Mac gaming has a complicated history — years of sparse game libraries and hardware that PC gamers dismissed out of hand. But something shifted with Apple silicon, and the Cult of Mac Setups archive has tracked it in real time. Here are the best Mac gaming setups from the past several years.
GameSir is bringing its GameHub emulator to macOS, promising “your Mac is now a gaming PC.” The announcement should thrill Mac gamers, as it also promises to support for the Steam gaming platform.
If GameHub lives up to its potential, it could revolutionize Mac gaming by opening up access to large libraries of titles that are not currently playable on Apple computers.
Today’s M4 Mac mini user was once devoted to MacBook Pro. And he still owns two of the laptops, for work and personal use, but he recently added a new M4 Pro Mac mini, and he absolutely loves it. He’s into gaming, so he added cool gaming peripherals like a mechanical keyboard and microphone from HyperX and a light-and-speedy mouse from Corsair. Check them out, along with all the rest of the setup’s gear, below.
Recently, the phrase “Mac mini gaming” took on a whole new meaning. That’s because Apple released the M4 and M4 Pro Mac mini desktop computers in a much smaller form factor and with unprecedented performance. Today’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro user is over the moon about what his new M4 Pro Mac mini can do with World of Warcraft and other games.
Apple’s M1 Pro and M1 Max processors in the new MacBook Pro offer powerful graphic performance. That’s intended for artists rendering video and other professional tasks, but tests show that it translates to excellent gaming performance.
Of course, that doesn’t remedy the lack of high-end games for Mac.
Given the dominance of PCs in the gaming world for various reasons, it’s refreshing to see somebody purpose-building a Mac computer setup for gaming. Sweden-based Redditor Raka_ny put one together with an M1 Mac mini, an M1 MacBook Air and assorted peripherals.
Nvidia’s cloud gaming service allows Mac users to play PC games. Rather than running the games on a local device, GeForce Now servers do the hard work and stream the video to players.
The service came out of a long, long beta today, and is available now for $4.99 a month. And there’s a free option.
A princess must be quick and clever to rescue a prince in Kings of the Castle, the latest addition to Apple Arcade. This game is all about speed, as players hastily collect gems and avoid traps.
The developer, Frosty Pop, is a big supporter of Apple’s new gaming service. This is its fifth contribution.
Lego’s latest Apple Arcade entry builds an atmospheric puzzler brick by brick. Lego Builder’s Journey is “a story about play, connections and adventure.”
It’s available only to those who subscribe to Apple’s gaming service.
As your loved ones gather for the holidays, have some family fun with Apple Arcade. A new video shows off games that can be enjoyed no matter your age.
Watch it now:
Fans of Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe can play as their favorite character in Unleash the Light, a role playing game that just launched on Apple Arcade.
Children and their parents can enter Rosie’s Reality, a game where they’ll guide this miniature robot through a series of puzzles by building paths with blocks that resemble virtual Legos.
This latest addition to the Apple Arcade service is the only new title out this week now that its total number of games has passed 100.
Two just-released Apple Arcade titles demonstrate the wide variety offerings in this gaming service. The Mosaic is about escaping the dreadful loneliness of modern life, while Monomals features silly animal DJs having a music contest.
Apple also added three other titles to its service, two of which are platformers.
Five newly released Apple Arcade games run the gamut from a side-scroller starring Lancelot wielding a laser sword all the way to a farmhand chasing down muddy pigs.
With these varied additions, Apple has almost reached the goal of 100 titles in its recently launched subscription gaming service.
You can write off being productive for the rest of the day because Apple Arcade just launched. This all-you-can-play gaming service brings dozens of titles in a variety of genres. The monthly cost is fairly low, and games can be played on almost every type of Apple computer.
Thanks to early access, I’ve been enjoying Apple Arcade for several days. Here’s why I think you’ll like it too.
There are over 100 games exclusively coming to the Apple Arcade all-you-play service next week, and a new video includes quick demos of a couple dozen of them.
Watch it now:
Apple’s upcoming gaming service might be more affordable than many expect — way less than Google’s rival service. Apple Arcade could cost just $4.99 a month, according to an unconfirmed report.
Stadia will run top-tier games on Google servers and stream the video to users’ computers. This means that any device that can run the Chrome browser will have access to some of the best titles available.
iOS and macOS devices will be able to take advantage of Stadia. Chrome OS, Windows, and the Chromecast dongle will be supported as well.
Up until recently, I almost always accepted Game Center invites from whoever. I like playing games on my iPhone and iPad and always welcome a worthy opponent. However, there are a lot of people out there cheating and faking scores. While I handled some of this by just deleting them, I also realized that there is a way to report these accounts via Game Center.
KING Art and Nordic Games just released a brand new, gorgeous point and click adventure game, The Raven – Legacy of a Master Thief to Mac, PC, and Linux via the Steam or Nordic Games shop in both Standard and Deluxe editions. The game will also come to PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade later this summer.
The first of three chapters, The Eye of the Sphinx, is now ready for download on either distribution platform, and is even 10 percent off as a launch special through the 30th of July.
Spiderweb Software is an independent game developer based in Seattle. It’s been in operation since 1993, when it released its first game, Exile: Escape from the Pit, an old school RPG with tons of plot, dialogue, and fantasy storytelling.
Now in its twentieth year, Spiderweb continues the indie role playing game genre it’s been developing for the past two decades by releasing its twenty-first game, Avadon 2: The Corruption.
You know what the world needs? More free energy sources. Also? We need more games with monkeys in.
Luckily, Gun Monkeys, the new platformer-shooter from Size Five Games, has both.
Lovingly narrated by British actor Kevin Eldon, Gun Monkeys involves a plot wherein you’ll need to send a bunch of monkeys to the distant future where things are super dangerous yet also incredibly full of free energy. To get the energy, you’ll need to send the monkeys. It’s that simple.
Seriously, I’m kind of tired of playing the typical RPG in which I take on the role of the savior of the world. This kind of power fantasy, wish fulfillment story has its place, but boy would it be nice if we could see some different stories out there.
The developers behind Kickstarter project, Unrest, must have felt the same way, as their new online RPG is set in ancient India, for one thing (not a Tolkeinesque forest complete with Orcs and Elves), and will let you play as the ordinary folk struggling to maintain their freedom, safety, peace, and keep their children fed and happy.
World of Warcraft, this isn’t.
Critically acclaimed real time strategy game, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, has just hit the Mac App Store with a new Elite Edition, just for the Mac.
XCOM stands for Extraterrestrial Combat Unit, and the game lives up to its name, with turn-based tactical battles on a global scale, with a solid storyline and deep role playing game systems to boot. If you’re a sci-fi gamer who loved StarCraft I and II, XCOM is right up your alien-infested alley.
And now it’s finally on the Mac.
Tim Schafer and Double Fine Productions have made some amazing games over the years, including gems like Psychonauts, Grim Fandango, Costume Quest, and Brütal Legend. Then they took to Kickstarter to see if they could get their community to support them in the development of a new game, generically called “The Double Fine Adventure Game.”
Well, it’s named now, and it’s got its first trailer ready for you to see, above. The trailer itself looks at once whimsical and heartfelt, with a poignant musical piece and a bit of gameplay footage.