Afraid that the rise of iOS games and Steam has frozen you out of gaming on your Mac? Do not fear, Apple gamers – we've done the hard work for you! In our search for great titles, we have taken a bite out of the Mac App Store apple and also looked at third-party providers such as Steam and GOG.com.
Also, if you've had your Mac for a long time, please do read on! We haven't limited our search to games for the most souped-up MacBook Pro -- most of our selection can be played on a Mac running Mac OS X v10.6 (Snow Leopard).
We've managed to find games from multiple genres which will help you become the puzzle solver, bridge constructor, mahjong player, golfer, or hospital manager you always wanted to be!
1. Bubble Shootix
Buy it on: Mac App Store
Price: Free (offers in-app purchases)
This Bubble Bobble-esque bubble shooter puzzle game has been out for Mac since 2011 and is compatible with machines running Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and up. Developed by Spooky House Studios, the music has groovy retro twists. Also, as you can see from the screenshot below, the Mac version lets you increase or decrease the transparency of the window, meaning that theoretically, you can do you your work running a text editor or spreadsheet in the background and play at the same time!
Free (offers In-App Purchases) and available in the Mac App Store.
2. Rebel Galaxy
Buy it on: Steam
Price: $19.99
You start off this space shooter and exploration game looking for your Aunt Juno, described as “the family black sheep”. Get ready to mine materials to power up your ship and fend off space pirates in this enjoyable and great-looking game. The music features country rock tracks, giving the title a space cowboy feel. This is compatible with Mac OS X v10.10 (Yosemite) and above and is available free for a limited time with your first purchase on the GOG.com website.
Rebel Galaxy is compatible with Mac OS X v10.10 (Yosemite) and above and is available free for a limited time with your first purchase on the GOG.com website.
Any Mac that can run Mountain Lion (Mac OS X v10.8) can be upgraded to Yosemite (10.10). This includes the mid-2007 iMac and the MacBooks from late 2008, but you may have to use settings in the Launcher to ensure it works correctly.
3. Theme Hospital
Buy it on: GOG
Price: $1.49
This classic tycoon sim was released by British developers Bullfrog back in 1997, with a console release on the original PlayStation in 1998. It truly puts an addictive and amusing spin on running a hospital, with patients suffering from ailments such as “slack tongue” and “uncommon cold”.
With staff demanding a pay rise, earthquakes damaging machinery, and timed emergencies, the game is no walk in the park. The music is not MIDI at its greatest, but the acerbic commentary from the hospital receptionist will make you laugh! You can play this game on a Mac running Mac OS X v10.6 (Snow Leopard) or later.
4. Deponia
Buy it on: Mac App Store
Price: $19.99
Fans of LucasArts' point-and-click adventures such as Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle will enjoy this take on the genre by German developers Daedalic Entertainment. You play as Rufus, an egocentric guy who has just split up with his girlfriend, Toni. Anyone that has an argument with their other half as to who should be doing the dishes will definitely be able to relate to the opening puzzle -- where you have to find Rufus' things to help him pack his suitcase.
To get away from the planet, which has turned into a huge rubbish dump, he attaches himself to a rocket which breaks up and sends him careering into a spaceship, where he encounters a pixie and a bureaucratic force running the show, referred to as “the Orgnanon”. Given all the garbage around, parts of it do remind me of Wall-E.
Macs with a 64-bit processor (Intel Core 2 Duo and up) running Mac OS X v10.7 (Lion) will be able to run this game.
This game is available at GOG.com for 79p until 20 June and on the Mac App Store for £19.99.
5. Super Stickman Golf 3
Buy it on: Mac App Store
Price: Free
People who are expecting PGA Tour may be a tad disappointed with this game, as it’s more of a crazy golf sim. You play as a stickman aiming to get a par score or below on a series of deceptively difficult courses. The game is pretty easy to control, as you just use the direction you want the golf ball to go with the arrow keys and the force of the shot with the space bar.
You’ll be able to play it on 64-bit systems running Mac OS X v10.8 (Mountain Lion) or later.
6. Standard Snake
Buy it on: Mac App Store
Price: Free
Anyone who got their first mobile phone in the early noughties will love this version of the Snake mobile game for Nokia handsets. Be warned that Speed Level 3 is brutal!
Given the game was originally designed to run on a pre-smart phone, it won’t exactly fry your processor! You will be able to run Standard Snake on a Mac running OS X v10.9 (Mavericks) or later.
7. Mountain Crime: Requital
Buy it on: Mac App Store
Price: Free (Lite)/$3.99 (Full)
In this hidden object adventure developed by Big Fish Games, you play as Dr. Philip White, who becomes stranded on his way to treat a wealthy client, Mr. Gray, after his car falls off a collapsing bridge. He comes across the mysteriously (and recently opened) White Wolf Hotel.
This game is impressive visually, particularly in the cutscenes, and runs smoothly on Macs running OS X v10.7 (Lion) or later.
8. Bridge Constructor
Buy it on: Mac App Store
Price: Free (Lite)/$7.99 (Pro)
This enjoyable and simple game sees you constructing a bridge so that vehicles can get across safely. There is a definitive difficulty spike after the first couple of levels, but luckily, there is in-game help available if you get stuck.
Bridge Constructor is available as a free and paid version for Macs running OS X v10.6.6 (the most up to date Snow Leopard) or later.
9. Doodle Hangman Go
Buy it on: Mac App Store
Price: Free
This funny take on the traditional pen and paper Hangman sees the victim sweating, breathing a sigh of relief if you are correct, or giving you the L for loser if you don’t guess the word in time. There are five sets of vocabulary banks to choose from, and you can run this on Snow Leopard and up (OS X v10.6).
10. Mahjong Classic: Magic Tiles
Buy it on: Mac App Store
Price: Free (Lite)/$29.99 (Pro)
In this calming puzzle game developed and published by Germany-based Akadem, you match tiles to ultimately clear the screen -- just like in the classic Mahjong game. Owners of older Macs shouldn’t be put off by the unique graphical style though, as you can play the game on a Snow Leopard machine.
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So, there you have it – 10 games of various genres that can be enjoyed on Macs up to 10 years old! The highest upgrade for a game you’ll need is for Rebel Galaxy, which requires OS X Yosemite (released in 2014).
Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more Mac Game news.
Published: Jun 14, 2017 03:25 pm