The first best game for macOS on the list is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This popular multiplayer first-person shooter game was launched seven years ago. That said, this game has been updated regularly which makes it a perfect multiplayer game for macOS in 2019. Free To Play Games on Steam Browse the newest and most played free to play titles on Steam New and Trending Top Sellers What's Being Played.
1. Spiritfarer
Mar 16, 2020 But as Steam Spy founder, Sergey Galyonkin, pointed out, too many new Steam games get released each year: This is as exciting as it is worrying. On the one hand, this explains the explosion of new Mac and Linux games, and as I said before, this gives gamers more choice. Dota 2 is one of the biggest games on Steam. Described simply, two teams of five wizards battle to knock over towers and flatten the enemy base in battles that tend to last. Dota 2 is one of the best free Steam MOBA games and one that is exclusive to the Steam platform. The game pits two teams of five players against each other, with the aim of destroying the base of the rival squad. Dota2 provides updates and all new heroes for free, so you can save your money unless you really want to use a character with a new skin.
We start this list with a steam game that takes a unique outlook towards something often regarded as a failure: death. Spiritfarer follows the journey of Stella, a girl who guides souls to the afterlife. In this fantastical world, we travel to find some spirits willing to board our ship to the afterlife. Our job then is to care for these spirits by performing tasks such as building work stations and homes. We also help these spirits in their main and side quests. The scenery is vivid, serene, and beautiful at the same time, but even that isn’t what makes it one of the best mac games on Steam. What truly sets this game apart is how it shows the journey towards death as an essential part of character progression. Death is inevitable, and our job is to care for these spirits as they make this final journey. While we go about tasks such as gardening, trading, and exploring, spirits ruminate upon their lives and what they achieved.
2. Bioshock Infinite
One of the most popular Mac games on Steam, Bioshock Infinite, is another game that packs a punch in graphics, storyline, and gameplay. Players are in the beautiful, broken, floating city of Columbia – a place where the American Dream turns into a nightmare. You explore heavy themes such as religion, politics, and corruption as you navigate the steampunk-themed city. Bioshock is primarily a shooter game, so your character has a massive arsenal at his disposal. From machine guns, snipers, pistols, and the like, your character also uses Vigors (magical powers) to attack enemies. Hordes of enemies will come at you in both indoor and outdoor locations, allowing you to immerse yourself in the stunning landscape fully.
Bioshock is a confusing yet exhilarating steam download that’s not just fun to play but also explores heavy themes. Truly a game that’ll turn the knobs in your head, Bioshock Infinite is one of the best Mac games on Steam you’ll ever play.
3. Disco Elysium
A groundbreaking role-playing game, Disco Elysium is set in the world of Elysium, where you start as an alcoholic detective suffering from amnesia. Things get even messier when you find the hanging man in the empty lot. Now, it’s up to you to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Here’s the deal: Disco Elysium is a take on the classic RPGs of the ’90s. The game is dialogue-heavy and complete with skill checks and dialogue trees. As we level up, we can improve our four primary skills, Intellect, Motorics, Physique, and Psyche. The game gives you an unprecedented level of independence in shaping your character arc. The choices you make and how you interact with NPC’s shape the narrative of the game entirely. What makes this the best Mac game on Steam is that every person playing it has a different experience from others.
4. Stardew Valley
There is an absolute comfort that comes with playing farming simulation games and RPG’s. Stardew Valley combines both to give you an experience unmatched. In the 16-bit countryside landscape of Stardew Valley, you can do a wide range of things. From mining, farming, collecting, exploring, or crafting, you can do it to upgrade your farm. The graphics evoke nostalgia, and the farm setting is exceptionally soothing. However, Stardew Valley isn’t just about idyllic farming. Instead, you can fight enemies that get progressively stronger in the mines or create relationships with the inhabitants of the valley. You can rake up hours of gameplay in this top Mac game on Steam.
The bottom line: Stardew Valley is a relaxing, nostalgic game that you can always keep coming back to.
5. DOTA 2
Truly a player classic, there’s no doubt about the fact that DOTA 2 is one of the best mac games on Steam. DOTA 2 is an online multiplayer battle arena game (MOBA). You can choose your hero from a vast pool of characters, each with their traits. Every character is part of a team of five, with every member fulfilling vital roles. To come out on top, you need a well-balanced team. The playing field is vast, with several lanes that players must be stationed on. Each session is only over when one team’s ‘Ancient’ is destroyed. Furthermore, as you win matches, you can upgrade your team and your hero with weapons and clothing.
Here’s the deal. If you’re looking for a steam mac game that you can keep playing through the years, there’s no better option than DOTA 2.
6. Factorio
Factorio is one of the best mac strategy games you’ll play. The 2D world of Factorio is limitless, and you have to construct your factory. The factory you build will create increasingly complex products, and your factory can become colossal with time. However, as your factory starts to grow, you’ll become prone to attacks by the land's inhabitants. Initially, you’ll start off chopping wood and crafting small weapons. As your progress, you can gain the ability to construct linguistic robots, refine oil. The journey to becoming an industrial powerhouse can be enriching, and that’s what makes Factorio one of the best mac games on Steam.
It gets better: you can craft your scenarios in this uber customizable game. If you don’t find terrain or challenges you like, you can make your own!
7. The Elder Scrolls Online
If you want a game with the main storyline to keep you engaged for days on end, Elder Scrolls Online is the game for you. There are more than 100 hours of just the main story, and expansion packs can give you 30-50 hours more gameplay. You can take down enemy hordes or even dragons with your friends, or become an assassin for hire. Honestly, one of the best open-world games for mac, you can play with others or explore unchartered territories on your own. The world of Elder Scrolls is colossal, and new updates can even let you visit Skyrim.
If you’re looking for an adventure game to keep you hooked, Elder Scrolls is one of the best mac games on steam for that.
8. Dying Light
No list of the best mac games on Steam would be complete without a survival horror game. This game can be challenging to play initially, but once you get the hang of it, there’s nothing better. As your skill set expands, you can turn the rotting zombies into your playthings. The combat is one of the standout features of this game, as it involves parkour too. Your character sets off to save survivors amid a zombie apocalypse, completing side-quests in the middle。
Best Free Mac Games On Steam 2020
Steam is the world’s most popular digital PC games store — an online platform for downloading games straight to your computer instead of shopping at traditional retail outlets. The platform was launched to great success in 2003 thanks to the parent company, Valve, releasing it alongside one of the most highly anticipated PC games of all time: Half-Life 2. The company strategically ensured that Half-Life 2 couldn’t be played without downloading or registering the game on Steam, which was a controversial move but also the world’s first push into digital distribution. Since then, Steam continued to grow rapidly as dated formats like CD and DVD became obsolete.
Today, lots of Mac users are still wondering: does Steam work on Mac? Truth is, for many years, Mac users had very little access to the most recent games. Although Steam was originally Windows exclusive, it eventually began to support Macs too — with a catch.
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How Does Steam Work On Mac?
The main reason for Steam not initially supporting Macs was them containing proprietary hardware that game developers struggled to cater for. Macs generally didn’t have the same gaming-oriented hardware that Windows PC users enjoyed, such as high-performance CPU chips and video cards. Additionally, Windows made it easier for game developers to interface with their hardware using widely supported API tools such as DirectX.
The lack of games on Mac wasn’t only due to hardware and software, but also the business model as a whole. In the early 2000s, Apple was more concerned with their suite of creative applications and music software rather than games. As gaming became more popular, the company struggled to enter the market through their own App Store, as competing products had already captured market share.
Thankfully, Macs shifted away from their own hardware to common X86 platforms used by Windows PCs, which included Intel chips and leading video card brands like AMD and Nvidia. Suddenly, gaming on Macs became viable — in an effort to reinvent the industry Apple is releasing Arcade this fall, its gaming subscription service for all the Apple devices. But while we are yet to see what is Apple hiding up its sleeve, Steam has already jumped on the opportunity to make it work.
How to install Steam on Mac
Now is a better time than ever for gamers on Mac, thanks to greater Steam support and more powerful hardware parts. So if you’re wondering how to download Steam for Mac, you’re in the right place. Follow the instructions below and you’ll be ready to get your Mac games download going in no time:
Navigate to steampowered.com
Click the Install Steam on the top right of the screen
On the next page, click Install Steam (make sure the Apple logo is next to the button, the browser should have automatically detected you’re on a Mac)
When the Steam download for Mac is finished, click on steam.dmg
From the new window, drag steam into Applications
The install should now be complete. Test it by opening Steam from your Dock or Applications folder.
There are a few considerations to keep in mind if you’re thinking about installing Steam on Mac. First, you’ll want to ensure you meet the minimum requirements. Second, most of the popular games use a traditional two-button mouse configuration, whereas many of Apple’s mice only have one by default. You can usually update the settings of your mouse, including the Apple Magic Mouse, to use a two-button style in your System Preferences. Finally, you’ll want to ensure your Mac is optimized for the best gaming performance.
How to download games on Steam
Despite Macs now having a more viable hardware platform for game developers, you’ll find that not all best Steam games for Mac are the same as Windows. Game developers still have to make accommodations for their games to run properly, most often quality assurance testing and specific Mac updates. In such an environment, here’s how you can find the best Mac games on Steam:
Open Steam from your Dock or Applications folder
Create a new account or log in if you already have one
All featured games (on the first page) should be Mac-compatible (identified by the Apple logo)
Double-click on any title to learn more about it
Click “Add to Card” and then “Purchase for Myself”
Choose Install Game Now
The Steam downloader will automatically start in the background and notify you when complete. Your game will then become available from the Library tab.
A helpful trick for first-time users is to take advantage of the Wishlist function, which adds games to a watchlist and notifies you when they are on sale. You can find the Wishlist button on the game page, near the “Add to Cart” button.
Additionally, you might want to begin your gaming journey with some free games for Mac. In Steam, navigate to the Store tab, then Games, and then Free-to-Play. You can download any of these following the same instructions as purchasing games.
If you find certain games are running slow, especially online, you may want to troubleshoot your internet connection. Mac users have a fantastic option for identifying internet issues in an application called WiFi Explorer.
WiFi Explorer automatically scans your network for coverage conflicts and then suggests tips for resolving them. In just a few seconds, you can see how well your WiFi network is performing, the strength of the signal when you move around your place, and your signal-to-noise ratio — so you can go back to gaming ASAP.
How to uninstall steam on Mac
If you’ve finished a game, or you’re trying to free up space on your drive, you may want to uninstall a Steam game on Mac. But you might be wondering: where does Steam install games? The answer is relatively complex, as Mac structures its application files in such a way that accessing them in the Library can be difficult when compared to the Windows File Explorer. Thankfully, uninstalling games on Steam is easy with its built-in file wizard for Mac. Here’s how to uninstall Steam games on Mac:
Open Steam, then navigate to the Games Library
Right-click on a game and choose Uninstall from the dropdown
Click Uninstall on the confirmation window. The game will be removed automatically from your Mac.
If you’re looking to uninstall the Steam application itself entirely from your Mac, it’s best to uninstall your games first to ensure nothing gets left behind. After that, simply dragging Steam into the Trash wouldn’t be ideal. If you want the most reliable way possible to uninstall Steam on your Mac, you may want to consider using an application designed to do this thoroughly.
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Now that you know how Steam works, and how to install and uninstall games for Mac, you’re ready for gaming with confidence.
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