Mac has gained massive recognition and popularity in the gaming community over the years. It recently introduced the Game Mode on Silicon MacBooks, allowing AAA titles to run smoothly. While we cannot compare it with Windows or PC systems, it’s still something that long-time Apple fans might find exciting. To kick things off, I made a round-up of the best Mac games that are best played with controller support. Let’s dive in.
1. Borderlands 2
The first on this list has to be Borderlands. The most recent version of the series, Borderlands 3, is sadly unavailable on Mac, but we still get Borderlands 2. In my opinion, it’s equally good even if it was released more than a decade ago.
This is a first-person shooter RPG game that takes place in the world of Pandora. It has exceptional character-building, an engaging storyline, and a multiplayer option as well.
Characters And Customization
The game starts by letting you choose a character. My top three selections, which I play the most with, are Salvador the Gunzerker, Zer0 the Assassin, and, of course, Maya the Siren.
Salvador is a complete chaos with his dual-wielding gunzerking, Zer0’s stealth and sniping skills add a tactical edge and Maya’s phase lock ability offers crowd control.
Gunplay And Loot
The gunplay in this game is both erratic and thrilling. There are a gazillion guns to choose from, each with its own stats, effects, and appearances.
Every battle you fight and every enemy you kill yields loot that you can use to upgrade your weapons. You will find upgrades, shields, weapons, grenades, and so much more to keep you playing the game over and over again.
2. Hades
If you like rogue-like games, Hades will keep you hooked for hours. I played this game during the global pandemic lockdowns, and I have to say, what an adventure that was.
The game revolves around you playing as Zagreus, son of Hades. He is determined to escape the darkness of the underworld and reach Mount Olympus. The entire story is inspired by Greek mythology, where you interact with Gods and other characters of the underworld.
Combat And Boons
The combat scenes here are pretty fast-paced, both offensive and defensive. You get weapons such as the Stygian Blade, Heart-Seeking Bow, Shield of Chaos, Eternal Spear, Twin Fists of Malphon, and Adamant Rail.
Another interesting part of the game is the boons that you can acquire from different gods. Although temporary, they can modify your attacks, special, dash, and cast, providing unique bonuses.
Rooms and Encounters
Once you enter the underworld, you are divided into regions, each composed of rooms for combat, shops, treasure, a fountain, and a boss. The room starts with a match that gradually gives you small rewards and ends with a boss fight, after which you progress to the next region.
3. Hollow Knight
Let’s talk about one of my favorite games: Hollow Knight. It’s an action-adventure game known for its mysterious vibe, graphics, and sound effects, which make it a bit spooky. I have often reviewed it in my other articles about Mac gaming.
Exploration
The character is named Hollow Knight and it wanders around the Hallownest, a massive world with enemies and environmental challenges. You will start from the Central Hub and visit areas such as lush Greenpath and the fungal caverns of the Fungal Wastes.
While exploring you will come across the Benches to save the game, Maps from Cornifer the cartographer, and unlock abilities such as Mothwing Cloak (dash), Monarch Wings (double jump), and the Crystal Heart (super dash).
Combat
Your character has a major weapon: Old Nail. To win combat fights, you need quick thinking, fast reflexes, and some basic strategies.
One of the major highlights of the game is the boss fight. Some of the leaders you will come across are Hornet, False Knight, and Radiance.
Upgrades And Currencies
As you progress, you can upgrade your primary weapon and collect items that give you bonuses. Furthermore, you can use Geo, the currency, to purchase different items and maps. As you start killing bugs and other enemies, you will get a currency that you can spend later.
4. Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors is yet another highly addicting rogue-like action game. Although the graphics may not be what you love initially, they grow on you once you start playing the game.
The end goal is to survive the hoard of enemies that’ll keep attacking you throughout the game. It becomes very chaotic at the very end, and all you can do is kill them all.
Characters
You start the game by selecting a character from the given options. Well, at first, you only get to play with Antonio, but as you move further in the game, all the others are eventually unlocked. He uses his whip to attack the enemies. Other starting characters are Imelda, Pasqualina, and Gennaro.
Weapons
Your weapons are your best friend here. Antonio uses his whip, Imelda uses a Magic Wand, Pasqualina creates chaos with Runetracer, and Gennaro is a Knife guy.
Each weapon has its special abilities and pattern. The whip attacks in a horizontal line, while the magic wand fires projectiles at the nearest enemy.
Enemies And Rewards
With each enemy you kill, you get gems as rewards. These gems are used to level up your character. Each level-up allows you to choose from a random selection of upgrades or new abilities.
5. Slay the Spire
There are many deck-building games like this on Steam or any other platform, but Slay the Spire truly beats them all in the rogue-like game genre.
The game revolves around you building a deck of cards that helps you attack, defend, and level up your skills.
Characters
Like any other rogue game, you start with a main character. Here, you have four characters, and you start with The Ironclad. The game has a complete balance of offensive and defensive strategies. Key cards here are Bash for vulnerability and Heavy Blade for scaling damage.
Similarly, we have other characters, namely The Silent, The Defect, and The Watcher, each with a different set of abilities and cards.
Deck-Building
This is the most crucial part of the game. You need to strategize each card you play and build your deck accordingly.
The best approach is to create a balance between playing offensive, defensive, and utility cards based on the enemy. If you overdo any card, you will lose.
Combat And Enemies
As mentioned, this is a turn-based game. Once you are done playing your cards, the enemy will do the same. You must strategize based on the enemy type by anticipating their actions.
At the end of each fight, you encounter a boss fight that is a bit difficult to tackle. However, once you have learned enemy patterns and their moves, you are bound to win.
6. Pillars of Eternity
Pillars of Eternity is an exceptional RPG game that is widely known for its storytelling and for being largely inspired by Baldur’s Gate. After playing this game for hundreds of hours, there is no denying that you are definitely going to enjoy this.
This game also has some boring aspects, as the lore behind every NPC is incredibly long. Anyone who has played this game would agree with me.
Character Creation
Creating a character is the first step before playing the game. This might take some time since the game has an extensive character creation system.
You start by choosing your gender, race, class, attributes, culture, appearance, and voice. Each aspect offers unique abilities and playstyles, so make sure your traits complement each other.
Gameplay
The most interesting part of the game is the ability to pause during real-time combats. This helps to strategize and understand the enemy you are fighting before you can make your next move.
Exploration
Another brilliant part here is that you have tons of mysteries to solve, plus you can explore different parts of the world of Eora. As mentioned earlier, if you love immersive storytelling and lore, you will love the character development of its NPCs.
7. Stardew Valley
I am a massive fan of farming-based games, and Stardew Valley stands out among all of them. The initial story behind the game and how your character lands on a farm is heart-warming.
You inherit a worn-down farm from your grandfather. Your mission is to restore the farm and make new connections with nature and other people of the town.
Character Creation
This game also starts with creating your character. Although it does not have that depth, it is rather simple: You can choose your skin color, name, sex, outfit color, and the type of farm you want to start with.
Farming And Other Activities
The game revolves around all aspects of farming such as planting crops, raising animals, upgrading your tools, and more. Similarly, you can fish in the lakes. Each season has different kinds of fish, shellfish, crabs, and more.
Crafting is yet another important element of the game. In crafting, you build and upgrade your tools for all the activities. Collecting wood, building scarecrows, etc., are all a part of expanding your farm.
Social Interaction
As mentioned earlier, you are required to restore the farm and build relations. You can have conversations with the people of Pelican Town, offer them gifts, and befriend them.
Furthermore, there is a chance that you might meet the love of your life and start a family on the farm. There is a whole new world for you to unlock.
8. Rise of the Tomb Raider
How can I ever leave Tomb Raider off any list of my favorite games? When it comes to adventure and action, I always end up playing it on my Mac.
Rise of the Tomb Raider has so much to offer, from an engaging storyline to a stunning environment that lets you explore hidden treasures. The graphics almost make it look like you’re watching a movie, and the sound effects are equally gripping throughout.
Exploration And Storyline
Exploration is the core element of Tomb Raider. You can climb cliffs, swing on ropes using grappling hooks, and use climbing axes to reach inaccessible areas while exploring different parts of Siberia.
Furthermore, you will encounter different items with historical context, such as relics and documents. Each of these items has a backstory that adds more depth to the game.
Combat
Your character, Lara Croft, has access to several weapons, including bows, pistols, shotguns, explosive arrows, climbing axe doubles, grenades, and Molotov cocktails. All of these play crucial roles in winning battles.
Furthermore, you can choose to avoid such direct confrontation and instead use the Stealth mode. Use the environment as a distraction or to hide while you move closer toward the enemy.
9. Resident Evil Village
If you are a fan of horror-infused titles, Resident Evil Village might be right up your alley. This is the eighth installment of this game series, and it features an immense first-person perspective that is both bone-chilling and addicting.
You play as Ethan Winters, an American mutant whose wife lost his wife and daughter. The good news is your daughter is alive, and you’re now on a mission to retrieve her.
Exploration
You will explore the village, which is the central hub of the game, through the eyes of Ethan Winters. There are a ton of objects, locations, and stories to explore with every house you visit. The in-game map helps you navigate and locate key objectives, hidden items, and puzzle solutions.
Combat
You can acquire different weapons, such as pistols and shotguns, while you explore and encounter different characters from the beginning. The combat sequence with various enemies can be tough since it requires quick thinking and response.
Enemies range from Lycans to Grotesque mutants and bosses. As you progress in the storyline, you must look for weak spots and use your environment to your advantage to defeat these enemies.
10. Divinity Original Sin 2
If you are considering Divinity Original Sin 2 as your first RPG game, trust me, you will not be disappointed. I spent 200+ hours on this game during its initial release, and what a ride it was.
This game covers everything, from storytelling to extensive character creation. It has an open world for exploration, offers turn-based combat, and you can go for side quests too.
Character Creation
Every Role-playing game gives you an immersive and deep character creation system that itself takes a lot of time. You can choose between different races such as Human, Elf, Dwarf, Lizard, etc. Then, you have Attributes, Abilities, Talents, and Tags.
Exploration
As mentioned, this game offers an open world where you can explore various parts, such as lush green forests, dungeons, and water bodies.
You can interact with NPCs during your journey to add depth to your character. Along with this, you have hidden treasures, secrets, and other elements to explore along the way.
Combat
Another key aspect of the game is the entire combat system. It is turn-based and every character has Action Points for movement, attacks, and skills. You can combine different elements to create powerful effects. For example, you could try using electricity over a pool of water to electrocute your enemy and gain the upper hand.
Feel free to explore other titles that might fancy you! If you do not have a controller and are looking for Mac games that do not require the use of a mouse, check out the list.