Summary

• Playing video games on Mac is easier than ever, with many options available on the Steam storefront.
• Stardew Valley, Baldur's Gate 3, Hades, and more offer immersive gaming experiences for Mac users.
• From farm life RPGs to space exploration, puzzle-solving, and survival games, Mac users have a wide variety to choose from.

Macs are wonderful for computing, communicating, and entertainment. For a while, the latter didn't include gaming, but these days, playing video games on Mac is easier than ever. There are so many ways to play different games on the latest Macs, with one popular method being through the Steam storefront. The platform has been around for over two decades and has become the primary place to buy and download games to play on your computer, whether you use Windows, Linux, or Mac. It’s easy to download Steam games on a Mac, and many are affordable and often on sale via promotions. So, which are the best games for Mac on Steam? Our team weighed in to provide their picks.

1 Stardew Valley

Best for world-building

Embark on an adventure in a new town in the RPG Stardew Valley. The game begins when your character inherits an old farm plot from their grandfather. All you have is a set of simple tools and a few coins. Can you turn this farm into a thriving one? You'll learn to live off the land, including how to raise animals and tend to crops. But you'll also fish, fashion items out of materials you mined, and even make connections with the local townsfolk. Over time, you'll build a new life and make everything around you better.

There are additional fantastical elements to shake things up, like monsters that attack, mysterious underground caves to explore, treasures to be found, and more. Plus, with multiplayer options, you can enjoy the game with friends, too.

2 Baldur's Gate 3

Best for D&D fans

If you love Dungeons & Dragons, you'll adore Baldur’s Gate 3. Navigate to the Forgotten Realms, where mysterious abilities from a Mind Flayer parasite planted in your brain. Now, it’s up to you to resist or embrace your new-found powers. Will you be good or evil? Baldur’s Gate 3 was a big favorite this year thanks to its open storyline, which is filled with betrayal, sacrifice, and survival by any means necessary.

While you can play alone, it’s best to play with others (up to four online). It’s set in the D&D world, and you can choose from a dozen classes and 11 races. This isn't a game for kids, but for everybody else, it'll offer a grand adventure.

3 Hades

Best for combat, narrative, and mythology

Escape the land of the dead in Hades. You'll play as Zagreus, the son of Hades and king of the underworld. Your goal is to escape and make it to Mount Olympus with the help of gifts from various Olympians you meet along the way. Attack assailants with various weapons, magic, and other abilities as you navigate from one room to another, collecting rewards in the process. When you die (and you will), you'll start from the beginning, but that's by design. This is a roguelike, so you'll learn more and gather new abilities as you go, and you'll progress further each time.

Hades has been praised for its art, music, voice acting, and gameplay, but also its story. As you explore more of Hades, you'll learn about Zagreus's life and the lives of those around you. It successfully weaves a surprising and sometimes heartfelt narrative among its intense combat.

4 Dead Cells

Best action game

Dead Cells is a roguelike Metroidvania, which means you'll deal with a lot of platforming and a lot of death. Here, you play as the Prisoner, an amorphous creature on a mission to escape a diseased island and slay its king. Explore different levels, facing new enemies on each one, gaining weapons, and finding treasures.

In many games, when you die and come back to life, you still have your full slate of weapons. That isn’t the case in Dead Cells. Once you die, you lose everything you have, as well as your abilities, and must start over again with nothing. But you can collect cells from enemies once you defeat them, which are permanent upgrades. If you love high action and combat, Dead Cells is worth investing in.

5 Hollow Knight

Best for that old-school feel

After a supernatural disease takes over the now-fallen kingdom of Hallownest, it’s up to you as a knight to explore and find signs of life. Hollow Knight is inspired by older games like Metroid, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and Mega Man X, so you'll get a side-scrolling Metroidvania adventure. Knight uses weapons like a Nail (similar to a sword) but can also use spells that achieve long-range attacks. As you defeat different enemies, they drop Geo, a currency that can be exchanged for items.

While Hollow Knight is a relatively simple game in its format, it's actually a big challenge, with some levels requiring patience and time to defeat. It’s a good option for those who love older classics and want a more difficult adventure to get through.

6 No Man's Sky

Best space exploration

No Man’s Sky takes you to unlimited procedurally generated galaxies where you engage in dogfights, explore different parts of the universe, trade items, fight enemies, and work to survive. Meet alien creatures, learn to survive through various environments and hazards, and build outposts or even multi-planet colonies. You can even play with up to 32 people through the social hub. And with years of updates under its belt, you'll never run out of things to do.

7 Slay the Spire

Best for strategy

Slay the Spire is a roguelike deck-building game where you play as one of four characters. The goal is to ascend a spire of multiple floors, battling various enemies and bosses as you move up each literal level. It uses a collectible card game-based system, where you get new cards as you defeat enemies and explore. These cards are used to build a deck you can climb, requiring strategic play to build something that works and marks the best possible path from Point A to Point B. Since Slay the Spire’s release back in 2017, the game has inspired many other roguelike deck-building games. Slay the Spire has received positive reviews and even spawned a board game, which is currently in production following a successful Kickstarter campaign.

8 Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

Best for role-playing

In Disco Elysium, you play as a detective with amnesia working to solve a murder mystery. Through his investigation, he starts remembering certain things about his past and the fictional city where the game takes place. Unlike others on this list, there isn’t a ton of combat in Disco Elysium. Instead, battles are held through various skill checks and dialogue. There’s also something called a Thought Cabinet, where performing different actions will allow you to upgrade your traits. It's called one of the best video games ever made thanks to not only the beautiful art but also the narrative, which uses not only fascinating, three-dimensional characters, but also is deeply tied with political theory.

9 Civilization VI

Best for long-term, ongoing play

It’s amazing how much you can learn about "history" playing Civilization VI. The turn-based strategy game is one you’ll go back to, day after day, developing your own civilization from its humble start as a settlement to a potential world power. To get there, you must create your own military, develop technology, and foster cultural influence. Play against other humans or the computer as you explore different cities, attack enemies, make allies, trade, and negotiate. Characters include influential historical figures like Cleopatra, Gandhi, and Teddy Roosevelt. You’ll go back to the civilization you built repeatedly, creating, cultivating, and fostering relationships. In this respect, the game sort of never ends.

10 Crusader Kings III

Best for building your own narrative

In this grand strategy role-playing game set in the Middle Ages, your goal is to develop your own dynasty, complete with cadet branches. In addition to playing as 2D portraits, you can also play as 3D-rendered characters, all customizable with different clothing and headwear. Your character also has their own distinct traits, which will impact your stats and how you act. If you make a choice that goes against a trait you possess, this could increase your stress level. Interestingly, your descendants also pick up some of these genetic traits. With aspects of government, religion, and culture, Crusader Kings III is chock full of all types of action and strategy. The game is praised for its unpredictability, procedural narratives, and strategic requirements.