through units, economies, diplomacy and campaign systems. Another faction can therefore create a substantially different strategic problem.

Battles include infantry, cavalry, monsters, artillery, flying units and magic. Formations and timing determine whether those tools support one another.

The campaign layer handles settlements, recruitment, movement and alliances before armies meet on the battlefield.

Modes include single-player, LAN co-op, online co-op and competitive modes. Minimum requirements include 6 GB RAM and 120 GB of storage.

Choose it for large fantasy wars and long campaigns. Its installation size requires careful storage planning.

7. No Man’s Sky

Best space exploration game on Mac

No Man’s Sky begins on an unfamiliar planet with a damaged ship and a procedurally generated universe waiting beyond it.

Exploration supplies resources for survival, repairs, construction and technology upgrades.

Ships and tools can be improved as the player reaches new systems and more demanding environments.

Base building creates persistent locations across the universe, while multiplayer allows shared exploration and projects.

Modes include single-player, online co-op and PvP with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 15 GB of storage.

Choose it for open-ended space travel, planetary discovery and a sandbox without one mandatory campaign rhythm.

8. Valheim

Best co-op survival game on Mac

Valheim places up to ten players in a generated afterlife inspired by Viking culture.

Gathering and crafting support shelters, weapons, food and ships. Each new biome introduces materials and dangers that push progression forward.

Bosses serve as milestones, encouraging preparation rather than unrestricted wandering.

Building supports practical outposts and elaborate settlements, while sailing connects distant regions.

Modes include single-player and online co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 1 GB of storage.

Choose Valheim for cooperative exploration, base building and a survival campaign with clear biome goals.

9. Hollow Knight

Best Metroidvania on Mac

Hollow Knight explores the interconnected kingdom of Hallownest through precise platforming and melee combat.

New movement abilities open routes through previously inaccessible areas, making traversal part of progression.

Charms modify attacks, healing, spells and movement. Limited capacity forces the player to select a build for the current challenge.

Bosses reward pattern recognition and controlled movement rather than statistical power alone.

Hollow Knight is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM and 9 GB of storage.

Choose it for hand-drawn art, open exploration and demanding but readable combat.

10. Balatro

Best Mac game for short sessions

Balatro uses poker hands as the foundation of a roguelike deck-building game.

Pairs, straights and flushes generate score, while Jokers and card modifications transform how those hands work.

Strong runs depend on building a coherent scoring engine rather than collecting every attractive reward.

Increasing score requirements force the strategy to scale and adapt.

Balatro is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 1 GB RAM and approximately 0.15 GB of storage.

Choose it for quick starts, deep combinations and exceptionally modest listed requirements.

11. Dead Cells

Best action roguelite on Mac

Dead Cells combines fast combat, procedural variation and Metroidvania-inspired routes.

Weapons, skills and mutations create a different build during each run. Synergy matters because effects can support one another.

Death ends the current attempt, but unlocked equipment and player knowledge expand future possibilities.

Movement is responsive enough to make speed valuable, while enemies punish uncontrolled attacks.

Dead Cells is single-player with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 2 GB RAM and approximately 0.5 GB of storage.

Choose it for compact action runs and a small installation with substantial replay value.

12. Terraria

Best 2D sandbox game on Mac

Terraria combines mining, crafting, building, exploration and boss progression inside a generated 2D world.

Equipment supports melee, ranged, magic and summoning approaches without forcing one permanent class choice.

Bosses act as progression gates, introducing new resources and threats after important victories.

Creative construction can remain a practical support system or become the main reason to play.

Modes include single-player, online co-op and competitive multiplayer with full controller support.

Choose Terraria for a large sandbox that supports solo exploration, co-op progression and extensive building.

13. Farming Simulator 25

Best realistic simulation game on Mac

Farming Simulator 25 focuses on operating machinery, cultivating crops, managing livestock and developing an agricultural business.

The routine is more technical than a cozy farming RPG. Vehicle selection, field work and production planning form the main challenge.

Several agricultural regions and crop types support different farm plans.

Online co-op allows participants to share work across a larger operation.

Modes include single-player and online co-op with full controller support. Minimum requirements include 8 GB RAM and 50 GB of storage.

Choose it for machinery and detailed farm management rather than character relationships or adventure systems.

14. The Elder Scrolls Online

Best MMO on Mac

The Elder Scrolls Online turns Tamriel into a large online RPG with quests, dungeons, exploration and player-versus-player activities.

Character progression supports different weapons, armor types and skill lines, allowing flexible roles.

Players can follow story quests alone, join groups for cooperative content or enter large PvP areas.

Its persistent world suits players seeking a long-term game rather than one finite campaign.

Modes include cooperative and competitive online multiplayer. Minimum requirements include 4 GB RAM and 150 GB of storage.

Choose it for a large fantasy MMO, but plan carefully for the substantial installation.

15. Melvor Idle

Best lightweight idle game on Mac

Melvor Idle adapts skill progression, crafting and combat into an idle and incremental format.

Activities continue developing over time, allowing progress without constant direct control.

Different skills feed one another through resources and crafted equipment.

The interface and systems matter more than demanding real-time graphics.

Melvor Idle is single-player. Minimum requirements include 0.5 GB RAM and approximately 0.2 GB of storage.

Choose it for passive progression and the lightest listed hardware footprint in this ranking.

Which Mac game should you play first?

Match the recommendation to the experience you want:

• Choice-driven fantasy RPG: Baldur’s Gate 3
• Challenging Soulslike action: Lies of P
• Survival-horror action: Resident Evil 4
• Historical stealth and open-world combat: Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Relaxing farming and relationships: Stardew Valley
• Large-scale strategy: Total War: WARHAMMER III
• Space exploration: No Man’s Sky
• Co-op survival and building: Valheim
• 2D exploration and bosses: Hollow Knight
• Short deck-building runs: Balatro
• Fast action roguelite: Dead Cells
• Creative 2D sandbox: Terraria
• Realistic agricultural simulation: Farming Simulator 25
• Persistent online fantasy world: The Elder Scrolls Online
• Lightweight idle progression: Melvor Idle

Baldur’s Gate 3 is the broadest premium RPG choice for a compatible Mac. Stardew Valley is the safest relaxed recommendation, while Balatro and Dead Cells suit shorter repeatable sessions.

Best Mac games for lower-spec hardware

Melvor Idle has the lightest listed requirements at 0.5 GB RAM and approximately 0.2 GB of storage.

Balatro lists 1 GB RAM and approximately 0.15 GB of storage. Stardew Valley and Dead Cells each list 2 GB RAM with sub-1 GB installations.

Hollow Knight lists 4 GB RAM and 9 GB of storage. These figures make the five games practical compatibility checks before attempting a recent 3D release.

Minimum figures do not guarantee macOS compatibility or ideal performance. Confirm the current Mac version, processor support and complete requirements.

Best multiplayer games on Mac

Stardew Valley is the most approachable co-op option because participants can divide farming, mining, fishing and animal care.

Valheim supports a larger survival group and emphasizes base building, sailing and boss preparation.

Baldur’s Gate 3 provides a story-heavy cooperative campaign, while No Man’s Sky supports shared exploration across generated planets.

Total War: WARHAMMER III suits strategy groups, Terraria offers a 2D sandbox and The Elder Scrolls Online provides the largest persistent multiplayer world.

How to check whether a game works on your Mac

Before purchasing, check the current store listing for a macOS version rather than assuming that every PC release includes one.

Compare the minimum macOS version, supported processor, memory and available storage with the exact Mac model.

Apple Silicon and Intel Macs may have different compatibility. A game may also require a particular graphics capability or exclude older systems.

Leave extra storage beyond the listed installation size for downloads, updates and system operation. For large games such as Baldur’s Gate 3 or The Elder Scrolls Online, storage can be as important as processing power.

Final recommendations

Baldur’s Gate 3 is the best overall Mac RPG for players with compatible hardware. Lies of P provides challenging Soulslike action, Resident Evil 4 delivers polished horror combat, and Total War: WARHAMMER III offers the strongest large-scale strategy.

Choose Stardew Valley for cozy co-op, No Man’s Sky for space exploration, Valheim for survival building, Balatro for short sessions, or Melvor Idle for the lightest listed requirements.

The right Mac game depends on both preferred genre and exact hardware. Start with the experience you want, then treat the current macOS compatibility page as the final purchasing check.