All good things in life don’t need to cost money. If you’ve got a fancy new Mac and are looking for the best free games to play to get the ball rolling, we’ve provided a complete list for you to go through, right here!
With that in mind, we played through a slew of games, and we’ve put together this updated list with the best free games for Mac.
Many claim Path of Exile is better than Diablo 3. And while the jury is still out on that, Path of Exile is arguably just as good and completely free to play.
Path of Exile is an action RPG set in a dark fantasy world. Its gameplay and aesthetics are very similar to Diablo 3’s, but Path of Exile aims for an even bigger focus on visceral combat, powerful items, and deep character customization.
In many ways, Path of Exile feels more like a Diablo 2 sequel than Diablo 3. Whereas Diablo 3 is more geared toward casual players, Path of Exile is more demanding, punishing, and complex. A little too complex for some, in fact. Also, Path of Exile is a more gritty and somber game, similar to Diablo 4.
Developed by Blizzard, Starcraft 2 is a real-time strategy game that shouldn’t need an introduction.
Sequel to the critically acclaimed Starcraft, Starcraft 2 features the most intense, fast-paced, and well-oiled gameplay you’ll ever see in a real-time strategy game. A good gaming keyboard and mouse are both mandatory! Starcraft 2 was already a must-buy when it was $59.99, but now that the game offers an extremely generous free-to-play version, you owe it yourself to try it.
The free-to-play version of Starcraft 2 gives you the complete Wings of Liberty campaign, ranked and unranked Multiplayer, and every co-op commander available. And if you ever want more, you can pay to unlock more single-player campaigns, special skins, etc.
Verdict: This is a generous free-to-play game.
System Requirements: macOS 10.13, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 4 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M, ATI Radeon HD 4670 or better, 30 GB hard drive space.
Art
Game
Genre
64-bit
API
M1 Support
Performance
Starcraft 2
Strategy
Metal
Rosetta
Poor
The Sims 4
Ever felt like you were destined to do better things in life? Well, The Sims 4 can let all your fantasies come true! With an emphasis on character creation and realistic simulation in the Sims 4, the world has never felt more lively. With a ton of expansion packs to choose from that range from being able to cook more dishes to turning into a literal vampire, the world is your oyster in the Simsverse.
The game is much more laid-back than most of the entries in our list. It doesn’t have grotesque action or the strategic rigor that some entries demand. However, it still has that fun factor associated with it. Plus, it’s a family-friendly free Mac game that has a lot of replay value and runs great on older and newer Apple-Silicon Macs.
A Blizzard classic, Hearthstone is a card game that we’re huge fans of since you can play it on the go without requiring a lot of mechanical input. While the game can be considered pay-to-win, especially as you move toward the Ranked ladder, there’s no shame in getting your Paladin dunked on 5 times by the annoying Death Knight, who keeps spamming summons.
Regardless of your stance towards purchasing decks, Hearthstone is a game brimming with strategy and intrigue and allows you to expand on the beautifully crafted World of Warcraft lore in more ways than one. It doesn’t run fantastically well on the newer machines, especially because it seems to have odd FPS caps at certain times. But since there’s no real need for it to produce butter-smooth gameplay, we feel like it deserves a place on this list.
In League of Legends, you have to destroy the opposing team’s nexus which lies at the heart of a guarded base. Battles last around 20 to 60 minutes, with your Champions starting out at a very low level. They gain experience throughout the match and—equally important—they earn gold that can be used to buy in-game items to increase their powers and abilities.
League of Legends remains one of the most popular and successful MOBA games available, but be warned, this is a complex and highly competitive game, and the community is known for being particularly harsh towards newbies.
You have over 100 champions at your disposal, and you can spend money to purchase them (as well as multi-game boosts) straight away. Beyond that, microtransactions are relegated largely to cosmetic items.
System Requirements: OS 10.10, 3 GHz Processor (with SSE2 support), 2 GB RAM (4 GB is strongly recommended), NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT, ATI Radeon HD 2600 or better, 5 GB hard drive space.
Brawlhalla features over 50 legends from history, mythology, and pop culture, each with their own weapons, stats, and abilities. The game also offers a variety of modes, such as the single-player tournament, the online ranked, the custom games, and the weekly brawl of the week. Although the game is very easy to pick up, once you start playing it, you’ll understand that it has a deep and complex combat system and is very hard to master. However, Brawlhalla is a game that will keep you entertained and challenged, whether you are a casual or a competitive player.
Furthermore, the game is also cross-platform. Thus, even if your friends are not on Mac, you can still play with them.
Note: Brawlhalla can’t run on Apple Silicon machines out of the box. However, you still can play the game by downloading the beta. You can check out our complete guide here!
System Requirements: macOS 10.7, 2 GB RAM, 800 MB hard drive space.
Art
Game
Genre
64-bit
API
M1 Support
Performance
Brawlhalla
Action
OpenGL
Rosetta
Good
EVE Online
Eve Online is more than just a game. It’s a living, breathing universe where every player’s actions can have lasting effects across the entire universe. It’s a vast, deeply complex online multiplayer role-playing game (MMORPG) set in space. In the game, players engage in several different activities, from exploring different galaxies to having epic space battles to building alliances with other players. It is known for its grand space battles involving thousands of players, as well as its massive economy that is run solely by the players.
Thus, don’t forget to give this game a try, as you literally won’t find such an in-depth multiplayer game again.
System Requirements: macOS 10.14, 2.5 GHz Intel i5 Processor or Apple M1, 4 GB RAM, Intel HD 4000 Graphics, 23 GB hard drive space.
Art
Game
Genre
64-bit
API
M1 Support
Performance
EVE Online
MMO
Metal
Rosetta
Good
Stumble Guys
Stumble Guys feels like a very honest inspiration for another game with a very similar name. Trademark battles aside, Stumble Guys is based on an already-winning popular formula with a family-friendly twist, battle royales.
Now, instead of punching your enemy to death, you lightly nudge them off your screen as you try and navigate yourself through a Ninja Warrior-esque obstacle course. The game is extremely lightweight, so much so that it runs on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows, and the developers seem to want to port it everywhere.
It has a large, healthy player base, which means all the matches you get into are swarmed with real players (talking to you, PUBG!) and has a lot of cool, unique cosmetics that you can use to dress up your bean-based character. It is a great steam releaser, but you might not find it very fun when you get the hang of all the obstacles and start winning every other game.
System Requirements: Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
Art
Game
Genre
64-bit
API
M1 Support
Performance
Stumble Guys
Party
TBC
Rosetta
Good
Unturned
Unturned is a block-based survival multiplayer game that’s based on DayZ at the very core. While running away from the very gritty aspects of the zombie shooter genre, it retains some of the hilarity while adding a lot of depth to overall movement, crafting, and the existential dread that the game produces.
Nowadays, it feels more like RUST than anything else. With a ton of mobs, a deceptively positive player base, and an emphasis on weapon play more than anything else – Unturned can net you hours of fun for the very low cost of 0 dollars.
It also is built on a relatively new platform. This means that you’ll have a great time with the newer MacBooks, but since it isn’t very graphically demanding, the Intel-based chuggers will also have a blast.
Dota 2 is another hugely popular online multiplayer game available on Mac for free. In this game, two teams of five players each compete to destroy the enemy’s base, known as the Ancient. Each player controls a unique hero with different abilities and roles, such as carry, support, initiator, or nuker. As you may have guessed by this description, Dota 2 requires a high level of teamwork, coordination, and strategy, as well as individual skill and decision-making. Thus, gather your friends who have a Mac and have a crack at this amazing game.
Dota 2 is also famous for its professional scene, which has some of the biggest prize pools and tournaments in eSports. The game has a very loyal fan base that follows the competitive scene closely and supports their favorite teams and players. As a result, Dota 2 is also updated quite frequently with new heroes, items, and features so that the players always have something new to look forward to. Thus, if you are looking for a challenging and rewarding game that will test your skills and teamwork, Dota 2 is the game for you.
Dwarf Fortress is part construction, part management, part roguelike, and part text-based. Yes, text-based.
A typical Dwarf Fortress game involves a randomly generated world in which you indirectly control a group of dwarves in an attempt to build an underground fortress. Without much direction (the game has no objectives) and text-based graphics, this game is hard. But that’s also Dwarf Fortress’s charm. Once you figure out how everything works, building that fortress becomes an addiction.
Also, part of Dwarf Fortress’s fame comes from the fact it’s a two-member project that survives solely on donations.
Dwarf Fortress is a good option for folks who appreciate a good challenge (it’s famous for its difficulty and complexity) and who don’t need high-end graphics to enjoy a good gaming session. You can also feel good about yourself for supporting the indie movement.
System Requirements: OS 10.9, 2.0 GHz Intel Dual Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 320M, Intel HD 3000, 20 GB hard drive space.
Art
Game
Genre
64-bit
API
M1 Support
Performance
Dwarf Fortress
Strategy
OpenGL
Rosetta
Doki Doki Literature Club!
Terrified by the concept of joining a book club? Then this game’s for you. A visual novel by Team Salvato, Doki Doki Literature Club is actually a psychological horror game in disguise.
It starts out innocently enough, with your character joining a high school literary club. There’s a poem writing mechanic you can use to flirt with the various girls in the club, and there’s a lot of dialogue to click through. But things turn dark very quickly and you’ll soon find that Doki Doki Literature Club is not really about finding your one true love through books.
The game breaks the fourth wall quite a bit, creating a wholly meta experience that’s effective even if you’ve never played a dating sim before. Be prepared for the disturbing content…and plenty of restarts. You’ll need to play through the game a few times to get the ending that won’t put you off high school clubs forever.
System Requirements: OS 10.9, 1.8 GHz Dual Core Processor, 4 GB RAM, , 350 MB hard drive space.
Art
Game
Genre
64-bit
API
M1 Support
Performance
Doki Doki Literature Club!
Visual Novel
OpenGL
Rosetta
Good
OpenTTD
Remember Transport Tycoon Deluxe? It was a business simulation game released back in 1995, so if you were too young or just missed it, its spirit lives on with this open-source remake.
Like its inspiration, the point of Open TTD is to make money by transporting people and cargo via planes, trains, automobiles, and boats. Each time you successfully move an object from point A to point B you’ll get income that can be used to build better methods of transportation. All this takes place between 1950 and 2050, giving you plenty of different technologies to develop and utilize.
Of course, technology has changed quite a bit since 1995, and Open TTD has taken advantage of that by expanding the game with larger maps, an enhanced UI, multi-language support, custom AI, and plenty more. Even better, Open TTD features online and local multiplayer with up to 255 players! And although updated, the game does retain its original visual charm.
We know that game fandom is subjective. We all have our own filters that lead us to a specific genre or title, but there’s a lot of commonality in those filters. Here’s what we used to determine which games should be included here and where they should rank.
Native: You’d be surprised how many Top Games for macOS lists feature Windows-only games. Not here. Each and every one of the games mentioned here is officially supported on macOS and does not require Bootcamp or Wine.
Critical acclaim: We know that our opinions are not the only ones that matter. To keep this guide as relevant as possible, we only considered proven games with positive reviews from both professional reviewers and average gamers.
Pricing: How much are these Mac games REALLY? As we mentioned before, there’s a distinction between free and free-to-play (F2P). Both are included here, but check our designations to see which are really free and which require microtransactions of various sorts.
Path of Exile
StarCraft 2
The Sims 4
