The 50 Best Mac Games Out Now

Image via Complex Original

Genre: Action
Year: 2012
Publisher: Dennaton games

Hotline Miami is killer. It has a killer sound track, killer retro graphics, and frankly, you're playing as a killer. Hotline Miami is bloody and violent to the point that it really seems to be a satire of video game violence.

It's challenging, it's bright, it's gritty, and you can play it on your Mac.

Genre: Puzzler
Year: 2008
Publisher: 2D Boy

Built on a mere budget of $10k and using local coffee shops as production offices, the 2D Boys gave life to the classic World of Goo using only open source technology (free). The ultimate goal was a game that continues to excite gamers on a multitude of platforms including Macs.

Genre: First Person Shooter
Year: 2010
Publisher: Valve

The complete remake of the original Counter-Strike using Valve's Source game engine introduced a whole new generation of Mac gamers to the franchise. Twitchy terrorist blasting hasn't been the same since.

Genre: MMORPG
Year: 2005
Publisher: Ankama Games

Even though it was only released in France, the game overcame that obstacle and went on to become a massive MMO. Over 41 million players around the world can be found grinding and questing. Mostly a fantasy flavored affair, it has spawned countless merch, including a planned movie release in 2013.

Genre: Strategy
Year: 1995
Publisher: Ocean Software

Equal parts Lemmings and military strategy game, Worms was a massive hit of the 90s. Back then, Mac users were stoked that titles like Worms were ported out to them.

Genre: Action Adventure
Year: 2010
Publisher: Feral Interactive

Adding mini to anything automatically makes it more kid friendly. A genre normally reserved with stealth-kills, and leaving no bloody footprints behind, got the Happy Meal treatment with the release of Mini Ninjas. Having a blowgun dart sticking out of your neck has never been more adorable.

Genre: Adventure
Year: 2011
Publisher: Amanita Design

While more of a click-through adventure, Machinarium proves its worth with mind bending puzzles and steampunk inspired art.

Genre: Action Adventure
Year: 2010
Publisher: EA

While the title of this game may sound like the worst middle-school metal band ever, DeathSpank was a massive win for EA. Borrowing from games like Diablo and Monkey Island, this medieval comedy role-playing game spawned two more sequels in the series, Thongs of Virtue and The Baconing. We would have listened to DeathSpank in middle-school.

Genre: RTS
Year: 2012
Developer: Sunset Games

It ends up that spaceships need some maintenance. Who knew? FTL: Faster Than Light will make sure you know your priorities.

As you travel through sectors of space, you will recruit new members to your crew, fight rebels, and make sure your ship doesn't fall into total disrepair. Here's the rub - you have to do it all at once. Waste your resources or take your eye off events for a second and it's game over. How far can you make it?

Genre: Role Playing Game
Year: 2011
Publisher: Zeboyd Games

If the world was going to end, we'd choose to go out in a Lovecraft inspired descent into madness. This 2D RPG put players in control of Cthulhu after he has lost all of his powers (sorry buddy, happens to all fellas from time to time). 16 bit throwback titles should all be this good.

Genre: Simulation
Year: 2010
Publisher: 2K Games

Civilization V offers a detailed look at what it takes to run a society. The tough decisions you make will either allow you to progress into a grand empire or completely implode in failure.

Genre: Racing
Year: 2010
Publisher: Gameloft

There's always room for another racing title. Especially one that gives you nitro boosts and exotic locales. The only things this game is missing is the ability to jack opponents rides. Alway an option for number 7.

Genre: Puzzler
Year: 2010
Publisher: Pop Cap

Just like Tetris, Bejeweled is one of those games that you can never get enough of. Imagine playing on a Mac's retina display and see how fast you'll be seeing sparkling gems every time you close your eyes.

Genre: Trivia
Year: 1998
Publisher: THQ

We've been getting to know Jack for many years on PCs and consoles. Now with a Mac version, the quirky, gameshow style trivia competition is in the hands of everyone wanting to test their knowledge of the random.

Genre: Puzzler
Year: 2011
Publisher: Cipher Prime Studios

A game for the brainy puzzle minded, or the DMT dosing psycho-nauts among you, Fractal: Make Blooms Not War was a huge iOS and OS X title in 2011. Chaining fractals together in the hopes of watching them bloom was the engine that drove this puzzler. The whole thing sounds like it was thought up in a sensory deprivation tank.

Genre: Platform
Year: 2012
Publisher: Rovio

The Angry Birds spin-off was another massive success for Rovio. The fastest selling game in the iOS app store, it reached the top of the list in just under three hours. Pigs+iOS= all of the money.

Genre: First Person Adventure, Point and Click
Year: 2013
Developer: The Fullbright Company

Gone Home and its quiet exploration makes it a breath of fresh air. There are no guns, there is no combat. There is just you, as Kaitlin Greenbriar returning from abroad, and a house filled with family mysteries. What's going on with your parents? What is your sister's secret?

The house is filled with clues that move the story forward and others that provide you with backstory. It's worth picking up everything to get the full breadth of one of the most touching stories in a video game in recent memory.

Genre: Real Time Strategy
Year: 2011
Publisher: 11 Bit Studios

Flipping the 'tower defense' style of gameplay into a 'tower attack' game, Anomaly immediately turned heads in the real-time strategy genre. Acting as commander of the 14th platoon you must investigate downed alien crafts using your vehicle convoy. The iOS version of the game even snagged a game of the year award.

Genre: Platform
Year: 2011
Publisher: Feral Interactive

For years the Lego series were only enjoyed by console gamers but as its popularity grew, so did its accessibility. Mac users can also enjoy the cutesy clever platform title as a diminutive jedi.

Genre: Survivor Horror
Year: 2011
Publisher: THQ

While in control of the game's main character Daniel, there are a few things to keep in mind while playing other than health. You have to keep him from going crazy. For example, if you're in the dark for too long, Daniel begins to lose his sanity. All this while searching for identity and the mystery behind a deadly force called, The Shadow.

Genre: Tower Defense
Year: 2012
Publisher: Reverb Communications

A combination of RPG, dungeon crawler, and tower defense game, Dungeon Defenders is more addictive than that sweet, sweet blue sky that Walter White slings. A co-op title that pits you and friends against wave after wave of monsters while defending your Eternia Crystals has consistently been a huge hit across all platforms.

Genre:
Year: 2010
Publisher: LucasArts

More lead characters need to have names like Guybrush Threepwood. He sounds like a Civil War general that also dables in a hydroponics operation. The Secret of Monkey Island was originally a point and click adventure title released way back in 1990. OS X users got a re-release of the classic title in 2010 thanks to LucasArts.

Genre: Beat 'Em Up
Year: 2010
Publisher: EA

The comic book-styled graphics title puts you in the shoes of retired hitman Shank who must seek revenge on his crime family after they murdered his girlfriend. Who says chivalry is dead?

Genre: Puzzler/Action-Aventure
Year: 2011
Publisher: Atlus

Instead of the usual constraints of classes, Trine 2 players are able to use the powers of three different characters who can be switched out at will. What makes this game most interesting is that you will be tested on all of the skills during gameplay so the action never falls off.

Genre: Racing
Year: 2009
Publisher: Feral Interactive

Rally racing was one of those alt-sports that never quite caught on here in the States. Thanks to Feral Interactive, Mac gamers could get all of the mud-caked rally-cross they couldn't get on ESPN 2

Genre: Tower Defense
Year: 2009
Publisher: PopCap Games

Defend the farm from zombies using hardcore plants as your soldiers. With its release on Mac OS, Plants Vs. Zombies addicts can play on both their mobile devices as well as laptop and desktop computers.

Genre: Action-adventure
Year: 2011
Publisher: Ubisoft

Although we missed out on Sam Fisher's night-vision goggles and signature SC-20K assault rifle, the ability to mark and kill targets and real time interrogation more than made up for it.

Genre: Simulation
Year: 2009
Publisher: EA

Don't front, you've played The Sims games and loved every minute. While not a stranger to Macs (They used to come out under the Maxis Games label), the third release in the franchise brought its three-dimensional characters to life natively to Mac OS.

Genre: Third-Person Action
Year: 2011
Publisher: Eidos Interactive/Warner Bros. Interactive

How many terrible Batman games have come out over the years? We don't wanna think about it. When Mac users got their hands on Arkham Asylum, it received instant and universal praise. Pretty much a perfect game about a sociopath dressed as a giant flying rodent. Mental illness is more fun when it gets a cape.

Genre: Role Playing Game
Year: 2004
Publisher: LucasArts

As the most successful true role players for the Star Wars brand, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicremains a must have in any gamer's collection.

Genre: First-Person Shooter
Year: 2010
Publisher: 2K Games

Who didn't love the first role-playing shooter? With its obsessive compulsive focus on loot, a well written story with jokes that were actually funny, and the introduction of Claptrap OSX users got to enjoy as much 'wub wub' dubstep as console users.

Genre: Beat 'Em Up
Year: 2012
Publisher: The Behemoth

Often played as a party game because of its cooperative play, Castle Crashers is one of those titles that keeps you entertained no matter how skilled you are.

Genre:
Year: 2012
Publisher: Blizzard

Swordplay, magic, demons and dazzling background detail makes Diablo 3 a certified hit. What else could be a better way of bringing PC and Mac gamers together with a common goal?

Genre: Sports
Year: 2011
Publisher: EA Sports

EA Sports' cash cow is hailed as the most realistic soccer games out. FIFA Soccer 12 is the most fun way to play as a pro without the strenuous training.

Genre: First Person Adventure
Year: 2009
Publisher: Feral Interactive

Fight genetically enhanced citizens in a creep underwater world patrolled by enormous thugs in diving suits and giant drills for arms.

Genre: First-Person Shooter
Year: 2012
Publisher: Activision

You don't really think of Macs when talking about First Person Shooters but Activision changed that with their release of Call of Duty: Black Ops. The trendy Mac culture would never be the same as fans shoot each other to shreds while pretending to write scripts in coffee shops.

Genre: Turn-based Tatctics
Year: 2011
Publisher: Mode 7

Turn-based games are like oysters, they're an acquired taste. What makes Frozen Synapse so cool is that as you command your squad to attack enemies, the action happens after your decision is made. You don't have to wait around on another player to progress the gameplay.

Genre: Action Adventure
Year: 2010
Publisher: Rockstar Games

Gang bang with CJ Johnson and the Grove Street Families in Rockstar's gigantic open world, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas You'll see why arguments always start when comparing this blockbuster to Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

Genre: Real Time Strategy
Year: 2010
Publisher: Blizzard

StarCraft 2's hype was epic but it was able to back it all up once it dropped. Real Time Strategy fanatics on Macs weren't left out of the worldwide LAN party either. Blizzard made StarCraft 2'swar classic available for everyone to blast the hell out of each other.

Genre: First Person Shooter
Year: 2010
Publisher: Valve Corporation

Zombie killing is not a difficult type of game to find but Left 4 Dead 2 brought one of the best to the Mac. The game weighs heavily on cooperative play so you'll need a buddy to help get through a lot of it. Also worth noting is the game's "Realism Mode" in multiplayer where players can only be revived by another teammate with a defibrillator.

Genre: Platformer
Year: 2009
Publisher: Number None

Who would've thought that a preppy guy named Tim would turn out to be such a successful character in gaming. Braid's puzzles are tough but if you go for the intellectual challenges, this is a worthwhile investment.

Genre: Beat 'Em Up
Year: 2001
Publisher: Take Two Interactive

Heavily influenced by anime, we saw one of the first real take-no-mess female lead video game characters. Konoko must save a dystopian world from further extinction by its corrupt government. Check out the fighting moves and weapons handling and you'll wonder why Oni doesn't still get the credit it deserves.

Genre: Platform
Year: 2011
Publisher: Team Meat

A skinless hero, a villainous fetus in a jar, and one of the most difficult learning curves in gaming all made this retro homage to games gone by a monstrous hit. The platformer has moved over a million units, and has recently been ported to iOS. Mobile meat is now a thing you can say without worrying about getting charged with trespassing.

Genre: Puzzler/Builder
Year: 2011
Publisher: Mojang

The cult favorite has dominated the PC gaming world for over a year and with its release on Mac OS, it's bound to stick around for much longer.

Genre: RPG
Year: 2012
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive

Critically acclaimed for it's emotional story and soundtrack, Bastion ranks among the top indie games ever made. We love The Kid and now Mac users can too.

Genre: First-Person Shooter
Year: 2010
Publisher: Valve

Once Valve opened up their Steam gaming network to Macs, one of their most popular titles came with it. The first person shooter, Team Fortress 2 made believers out of non-PC gamers who wanted to know what all the buzz was about.

Genre: Puzzler
Year: 2011
Publisher: Valve

Chell and her duo of wise cracking robots lived yet again in the twisted maze of Aperture Industries' research facility on the Mac. Oddly enough, the aesthetic of Portal 2 blended well with Apple's computer design. Just leave the game running and you've also got a kick ass screensaver.

Genre: Puzzler
Year: 2011
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios/Playdead

As one of the games that helped to usher in the reign of independent developers, the gloomy black and white puzzler Limbo hit Mac drives and excited countless gamers without an Xbox Live account.

Genre: MMORPG
Year: 2004
Publisher: Blizzard

Originally a PC only game, WoW finally made its way to the Mac OS to give Applemaniacs a taste of what they were missing. The move was a smart one as the release allowed Mac users to run the game natively instead of a virtual Windows system and all became well in the world of Azeroth.

Genre: RPG
Year: 2012
Publisher: Telltale Games

The award winning title successfully made its transition from the TV screen to the computer monitor giving Apple fans the opportunity to play through the intense and jarring story coupled with awesome zombie combat.