Mac games

Meow! Stray proves great gaming can happen on a Mac [Review] ★★★★★

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Photo of the Stray title screen on a Mac, with two cats sitting on the desk nearby★★★★★
Stray is a game for Mac gamers and cat lovers.
Photo: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

In Stray, you play as a cat wandering through a cyberpunk version of the Kowloon Walled City, the most densely populated city in the world (and a fascinating footnote of history). In this future, though, the city teems with robots who dream of visiting the outside world.

It’s been out for PC, Xbox and PlayStation for a while, but the Mac version is out now on the Mac App Store.

Stray is a gripping game in an exquisitely designed and immersive world that proves gaming on the Mac is on the rise once again.

Huge Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon update comes loaded with new enemies, weapons and levels

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'Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon' update comes loaded with new enemies, weapons and levels
There is even more RPG action in Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon - Golden Edition.
Image: Cornfox & Brothers

Oceanhorn: Chronos Dungeon – Golden Edition adds new enemies to the dungeon crawler, along with new levels, special items, power ups, legendary weapons and more.

The update released by Cornfox & Brothers on Wednesday even includes the town of Nexus – previously the game took place entirely in the dungeon.

Apple makes a play for gamers with Metal 3 and more game controller support

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Apple makes a play for gamers with Metal 3 and more game controller support
Craig Federighi, Apple software chief, made a pitch for more Mac and iPad gaming at WWDC22.
Screenshot: Apple
WWDC22 - Brought to you by CleanMyMac X

Mac is not the preferred platform for most gamers, but Metal 3 in macOS Ventura shows Apple hasn’t given up. And iPadOS 16 is getting support for a wider range of game controllers.

These are just a couple of gaming features Apple is bringing to Mac and iPad.

Apple considered acquiring gaming giant Electronic Arts

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Apple considered acquiring gaming giant Electronic Arts
Apple acquiring Electronic Arts is probably what it would take to bring games like Madden 22 and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to Mac.
Image: Cult of Mac

Apple reportedly held talks about buying out Electronic Arts, the company behind the wildly popular Madden series, The Sims series and many more.

But EA has also supposedly held acquisition talks with others, including Disney.

Outrace Family Guy, American Dad! and King of the Hill characters in Warped Kart Racers

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Outrace 'Family Guy' and 'King of the Hill' characters in Warped Kart Racers
Buckle up with the stars of American Dad!Family Guy, King of the Hill and Solar Opposites.
Screenshot: 20th Century Games

Peter Griffin jumps in a go-kart and races Hank Hill. Or Stan Smith takes on Dale Gribble. These matchups are all part of Warped Kart Racers.

The wacky racing game launched Friday on Apple Arcade. It’s playable on iPhone, Mac and more. And up to eight players can race at once.

Take a slingshot space adventure in Moonshot on Apple Arcade

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Take a slingshot space adventure in Moonshot on Apple Arcade
Blast off! Moonshot – A Journey Home premiered Friday.
Photo: Noodlecake Games

Physics-based puzzlers are all the rage, and the latest Apple Arcade game takes the concept to the stars. In Moonshot – A Journey Home, players use a slingshot to reunite a wandering moon with its home planet.

It debuted Friday on Apple’s gaming service, which now offers more than 200 titles.

Collect and race gorgeous supercars in Gear.Club Stradale on Apple Arcade

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Collect and race gorgeous supercars in ‘Gear.Club Stradale’ on Apple Arcade
Put the pedal to the metal in Gear.Club Stradale, now on Apple Arcade.
Photo: Eden Games/Apple Arcade

Take a long holiday in a gorgeous villa with all the time in the world to drive beautiful supercars. We can’t do it in reality, but we can in Gear.Club Stradale. The multiplayer racing game for a variety of platforms zoomed onto Apple Arcade on Friday.

In addition, the Sega classic Sonic Dash also made the jump to Apple’s gaming subscription service.

Unreal Engine 5 launches to make games more awesome

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Unreal Engine 5 launches to make games more awesome
This is what games can look like with Unreal Engine 5.
Image: Epic Games

Epic Games gave developers access to Unreal Engine 5, the next generation of its tool for creating 3D games. It offers “a collection of groundbreaking features for rendering real-time worlds in incredible high-fidelity detail.”

The new version of this software-development environment released Tuesday replaces Unreal Engine 4, which has been around since 2014. It’s used in many Mac, iPhone and/or iPad games, including Injustice 2 and Darkness Rises.

Apple Arcade boasts growing collection of classic games

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Shadow Blade+ hit Apple Arcade on March 4
Shadow Blade+ is the latest App Store Great added to Apple Arcade
Photo: Crescent Moon Games/Cult of Mac

Shadow Blade+ launched on Apple Arcade on Friday. The platformer is the latest classic game to make its way to the subscription service. Several others classics debuted in recent weeks, and more are expected soon.

This is in addition to original games that also hit Apple Arcade in February.

Go on an ecological adventure in Gibbon: Beyond the Trees on Apple Arcade

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Go on an ecological adventure in ‘Gibbon: Beyond the Trees’ on Apple Arcade
Gibbon: Beyond the Trees aims to be both fun and educational.
Image: Broken Rules

Find out what it’s like to swing through the trees as a gibbon in a game that debuted Friday on Apple Arcade. Gibbon: Beyond the Trees is the story of a family trying to survive amid an encroaching human threat.

The ecological adventure is available to play on a variety of Apple devices.

Create your best witchy life with Wylde Flowers on Apple Arcade

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Create your best witchy life with ‘Wylde Flowers on Apple Arcade
Help a witch grow plants, tend animals, make friends and maybe even fall in love in Wylde Flowers.
Screenshot: Studio Drydock

Help a young witch grow the family farm in Wylde Flowers, a magical sim game that debuted Friday on Apple Arcade. You’ll also need to increase your spell skills if you want to help your local coven solve a mystery.

The enchanting game is available now for a range of Apple computers.

New Pokémon card game hits iOS and macOS in beta next week

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Pokémon Trading Card Game Live
But only for those who live in Canada.
Image: The Pokémon Company

Pokémon Trading Card Game Live, the newest game from The Pokémon Company, enters beta testing on iOS and macOS next week before it makes its official debut. But there is a rather large catch (excuse the pun).

If you want to be one of the first to play Pokémon TCG Live, you must be Canadian.

How to play unlimited Wordle and other useful hacks

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Useful Wordle hacks
Enable color blind mode, the dark theme, and play offline.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Can’t get enough of Wordle? There is a way to keep playing after you’ve completed the daily puzzle if you’re thirsting for more. And there are a bunch of other hidden Wordle hacks that every fan should know about.

Want to turn Wordle into an app on iPhone and iPad? How about enabling its hard mode for a tougher challenge? We’ll show you how to do all this and more.

Nickelodeon characters go head-to-head in Apple Arcade’s new extreme tennis game

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Nickelodeon characters go head-to-head in Apple Arcade’s new extreme tennis game
Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis isn’t like any sport you’ve played before.
Photo: Viacom/Apple

Danny Phantom heads to the tennis court with SpongeBob. Or Garfield faces down Invader Zim. It’s not animation day at Wimbledon — it’s Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis. The stars of animated shows past and present compete in a very unusual version of the sport.

The game debuted Friday on Apple Arcade.

How a 1993 puzzle adventure became Apple’s 2021 Game of the Year

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Myst on Mac
It's easy to see why Myst is Apple's Mac Game of the Year.
Photo: Apple

Myst, the puzzle-adventure game from Cyan, has been named the 2021 Mac Game of the Year by Apple. But this popular classic actually made its debut way back in 1993.

Myst has gone through an incredible transformation since then. What was once a meager 3MB install is now a whopping 11.5GB download that’s packed with puzzles, glorious graphics and immersive sound. Here’s why the game picked up an Apple award — and why you might want to play it.

Award-winning, Viking-themed platformer Oddmar+ makes the jump to Apple Arcade

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Oddmar from Senri & Mobge
Oddmar+ is one of a pair of classic App Store games joining the extensive collection on Apple Arcade
Photo: Senri & Mobge

Oddmar won the Apple Design Award in 2018, and the Viking-themed platformer is now available on Apple Arcade. Friday’s other addition is Dandara: Trials of Fear, also a platformer.

Both games have been in the App Store for years, but have now joined hundreds of other titles in Apple’s gaming subscription service.

Grab a lightsaber and play Lego Star Wars: Castaways on Apple Arcade

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‘Lego Star Wars: Castaways‘ will debut on Apple Arcade in November, 2021.
You and your friends can each design a minifig and join the fun in Lego Star Wars: Castaways.
Photo: Gameloft/Apple Arcade

Have fun with your friends in Lego Star Wars: Castaways, the first social, action-adventure Lego Star Wars game. Players explore a mysterious new planet, fight in battle arenas, race through flight simulations or relax with a dance party.

The game launched Friday on the Apple Arcade gaming service.

Disney characters go for each other’s throats in upcoming Apple Arcade game

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Disney characters go for each other throats in upcoming Apple Arcade game
Mickey looks TERRIFYING
Photo: Mighty Bear Games

Beloved Disney and Pixar characters will put aside the caring and sharing and try to beat the stuffing out of each other in Disney Melee Mania, a game that’ll launch soon on Apple Arcade.

Mickey in particular looks like he’s taken that “mania” part to the max and is ready to devour someone’s liver.

Apple Arcade’s collection of classic games grows by leaps and bounds

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Apple Arcade’s collection of classic games grows by leaps and bounds
Crossy Road+ and many other App Store Greats have recently become part of Apple Arcade.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The selection of App Store Greats available through the Apple Arcade subscription service continues to grow. Friday brings the addition of Galaga Wars+ and Kingdom Rush Frontiers TD+.

They join dozen of other classic games that players used to have to pay to play individually but are now all available with a single Apple Arcade subscription. Plus there are many more original games, too.

Take your favorite robots into battle in Transformers: Tactical Arena on Apple Arcade

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‘Transformers: Tactical Arena’ is coming soon to Apple Arcade
Battle your friends in “Transformers: Tactical Arena.”
Photo: Red Games/Apple Arcade

No longer robots in disguise, Transformers: Tactical Arena lets players assemble a team of their favorite characters to battle in a real-time person-versus-person strategy game. They fight in an arena, with players sitting next to you — or around the world.

The game debuted Friday on Apple Arcade.

Head for a galaxy far, far away in Lego Star Wars: Castaways on Apple Arcade

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‘Lego Star Wars: Castaways‘ will debut on Apple Arcade in November, 2021.
You and your friends can each design a minifig and join the fun in Lego Star Wars: Castaways.
Photo: Gameloft/Apple Arcade

Explore a mysterious new planet with friends in Lego Star Wars: Castaways. It will be the first social, action-adventure Lego Star Wars game, so it’ll offer chances to relive great moments from the movies or have dance parties.

The upcoming Gameloft title will be available only on Apple Arcade.