What Is The Best Steam Game For Mac
Mac isn’t a gamer’s go-to platform, due to obvious reasons. But, thanks to some awesome developers and publishing platforms like Steam, Mac users have a decent selection. So, even if you cannot enjoy GTA V on your brand-new MacBook Pro, there are some cool strategy games in Mac.
- Jan 13, 2020 Steam is more commonly associated with PC gaming but there's still a decent supply of Mac compatible games in there. If this is where you get most of your games from, them the official Steam Controller might be the one for you, and it has full, official Mac support.
- May 20, 2010 Last week, Steam for Mac hit the ground running with a trunk-load of titles and deals. As promised, every Wednesday they will make more games available for Mac and this week they introduced a.
- Steam Games to Play on Mac 2017: Which are the best games on Steam? In case if you don’t have cash but yet you are die-hard gaming fan then Steam is where you should be. All without spending a penny especially for MAC 2017. What are steam games and its importance? Steam – The Ultimate Online.
- MacOS on Steam Browse the newest, top selling and discounted macOS supported games New and Trending Top Selling What's Being Played.
In this article, we have listed some of the best strategy games for Mac. While some of them are heavy with graphics, some work on low-end devices. We have also mentioned system requirements along with each of the titles.
The 20 best games for Mac. From Fortnite to Firewatch and from cars to caravans, these are the best games for your MacBook or iMac. The best games for your MacBook and iMac. If there’s one good thing about the relative scarcity of games on the Mac, it’s that we often get the best games when we do get them. News Steam Labs. MacOS on Steam Browse the newest, top selling and discounted macOS supported games New and Trending Top Selling. Tabletop, Board Game, Simulation, Multiplayer-70%. Sid Meier’s Civilization® VI. Strategy, Turn-Based.
Most of the games are available via Steam. However, if you are interested, you can find standalone versions as well. Shall we check out the list, then?
Read: 20 Best Simulation Games for Android (2018)
Best Strategy Games for Mac
#1 0 A D
Let’s start with something completely free. 0 A D is an open-source strategy game for Mac. When you start the game, you’re a leader who is up for the challenge. Using the resources around, you have to set up your civilizations and beat down enemies ahead. Quite interestingly, the game brings a battle between 2 different civilizations — one from 500AD and another one from 500BC. It’s still under development and there may be a few bugs. Still, 0 A D is a must-check out.
Price: Free, Open Source
System Requirement: You should have an Intel-based Mac released after 2006
#2 Democracy 3
Democracy 3 is a wonderful political strategy game for Mac. It’s available via Steam and it has lots of extra downloadable content too. One of the popular simulation games too, Democracy 3 wants you to be a leader. The story is set in a western industrialized nation and you have to address all sorts of issues, from crime to climate change. It has a wonderful User Interface that enhances the strategy gaming experience. In this game of politics, each of your decisions matters.
Price: Democracy 3 is priced at $24.99
System Requirement: 2Ghz Processor, 1GB RAM, 256MB Graphics and 500MB Storage space
#3 XCOM: Enemy Unknown
If you are looking for a strategy game with tactical gameplay, make sure you play XCOM: Enemy Unknown. As the head of a paramilitary organization, you have to protect the world from a potential alien invasion. A graphic-intensive game, you have to take part in on-ground combat, action and strategy. There are also some Role-Playing elements in the game, in case you are interested. The game features a huge number of missions you can keep playing.
Price: XCOM: Enemy Unknown is priced at $29.99
System Requirement: 2GHz Processor, 4GB RAM, 20GB Storage, 256MB Video Memory
#4 Civilization V
Civilization V is where you become the ruler of a civilization that travels from old ages to the current one. As you guide the people, you will discover more people and technologies. You have to use your strategies when it comes to building your space as well as combat. It comes with an impressive UI that lets you manage your world easily. You can keep downloading new maps to explore so that you never get bored with Civilization V.
Price: Civilization V is priced at $29.99
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 8GB Storage Space, 256MB Video Memory
#5 StarCraft II
If you want to extend your game to an interstellar scenario, StarCraft II is one of the best strategy games you can get for Mac. Once you have constructed your base, you can start building the army. After that, you have to lead the army to beat the opponents and conquer the galaxy. There are three different races in the game, who play in different modes. It does not matter which one you choose, you need the right strategy to lead your team and win.
Price: StarCraft II is free to play
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo, GeForce GT330M or ATI Radeon HD4670 or better, 4GB RAM, 30GB Storage space
#6 This War of Mine
This War of Mine is an awesome Mac game that wants both strategy and survival tactics. Instead of being a super-soldier with weapons, you are made a civilian. Making your way through radars and aimed snipers, it is your duty to protect you and others. The decisions are important here, because you have to keep everyone on the hooks. It comes with impressive graphics and one of the intriguing gameplay experiences. There is additional downloadable content too.
Price: This War of Mine is priced at $19.99
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo or later, 2GB RAM, 512MB Graphics
#7 Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition
Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition is definitely one of the best strategy games for Mac. It’s set during the early civilization of Rome, where you take up the role of the emperor. From political decisions to action-rich battles, you have to take decisions based on strategy. Versatility is one thing that gamers love about Total War series, and Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition offers better. Every decision matters, depending on what you build at the end of the day.
Price: Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition is priced at $59.95
System Requirements: 1.7GHz Core i5 or better, 4GB RAM, 25GB Storage Space, 512MB Video Memory
#8 Sproggiwood
Even if you’re not an expert in Finnish mythology, you would love Sproggiwood. It has been packed with an awesome design and storyline. You start off as a farmer but you come across a spirit and a rivalling group of civilization. What happens next depends on your actions and decisions. Sproggiwood lets you nurture various classes and prepare them for battle. It’s a roguelike game and you have the standard features like looting as well as building options.
Price: Sproggiwood is priced at $14.99
System Requirements: 1GHz or faster, 512MB RAM, 350MB Storage Space, Any Graphics Card after 2004
#9 Mount & Blade: Warband
Are you ready to travel towards the throne of Calradia? To do that, you have to prepare your team for never-ending battles and combat. Mount & Blade: Warband is one of the most graphics-rich games for Mac, and it brings 64-player online gaming battles as well. Being a king, you have to take both personal and political decisions, even your marriage. In short, it has some impressive RPG elements too. You should consider this title if you are into high-end gameplays.
Price: Mount & Blade: Warband is priced at $19.99
System Requirements: 1GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M / ATI Radeon 2400 or better, 1GB Storage space
#10 Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG
Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG is the perfect combination of strategy and role-playing gaming. Just in case you wanted to be a savior for humanity, sorry. Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG wants you to be the leader of a revolution against humanity. You have to build a robot-based attack team and conquer the silly beings on the earth. Of course, you need to have a proper strategy; otherwise, you fail. Mac mcclunt points per game. The game comes with turn-by-turn tactics, online multiplayer and more.
Price: Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG is priced at $13.49
System Requirements: 1.3GHz Processor, 2GB RAM and 1.2GB Storage Space
#11 Europa Universalis IV
Europa Universalis IV is a strategy game that takes you through a long period of time. You have to build your civilization and see how it survives the test of time. Compared to other strategy games, Europa Universalis IV offers more freedom for your decisions. As you progress through the large-enough map, you can get used to different systems like trading and commerce. It also offers cross-platform multiplayer games where your strategy and combat are important alike.
Price: Europa Universalis IV is priced at $39.99
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD 6750 / NVIDIA GeForce 320 / NVIDIA GeForce 9600 or higher, 2GB Storage space
#12 Total War: SHOWGUN 2
Another title from the Total War series, Total War: SHOWGUN 2 is set at a period when Japan is struggling through its hard time. You have to be the clan leaders and bring solace, through your political decisions and more. The clan will conquer places and extend the empire to other places, while you have to take the right decisions. Thanks to the larger community, you can play online multiplayer missions as well. This title has an impressive set of graphics and gameplay to offer.
Price: Total War: SHOWGUN 2 is priced at $29.99
System Requirements: 1.8GHz Processor, 4GB RAM, 256MB Graphics, 25GB Storage Space
#13 The Banner Saga 2
The Banner Saga 2 is primarily RPG in nature. However, without the right strategy and tactics, you can’t win this game. It’s based on an epic story and each character has something behind the trail. As you move along the timeline, you have to engage in battle and take some worthy decisions. While making sure that Viking clans are completely safe, The Banner Saga 2 wants you to explore sub-plots as well. It’s actually about the story than the gameplay, you know.
Price: The Banner Saga 2 is priced at $19.99
System Requirements: 2GB RAM and 4GB available space
#14 RimWorld
RimWorld is still available as an early-access title on Steam. However, this does not mean that you have to compromise features or performance. When RimWorld starts, you have three characters — survivors — who are struck in an unknown world. Each of these three survivors have different stories to play, you know. That is the best part about RimWorld: it lets you change the story depending on the slight details. If you love a lot of stories that involve strategical playing, RimWorld would never bore you.
Price: RimWorld is priced at $29.99
System Requirements: Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB of RAM, 500MB Space
#15 Medieval II: Total War
We’d like to conclude this list with another title from the Total War series. Medieval II: Total War is set in a time when bloodthirsty battles were common. When it comes to gameplay, the graphics and choreography get better and better. You can also engage in multiplayer matches via Internet or LAN. One of the best things about this strategy game is its reach itself. You have a huge community of gamers to play with. And, nothing beats a strategy game with a large user-base, you know.
Price: Medieval II: Total War is priced at $19.99
System Requirements: 1.8GHz Processor, 4GB RAM, 256MB Graphics, 32GB Storage space
Best Steam Games For Mac
The Bottom Line
Most of these strategy games can work on the current Macs, subject to storage space and performance. So, you can focus on getting a game of your taste instead of worrying about compatibility. Also, if you think you know some other great strategy games for Mac, do let us know via comments.
Read: 20 Best Online Games for Android
By Andrew O'Hara
Thursday, May 17, 2018, 10:28 am PT (01:28 pm ET)
Games On Mac Os
Steam Link, the iOS and tvOS application that lets you play your Mac titles on your other devices, launched on beta on Thursday. We spent the last few days testing it out on a variety of different games, and can tell you what to expect.What you can do
Using the new Steam Link app, you can play nearly any Steam game that you can play on your Mac or PC on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. There are a variety of asterisks with that, such as the fact both devices must be on the same network and connected through Ethernet or 5GHz Wi-Fi, but this is a pretty minor limitation these days.
Valve's official Steam controller is also able to be paired directly with your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV to control those games. If you either don't like the divisive Steam controller, any MFi controller will work as well, including the exceptional Steel Series Nimbus.
In reality, what is happening is your computer is doing all the heavy lifting, and streaming a live video of the game on the screen. Steam has had a version of this out for a while, but it was limited to going from one computer to the other.
We tried out a whole host of different games streaming from our Mac to an iPad and an Apple TV. While there were a few hiccups along the way, we were pleased with the experience, overall.
Getting started
For us to get up and running, we only needed a few things: A Mac or a PC with the beta version of Steam running plus an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV with the Steam Link app installed.
We then went through a small pairing process with the host computer before we connected our Steam controller to our device. Technically, you don't need a controller for every game. On some, touch controls can be acceptable, but it is a much better experience using an actual controller over the touch screen.
In the Steam Link app, a summary screen let us know that we were successfully connected to our Mac, Steam was running, our controller was connected, and the host connection was solid. A quick tap or click on the 'Start Playing' button jumped us right into the game after an exceptionally brief load time.
Playing games
We tested out a variety of different games, on several different devices. You know, for testing purposes of course. To start, we hopped onto our 12.9' iPad Pro and played several season matches of Rocket League. Rocket League, for those of you who haven't played it, is essentially an amped up version of soccer played with crazy vehicles, and a loose interpretation of gravity.
The experience was pretty smooth overall. During the game, we had absolutely no hiccups. The Steam controller felt extremely responsive as we played, with not a noticeable bit of lag to be found. After several rounds of gameplay, we did run into a minor issue on the menu screen. The live stream of the game was still coming through clear, as was the audio, but our Steam controller lost the ability to actually control the game. No amount of button mashing could register with the game. Fortunately, a quick exit of the game on the Mac and a relaunch fixed the issue.
We moved to our iPhone X next, which we were most skeptical about. The iPhone X is no slouch, being quite the capable gaming platform on its own. However, the graphics and smoothness were still extremely impressive on such a small device. We still did start to feel a bit old as we frequently squinted at our mobile displays to play a title designed for a computer setup —but it was fun nonetheless.
Playing on the iPad and iPhone is great, but nothing like playing on a 60-inch 4K TV. Our 4K Apple TV was used while playing on the screen, and really it felt like we were playing on a console, and not Apple's sub-$150 set-top box.
An Apple TV is more expensive, but at least in our installation, it's vastly preferred over having to pick up one of Valve's Steam Link hardware boxes that will run you between $37-$49. Just a quick app install allows us to play all of our best PC or Mac games on our TV with no additional hardware.
As far as the official Steam controller is concerned, it is still not an actual MFi controller, which means it won't work with any other games on your Apple TV that require a controller, or be used for other purposes on an iOS device. But, the controller can navigate the tvOS UI, as well as play/pause and other basic functions so at least in part, it mimics the Siri Remote in that regard.
We chose 'Rocket League,' 'Portal 2,' and 'Team Fortress 2' to test.
We had a few hiccups at first, with the controller able to navigate the tvOS UI, launch a game, but somehow unable to control the game. But, quitting the macOS Steam client fixed the issue.
When we asked Valve what was going on, they said they saw rare occurrences where after an initial session the controller will stop communicating, and relaunching Steam on the Mac would fix it. This seemed to be the fix in our case because it did not happen after that first time on the Apple TV —but we'd like to see it fixed in the future.
When playing games like 'Team Fortress 2' and 'Portal 2,' we noticed a few other issues. Both titles are made primarily for keyboard use, and while the Steam Controller is compatible with both, the lineage is clear. On 'Team Fortress 2,' we had a hard time actually launching a game likely because of the keyboard-centric design. It ended up being easier to start the game on our Mac then returning to the Apple TV to play.
Games also didn't fill the entire TV screen, resulting in black bars on the sides. It became less noticeable over time, but something that wouldn't be present if we were playing natively.
Once we were playing on our Apple TV, the in-game experience was pretty solid. It wasn't a crystal clear 4K picture, but it looked good and we didn't have any issues with lag, even with everything going through the Wi-Fi connection we were using to test.
Inevitable downsides
There are going to be clear downsides to a service like this. Aside from a bit bit of stuttering that happened on occasion, the biggest limitation is the fact you are tied to your home network.
Steam Link, while great in its own right, is still no full replacement for more of these games getting ported to other platforms as they mature. That won't ever happen completely though: there will always be games that are exclusive to Mac or PC that just never make the jump to iOS, tvOS, or Android, regardless of how powerful those platforms become.
Best Steam Games For Macos
Also, be aware that if something happens on your Mac to change the app focus, such as a FaceTime call came in or when an alert appears in Safari, you have to go back to your computer to return to our game.
Love it or leave it
What Is The Best Steam Game For Mac Free
Sure, we had our fair share of minor issues while playing through Steam Link, but it was so much fun once we actually got into the games.
In-game, the stream was smooth, controller responsive, and graphics fairly impressive. Within settings, there are options to change the graphics to faster, balanced, or beautiful if graphics fidelity is important to you.
Steam Link is also a free app, just offering another way to play some of your favorite games. While it was pretty entertaining playing on the Apple TV, our favorite experience ended up being our iPad, which had the utmost portability within our home.
What Is The Best Steam Game For Mac And Cheese
Some games we will continue to prefer to play directly on our Mac. But others have found a new life through all the different devices we have in our home.Availability
Steam Link will be launching in beta, starting on Thursday. It is available as a free download on Android and will be available on iOS and tvOS as soon as it passes Apple's review process.
Later this summer, Valve will also launch the Steam Video app which provides access to TV shows and movies owned by the user. It will work over Wi-Fi as well as LTE, and includes streaming and offline modes.