- How To Get Mac Games For Free
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You can find frantic shooters, low-key indies, grand strategy behemoths, and much more for your Mac. Here are the best Mac games you should have in 2021. Windows Game DVR. QuickTime Player. Mac's in-built screen recorder. Filmora Video Editor (Windows & macOS) Filmora Video Editor is a top-notch game recorder platform with immense usage across the globe. Besides, it is an excellent video editing tool housing plenty of great features. Mac Torrents is a software download site for mac that offers torrent links to download free apps and games. There are several mac torrent sites available on the web. Most of these sites offer software and games which are freely available in the public domain.
Humans are hardwired to dream of discovery and exploration. We wish to understand what surrounds us, from the bottom of the seas to the farthest reaches of the galaxy.
That’s where video games come in.
Few of us will ever stand on the Moon or approach the surface of Mars. Still, developers worldwide are putting in the work to bring us the most exhilarating space-exploration experiences possible.
Whether you’re passionate about setting up a colony on Mars, designing the ship to get us there, or just cruising through the stars, you’ll find something in our ranking of the absolute coolest space exploration video games ever released.
25. Star Conflict (2012)
Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, Steam
A favorite space fantasy of many is just piloting their spaceship around shooting down space pirates for cash like Boba Fett.
Developed by Star Gem Inc., Star Conflict focuses on small-scale dogfights in PvE or PvP, where skill determines who lives and who dies.
There’s a wide array of ships to acquire, ranging from agile corvettes to massive destroyers.
Regardless of what you pick, you can be sure you’ll be flying in style. Star Conflict features some of the most bad-ass spaceship designs I’ve ever seen hands-down.
24. Metroid Prime Series (since 2002)
Platforms: All major platforms, too many to list!
Metroid Prime series doesn’t let you cruise around space at your leisure.
But few other games present such well-designed and intriguing planets to explore on foot.
It’s a vicious universe full of ancient races and dangerous lifeforms, and it’s up to Samus Aran to lend a hand whenever something gets out of control.
The game will take you to fuming magma worlds, humid jungle-like biomes, and many abandoned ancient ruins from precursor races like the mysterious Chozo. Not to mention it’s been running on dozens of consoles for years so there’s a lot of variety out there.
23. Mass Effect Trilogy (2007-2012)
Platforms: PC, Mobile, All Major Consoles
BioWare’s Mass Effect Trilogy offers a similar experience.
Commander Shepard visits all kinds of alien worlds while chasing Space Pirates, stopping inter-species wars, and looking for ways to stop the ancient Reapers from ending all life in the galaxy.
Where Metroid Prime presents an isolating exploration experience, half of Shepard’s exploration comes down to meeting and negotiating with local intelligent species.
It’s a story set in a living, breathing galactic community. And it sheds some life on what it could be like to live as a member of a spacefaring civilization.
22. Distant Worlds: Universe (2014)
Platforms: PC
In Code Force’s Distant Worlds: Universe, you’ll have to micromanage trading, colonizing, and waging war for a budding empire. All in a stupidly vast custom-made galaxy.
This colossal scale is what sets Distant Worlds apart from some mainstream titles.
One of its best features is how many elements you can modify whenever you create a new galaxy to play in.
Any small tweak to the variables, which go from the geological to the demographic, can give you an entirely different experience. So yes, lots of replay value here.
21. Eve Valkyrie (2016)
Platforms: PC, PS4
The Eve franchise has been spawning spacefaring games for decades. And while CCP’s main project continues to be Eve Online, they’ve also made some other excellent titles – like Eve Valkyrie.
This space dogfighting simulator puts you directly inside the cockpit of your battleship thanks to VR technology.
Immersion is the top priority, which is why this cockpit is such a work of art.
But immersion means nothing without good gameplay. And this game has fun gameplay in spades.
After some introductory single-player missions to teach you the ropes, you’ll go right into frantic 8-player shootouts that perfectly capture the chaos of space battles.
20. Destiny 2 (2017)
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One
Bungie’s space-fantasy IP isn’t so much about exploring the universe, as it is about defending your homeworld from other spacefaring races.
Still, you’ll experience plenty of alien-world charm while exploring the colossal spaceships of the Red Legion, the corrupted nests of the Hive, or the advanced simulations of the Vex.
Most importantly you’ll get a lot of loot, which you’ll need to overcome the narrative-guided PvE missions or survive in the fast-paced PvP.
19. FTL: Faster Than Light (2012)
Platforms: PC, macOS, Linux, iOS
While most space-exploration games focus on lush graphics and beautiful vistas, Subset Games’ FTL presents you with a basic GUI representing your ship and calls it a day.
Its unique gameplay is mostly text-based, having you captain your ship towards your destination. All the while doing your best to avoid space pirates and hopefully escaping with your life.
Unless you’re a total master of strategy, there’s a lot of death and failure in your future.
But each time you’ll come back stronger and more prepared for the journey ahead.
18. Observation (2019)
Platforms: PC, PS4
Developed by No Code, Observation plays like a puzzle game and reads like a suspenseful horror story.
You’ll play as Sam, a space station AI charged with helping Dr. Emma Fisher survive a disaster after everyone else in her crew disappears.
That means going around solving puzzles to fix diverse systems and guiding Dr. Fisher through the facilities.
I know that doesn’t sound too exciting, but the thrilling narrative full of plot twists is sure to keep you hooked until the end. Not to mention the voice acting here is just fantastic.
17. Surviving Mars (2018)
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One
Haemimont Games’ Surviving Mars gives you a more specific challenge than most open-ended city-builders do: You must survive the ruthless environment of the red planet.
To do this you’ll need to manage energy, oxygen, and many other scarce resources to keep your society going.
This hardcore survival city-builder is among the best I’ve ever played. And the biosphere colony aesthetic is just out of this world.
We’ve even collected some really cool mods for this game well worth checking out. You know, once you’ve played it enough that you want some customization.
16. Star Trek Online (2010)
Platforms: PC, MacOS, PS4, Xbox One
How To Get Mac Games For Free
Star Trek is one of the most popular sci-fi franchises to date. And since its inception, it has been all about exploring space and charting the stars.
Fittingly, the free-to-play Star Trek Online MMORPG is among the best options for anyone looking to cruise the sea of stars.
It’s set in a politically unstable universe where massive co-op battles against NPC super-ships are frequent, and everyone is fighting for their place in the galaxy.
Just create your captain, jump into your ship, and start the grind towards greatness.
15. The Outer Worlds (2019)
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
The Outer Worlds, made by Obsidian Entertainment, was hyped by fans as Fallout: New Vegas IN SPACE… all the way up to its release.
While it failed to recreate the same thrilling storylines and detailed open-world experience of New Vegas, this action-RPG is really fun to play.
It remains an exciting, colorful voyage into a world run by ruthless spacefaring mega-corporations.
If putting together a crew of misfits and visiting colorful alien locales in an unforgiving universe sounds like fun, well then for sure try it out.
14. Civilization: Beyond Earth (2014)
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux
If rather than an unfortunate pawn, you’d rather play as the factions doing the colonizing, consider Firaxis Games’ Civilization: Beyond Earth.
Although long-time fans of the franchise prefer the classic Civ V over this sci-fi experiment, I do think Beyond Earth does a great job of selling the fantasy of little-by-little carving a place for humanity on an unknown alien world.
Considering most sci-fi turn-based strategy games focus on conquering entire galaxies, Beyond Earth is a nice change of pace with unique challenges that’ll keep you hooked for hours at a time.
13. Homeworld Remastered Collection (2015)
Platforms: PC
If you’re a sci-fi enthusiast, perhaps you’ve played the 1999 classic Homeworld.
It’s the game that follows the story of a nigh-extinct civilization fighting for their right to exist.
Gearbox’s remaster brings you the emotional story of the Kushan in a visually-upgraded form, with some mild tweaks to gameplay mechanics that make this remastered version the best way to play Homeworld.
The 3D space combat is a bit hard to grasp at first. But the excellent narrative makes it worthwhile to learn the ropes. You’ll get sucked in soon afterwards.
12. Space Engineers (2019)
Platforms: PC
While not everyone has the time and smarts to get a degree in Aerospace Engineering, just about anyone can have fun in Keen Software House’s Space Engineers.
The game features a sophisticated physics engine that serves as the basis for your space engineering projects.
You’ll also have to worry about finding resources on planets and asteroids if you choose to play in Survival Mode. These resources let you make bases and ships able to withstand the dangers of the void, helping you further explore locales such as the Earth, the Moon, Titan, and Europa.
11. SpaceEngine (2019)
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux
As its name suggests, SpaceEngine isn’t so much a game as it is a 3D astronomy program.
This bad boy endeavors to simulate the entire known universe with scientifically-accurate mass, volume, orbits, and other such data. It’s a big undertaking.
While this program, created by developer Vladimir Romanyuk, started its life as a purely educational product, users have access to game-like additions nowadays.
These include things like HD textures that make asteroids, stars, and planets look gorgeous.
Few games in this list come close to the level of detail and realism of SpaceEngine. And with the right settings, it offers some breathtaking vistas.
Check out the main site to learn more.
10. Universe Sandbox (2019)
Platforms: PC
Universe Sandbox is a physics-based space simulator aimed at making education fun by turning users into all-powerful galactic gods.
What makes this simulation unique is how easily you can tweak values such as gravity and mass.
You can also move anything you want, which becomes an exciting way to see how even the slightest changes can completely transform the Earth and our Milky Way.
Among its best features are the realistic simulated collisions, which will probably happen a lot considering how destructive we all get after being given so much power.
9. Outer Wilds (2019)
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Not to be confused with The Outer Worlds, Mobius Digital’s Outer Wilds presents a simple problem: The nearest star is 22 minutes from going supernova, and it’s up to you to figure out what’s going on.
Easy right?
You’re highly unlikely to find the answers you’re looking for in the first 22 minutes, but this roguelike action-adventure game expects you to keep trying.
Every time you play you’ll find something new. Slowly piecing together the puzzle as you explore the system, one time-loop at a time.
8. Everspace (2019)
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Also on the roguelike side of gaming lies Everspace, Rockfish Games’ ruthless space shooter.
Death will happen often here. But both your credits and your knowledge carry over from one run to the next, which is nice.
As you hone your piloting skills and improve your ship, you’ll start making real progress through the game’s fantastic story. And really, it’s fantastic.
If you’re looking for a straightforward game taking place in a beautifully-rendered outer space, you can’t go wrong with Everspace.
7. No Man’s Sky (2016)
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Hello Games’ procedurally-generated space adventure promised much and delivered little back when it was launched.
But don’t let that initial scandal keep you from giving it a go.
Over the course of 3+ years with real focus and hard work, we’ve seen developers tremendously improve the game. Basically breathing new life into its previously barren universe.
Best Free Mac Game Ever Online
No Man’s Sky is all about chance encounters. Whether that means finding a cool planet with bizarre lifeforms or just bumping into space pirates when you exit hyperspeed, it’s all here.
Unlike most other space-exploration game, it’s fast-paced. Having you jump from rock to rock in search of fuel and materials to continue your journey towards the center of the universe.
Sound fun? Well give it a go!
And once you get bored maybe try out some mods to bring back the freshness.
6. Stellaris (2016)
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One
If you’re into world-building and sci-fi stories full of bizarre alien races, you won’t find a better game than Paradox Interactive’s grand-strategy space epic.
Stellaris manages to find the middle ground between complex strategy gameplay and custom-made storytelling.
Every anomaly you research has the potential to turn into a multi-episodic story that changes your society forever.
Slowly they add up, weaving a multi-generational epic right before your eyes.
Best Free Macbook Games
5. Endless Space 2 (2017)
Platforms: PC, MacOS
Developed by Amplitude Studios, Endless Space 2 offers a more focused grand-strategy experience.
Instead of creating a faction from zero, you’ll have to choose a pre-made one.
This may sound like it limits your freedom. But it also let developers craft more cohesive storylines and events, which you’ll slowly uncover as you explore the sea of stars.
It’s filled to the brim with sci-fi tropes like living crystals, space dragons, and ancient superweapons just waiting for you to find them.
If you’re a lore-junkie like me, you have to give this one a try.
4. Kerbal Space Program (2015)
Best Free Macos Games
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux, PS4, Xbox One
Among the most well-known games on our list is Kerbal Space Program, a physics-based space exploration simulator with an educational focus.
Developed by Squad, this quirky game lets you design, build, and launch spaceships operated by little green men.
It’s full of slapstick humor and ridiculous situations. But it’s all just a ruse to keep you distracted from the fact that you’re learning physics in the process of playing.
It’ll take a while to grasp how to make a space-worthy vessel.
But stuff like calculating the right angle your ship needs to breach the atmosphere will slowly become second nature. Well, if you keep at it.
3. Star Citizen (2015)
Platforms: PC
Star Citizen isn’t a complete game. Far from it!
And yet, Cloud Imperium Games’ work-in-progress has more content than most AAA titles.
This ambitious MMORPG seeks to give players a complete simulation of what living in a galactic empire would be like, together with some more fantastical elements to keep things interesting.
Whether you want to become a trader, a bounty hunter, or a military operative – it’s all in your hands after creating your character.
While the game doesn’t seem to be anywhere near completion, it already features several unique planets and moons to visit. All of these are littered with resources to obtain, NPCs to meet, and challenges to overcome.
2. Eve Online (2003)
Platforms: PC, MacOS, Linux
The reason Eve Online remains relevant after all these years is how this MMORPG’s community ultimately determines the course of the game’s story.
Empires rise and fall due to player interactions, whether that be amassing a fleet to conquer their corner of the stars, spying on each other and selling the information to the highest bidder, or forming massive alliances to overthrow a player that’s become too powerful.
It may feel a bit daunting as a new player, trust me.
But CCP Games has been focusing on streamlining the new player experience as much as possible for the last couple of years. Give this a try if you never have before.
1. Elite Dangerous (2014)
Platforms: PC, MacOS, PS4, Xbox One
On the surface, Elite Dangerous’ title and marketing may lead you to believe that it’s a game about intense dogfights and smuggling resources through vicious enemy territory.
It certainly is all that. But it’s also a game that places a heavy focus on exploration – which is why it takes place on a colossal 1-to-1 representation of our very own Milky Way.
You can get on your ship and travel to the Moon, fly around in Saturn’s rings, or even make a trip to each of the stars making up your zodiac sign’s constellation.
And on the way you’re sure to run into many breathtaking vistas that make the journey 100% worth it.
Whenever you’re tired of exploring you can always engage in the game’s many missions, develop your character, improve your ship, or fight for your faction.
There’s always something to do in Elite Dangerous.
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Since the early days of Apple, Macs have not been known for their video game support. While Apple was focusing on their beautiful operating system and tightly controlled experience, Windows was branching out into an open platform that gave rise to highly innovative video games.
However, over the past few decades, the gap between platforms has been reduced significantly. Apple today has an impressive library of good games for Mac, thanks to a more popular hardware platform, and even released its own subscription model for gaming — Apple Arcade.
Gaming tools in one package
Nothing can hamper your game if you have Setapp installed on Mac. Pick the apps to optimize Mac’s performance and play uninterrupted.
So now that gaming on Macs is both viable and compelling, what are some of the best Mac games in 2021?
The Story Of Gaming On Macs
The main reason that Windows PCs enjoyed a greater selection of games than Apple is simply due to hardware. Apple has always produced their own proprietary hardware and software, which has allowed it to maintain a higher degree of control over how its systems physically look while ensuring its design standards are upheld for a consistent experience.
Contrarily, Microsoft made its Windows operating system open to run on a wider selection of hardware. For example, Dell could assemble its own hardware and then licence the Microsoft operating system accordingly. By opening up to more flexible hardware, Windows PCs were able to take advantage of the latest graphics and CPU innovations upon release — something critical in the early days of video game development. More importantly, Windows had a greater user base, which simply meant it was a more attractive business opportunity to develop games for the PC over Mac.
That was until Apple Macs started to borrow from some of the same open hardware architecture as PCs. Suddenly, video games made for PC could be easily ported to the Mac platform, which was becoming capable of running games smoothly due to newer, more powerful hardware.
That said, your hardware specifications are still an important consideration when looking for the best games on Mac.
The best hardware for Mac games
Generally speaking, video games fall into three broad categories — indie games (casual, made by one or a few people), e-sport games (competitive games which are usually fairly accessible to run), and blockbuster games (often requiring powerful hardware to run smoothly).
Almost any modern Apple Mac, including MacBooks, made in the past 5–10 years can run indie games without hassle. However, e-sport and blockbuster games may require you to pay more attention to the Mac’s specifications before attempting to run them.
When deciding if your Mac is going to perform well for gaming, consider some of the following:
Ensure your Mac has a dedicated graphics card (GPU). Many Macs, and especially MacBooks, use onboard graphics chips, which are built into the CPU unit. While efficient, these are usually not powerful enough to run really taxing games.
Aim for at a quad-core CPU, as many modern games take advantage of the extra cores over older units
Demanding games will usually call for a minimum of 8 GB of system RAM, but if you’re a multi-tasker or creator you might want 16 GB instead
Ensure you have enough hard disk space, as newer titles can take up a lot of storage. If you plan to have multiple games installed at once, you’ll want at least 256 GB of fast storage, preferably SSD over HDD.
Now that you know what kind of hardware is best for gaming, it’s time to look at some good games for Mac that will run well on your machine.
The best Mac games in 2021
The library of available games for Mac is constantly being updated with new and exciting titles — especially on the popular digital store called Steam and the App Store game collection.
However there are a few Steam games for Mac that really stand out — many of which were critically acclaimed titles on Windows PC before being ported across.
Here are some of the best Mac games in 2021 to get you started:
Diablo 3 is an action role playing game (ARPG) that’s all about loot. Level up your magic-wielding hero and slay thousands of demon-spawn in the search for more powerful gear and items. You can even play online or cooperatively with friends. Best for intermediate to powerful machines.
Cuphead is a retro-styled run-and-gun for up to two players which lets you tackle an increasingly challenging roster of bosses. Known for its beautiful cartoon-style graphics, Cuphead is a pleasure to look at while being fairly simple to run, and is one of the best Steam games for Mac. Ideal for basic machines, including MacBooks.
Fortnite is one of the world’s most popular online games for Mac, which finds you landing on an island and fighting other players to be the last standing. The addictive recipe of land, loot, shoot, and survive has become a world-wide phenomenon — especially as one of the top free games for Mac.
Civilization VI is one of the best games on Steam, period. It’s the latest instalment of a long-running series that lets you build entire civilizations from scratch. Advance through the ages, expand your empire, and use resources wisely to defeat your opponents through a variety of means. Reviews have shown Civilization V to be one of the best Steam games for Mac for years, and Civilization VI should become available soon. Better enjoyed on intermediate to powerful machines.
Starcraft II is one of the best free games for Mac, which lets you command one of three space-faring armies and battle them against each other for victory. It’s also one of the most popular online games for Mac ever.
Those are just a handful of the many exciting titles to land on Mac in recent years, with more being added every day. Even if you have an older Mac, you might be able to game comfortably without paying for costly hardware upgrades.
However, given that Macs don’t always have the same hardware options as their more powerful PC counterparts, it’s important to ensure your Mac is best prepared for high-speed gaming. This is especially critical for e-sport games, such as Fortnite, where one small hiccup or performance hit could cost the match.
Thankfully, you don’t need to be an advanced Mac user to optimize it for faster performance — developers have spent years making clever apps that can do just that for you.
Set up your Mac for gaming with CMM X
Disk cleanup and protection against malware — all you need for a perfect gaming environment. CleanMyMac X gives you just that.
Troubleshoot your internet connection
If you're playing any online game, the first thing to check is that you have a strong and stable connection. Many users mistake slow performance with their hardware, when in fact it can be isolated to their internet.
Unfortunately, mousing over the WiFi icon in your menu bar doesn't tell you enough. That’s why WiFi Explorer was created. This app presents a much richer view of your network status with a few must-have features:
See the band, range, signal quality, and security status of all available networks in your vicinity
Use the network analyzer to identify channel or coverage conflicts. This is very useful for apartment buildings where WiFi routers are competing with each other for signal.
View simple recommendations by WiFi Explorer to improve your connection based on best practices
If you’re still running into issues, make use of the extensive help manual, which can help guide you through the troubleshooting process
Optimize disk space for your Mac
When you’re running out of disk space, the best games for Mac can begin to crawl because there’s not enough room to write new data to the drive. CleanMyMac X is a lightweight app that lets you manage your disk space and maintain your Mac for optimal performance. Some of its best features allow you to easily:
Uninstall any app from your hard drive, including a shredder function to leave no trace behind. See a simple list of apps that you don’t use often, making it easier to determine what should go and what should stay.
Perform a disk cleanup in just a few clicks, removing any unnecessary or fragmented files that can accumulate over time
Protect your Mac from malicious software with the Malware Removal tool. Based on the most up-to-date attack libraries, your games can run at full speed without being hindered by background viruses.
Optimize the performance of your Mac by letting CleanMyMac X run a series of scripts designed to surface some extra power
Monitor your Mac game performance
Half of knowing how to improve your Mac’s performance is understanding what the bottlenecks are. Instead of blindly speculating, use iStat Menus to see your current Mac status at a glance while playing the best games on Mac. iStat Menus is a fully fledged system monitor that integrates seamlessly with the menu bar. Some of the core features let you:
See an overview of your Mac’s status, including CPU and GPU usage, fan speeds, temperatures, and more
Customize your view, ensuring you’re only seeing the information you care about. Either minimize each figure to an icon in your menu bar or expand them into a single clickable window that provides more information.
Experiment with different color schemes, including a dark mode that’s easy on the eyes
Configure alerts that trigger when certain system performance criteria are met. For example, if your GPU temperature exceeds a specific figure, you can be notified.
It may sound like a lot of preparation, but when it comes to gaming you know that the extra performance can go a long way.
The best part is that WiFi Explorer, CleanMyMac X, and iStat Menus mentioned above are available for a free seven-day trial through Setapp — a subscription service for Mac which gives you access to over 200 powerful apps. Just head over to the Setapp homepage to get started, and you’ll be playing the best games for Mac right on your current laptop in no time.