Whether you have just bought a new Macbook, or you’ve dusted off an iMac with the intention of getting stuck into some gaming goodness, you’ve come to the right place. Now you’ve probably already done some research and found that Macs are 100%, under no circumstances suitable for gaming. Well I’m here to tell you thats not entirely the case. Macs are becoming increasingly popular for a number of reasons, so surely a computer as prolific as this should have some games? Contrary to popular belief, they actually do. And there’s actually a lot of them.

If you have ever hit a point in your life where you have made a cup of coffee, cracked your knuckles and sat down to research what the best system to play games on is, you have probably come across the term ‘PC Master Race’. Which ever white idiot came up with a name like ‘master race’ almost doesn’t matter, as the term refers to the fact that in most cases, PC’s will perform better graphically. This in turn comes with a host of positives and negatives. Since there are 1001 different ways you could make your own PC, you could make it an absolute monster of a machine that will make games look better then your imaginary girlfriends face. The flip side of this is that if you’re turning your machine into some Frankenstein inspired creation, then game developers won’t be able to accomodate for all these different configurations. Macs have been criticised for there lack of said user configuration, since almost all other brands of computer allow you that freedom. That means once you’ve bought a Mac, that’s that. If you bought a second hand piece of shit, good for you. If you blew your entire wad (phrasing) on the most expensive iMac you could find, we’re all very impressed. Either way, a Mac’s biggest limitations also provides one of its biggest strengths.

Just like a console, the fact that nothing can be changed inside means that every developer knows what they are working with. Yes there are still multiple configurations available, but for the most part, you don’t need to be concerned about minimum system requirements, or if you have enough ram or a fast enough processor. One thing in Apple’s favour is their dedicated Mac App Store. Like the iOS App Store, unless you are running a very old machine, you don’t need to look too hard into any requirements. If you’re machine is too old, it might be time to look at an upgrade anyway. There are hundreds of games on the Mac App Store ranging from indie titles like Braid and Limbo, to big franchises like XCOM, Tomb Raider and the Lego games. Outside of this, you can always still download services like Steam and Origin, or if you really want to, install Windows onto your Mac to access any game available on Steam for Windows. If you’re thinking of doing that, then you’re much smarter than I am, so my advice ends here. If you would prefer to not play mad scientist with your computer however, I do have a few more tips, tricks and words of wisdom for you.

Like I said, the Mac App Store is a great place to start. It has a wide selection of games and genres, for quite a competitive price. With Lego games starting as low as $8 AUD ($6, £4.50) with games reaching up to about $60 AUD ($50, £35), it is definitely cheaper than buying physical copies in a store. The Mac App Store is even better if you are a nostalgic gamer. I don’t mean like ‘I’ve never seen anything like it, this game is amazing!’ (The people in this hypothetical are playing Pong, if that wasn’t already clear…), I mean, PS1/PS2 generation nostalgic. The App Store is loaded with goodies such as Biowares’ KOTOR series, Rockstar’s GTA games (up to San Andreas), almost anything from Tim Schafer (Day of the Tentacle, Monkey Island, Grim Fandango) and even The Sims and SimCity for good measure. I could go on, but then I’d probably get criticised for using too many comas in a single sentence. If none of those types of games do the job for you, then you have the Lego Games, Call of Duty, Rocksteady’s Arkham series, Bioshock, Borderlands and Civilisation.

Now, how do they all play? Well that’s going to depend on the type of Mac you own. The good thing is that all of these games will run. The quality of it however will be dependent on your system. I have an 2012 base model MacBook Air, probably the furthest thing you could have from a gaming laptop outside of a brick, or maybe a shoe. Older games like San Andreas and KOTOR still run like a dream because even low end computers today are still better than high end computers from 10 years ago. With newer games, it can be a little more unpredictable. Get comfortable with a lot of your games running on low-medium settings if you aren’t using a high end Macbook Pro or an iMac, or choosing games to play that aren’t as graphically demanding. The Lego games are an excellent example of this, which I can play on my Macbook, plug in an Xbox or Playstation controller and pump the settings up to maximum if I don’t mind the computer getting loud or getting a slight case of severe third degree burns on my legs. Tables are definitely the way to go with these bad boys, they like to run hot.

Nowadays the quality of graphics is becoming less important to players, as many games would prefer to sacrifice that in favour of a good story and strong gameplay. Companies are revetting back to side scrollers, 8-bit graphics and point and click adventures. Everything old is new again as they say. Except my mum, she’s still old. As well as this, most people will own a Mac and another console for gaming. MacBooks are a great solution for if you want to play Triple A games on the go (or even stationary in bed) and iMacs make a suitable gaming computer. Apple’s current lineup of iMac’s have started including Radeon R9 series chips, a legitimate graphics card for the first time in years. As demand for them grows, their ability to be able to branch into this wonderful world of pixels, late nights and loneliness will grow too. While they may not have enough power for me to recommend them to anyone as a primary gaming unit, they are certainly great for occasional gamers or gamers who travel often, as well as being a gentle entry to the world of PC gaming. You may not be part of the master race yet, but your hair will seem a little blonder, and your eyes will look just that little bit bluer.

Allow me to leave you with some great games that are available on the Mac to get you started, categorised by genre. And alphabetically of course, I’m not an animal.

Casual Games

Mac App Store

• Dear Esther
• Gone Home
• Lego Marvel Super Heroes
• Lego Star Wars Saga

Origin

• The Sims 4
• The Sims Medieval

And yes, Minecraft is still available on Mac

Action Games

Mac App Store

• Assassins Creed 2
• Batman Arkham Asylum/City
• Borderlands GOTY
• CoD: Black Ops
• GTA Trilogy
• Thief
• Tomb Raider

Steam

• Hotline Miami
• Marvel Heroes
• Max Payne 3

Role-Playing Games

Mac App Store

• Divinity: Original Sin
• Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2
• The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
• Two Worlds 2

Steam

• Darkest Dungeon
• Hyper Light Drifter

Origin

• Dragon Age Origins
• Dragon Age 2
• (WoW, Diablo 3 and Elder Scrolls online can be downloaded from respective websites)

Adventure Games

Mac App Store

• Day of the Tentacle Remastered
• Grim Fandango Remastered
• The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition
• This War of Mine

Steam

• Lone Survivor
• The Banner Saga
• The Walking Dead Season 1

There are plenty of hidden and not-so-hidden gems there, so Mac some time and give them a go! (I did that on purpose)