The Best Two-Player Board Games, According to Experts. Every product is independently selected by (obsessive) editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.
Mac isn’t a gamer’s go-to platform, due to obvious reasons. But, thanks to some awesome developers and publishing platforms like Steam, Mac users have a decent selection. So, even if you cannot enjoy GTA V on your brand-new MacBook Pro, there are some cool strategy games in Mac.
In this article, we have listed some of the best strategy games for Mac. While some of them are heavy with graphics, some work on low-end devices. We have also mentioned system requirements along with each of the titles.
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Most of the games are available via Steam. However, if you are interested, you can find standalone versions as well. Shall we check out the list, then?
Read: 20 Best Simulation Games for Android (2018)
Best Strategy Games for Mac
#1 0 A D
Let’s start with something completely free. 0 A D is an open-source strategy game for Mac. When you start the game, you’re a leader who is up for the challenge. Using the resources around, you have to set up your civilizations and beat down enemies ahead. Quite interestingly, the game brings a battle between 2 different civilizations — one from 500AD and another one from 500BC. It’s still under development and there may be a few bugs. Still, 0 A D is a must-check out.
Price: Free, Open Source
System Requirement: You should have an Intel-based Mac released after 2006
#2 Democracy 3
Democracy 3 is a wonderful political strategy game for Mac. It’s available via Steam and it has lots of extra downloadable content too. One of the popular simulation games too, Democracy 3 wants you to be a leader. The story is set in a western industrialized nation and you have to address all sorts of issues, from crime to climate change. It has a wonderful User Interface that enhances the strategy gaming experience. In this game of politics, each of your decisions matters.
Price: Democracy 3 is priced at $24.99
System Requirement: 2Ghz Processor, 1GB RAM, 256MB Graphics and 500MB Storage space
#3 XCOM: Enemy Unknown
If you are looking for a strategy game with tactical gameplay, make sure you play XCOM: Enemy Unknown. As the head of a paramilitary organization, you have to protect the world from a potential alien invasion. A graphic-intensive game, you have to take part in on-ground combat, action and strategy. There are also some Role-Playing elements in the game, in case you are interested. The game features a huge number of missions you can keep playing.
Price: XCOM: Enemy Unknown is priced at $29.99
System Requirement: 2GHz Processor, 4GB RAM, 20GB Storage, 256MB Video Memory
#4 Civilization V
Civilization V is where you become the ruler of a civilization that travels from old ages to the current one. As you guide the people, you will discover more people and technologies. You have to use your strategies when it comes to building your space as well as combat. It comes with an impressive UI that lets you manage your world easily. You can keep downloading new maps to explore so that you never get bored with Civilization V.
Price: Civilization V is priced at $29.99
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 8GB Storage Space, 256MB Video Memory
#5 StarCraft II
If you want to extend your game to an interstellar scenario, StarCraft II is one of the best strategy games you can get for Mac. Once you have constructed your base, you can start building the army. After that, you have to lead the army to beat the opponents and conquer the galaxy. There are three different races in the game, who play in different modes. It does not matter which one you choose, you need the right strategy to lead your team and win.
Price: StarCraft II is free to play
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo, GeForce GT330M or ATI Radeon HD4670 or better, 4GB RAM, 30GB Storage space
#6 This War of Mine
This War of Mine is an awesome Mac game that wants both strategy and survival tactics. Instead of being a super-soldier with weapons, you are made a civilian. Making your way through radars and aimed snipers, it is your duty to protect you and others. The decisions are important here, because you have to keep everyone on the hooks. It comes with impressive graphics and one of the intriguing gameplay experiences. There is additional downloadable content too.
Price: This War of Mine is priced at $19.99
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo or later, 2GB RAM, 512MB Graphics
#7 Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition
Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition is definitely one of the best strategy games for Mac. It’s set during the early civilization of Rome, where you take up the role of the emperor. From political decisions to action-rich battles, you have to take decisions based on strategy. Versatility is one thing that gamers love about Total War series, and Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition offers better. Every decision matters, depending on what you build at the end of the day.
Price: Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition is priced at $59.95
System Requirements: 1.7GHz Core i5 or better, 4GB RAM, 25GB Storage Space, 512MB Video Memory
#8 Sproggiwood
Even if you’re not an expert in Finnish mythology, you would love Sproggiwood. It has been packed with an awesome design and storyline. You start off as a farmer but you come across a spirit and a rivalling group of civilization. What happens next depends on your actions and decisions. Sproggiwood lets you nurture various classes and prepare them for battle. It’s a roguelike game and you have the standard features like looting as well as building options.
Price: Sproggiwood is priced at $14.99
System Requirements: 1GHz or faster, 512MB RAM, 350MB Storage Space, Any Graphics Card after 2004
#9 Mount & Blade: Warband
Are you ready to travel towards the throne of Calradia? To do that, you have to prepare your team for never-ending battles and combat. Mount & Blade: Warband is one of the most graphics-rich games for Mac, and it brings 64-player online gaming battles as well. Being a king, you have to take both personal and political decisions, even your marriage. In short, it has some impressive RPG elements too. You should consider this title if you are into high-end gameplays.
Price: Mount & Blade: Warband is priced at $19.99
System Requirements: 1GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8600M / ATI Radeon 2400 or better, 1GB Storage space
#10 Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG
Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG is the perfect combination of strategy and role-playing gaming. Just in case you wanted to be a savior for humanity, sorry. Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG wants you to be the leader of a revolution against humanity. You have to build a robot-based attack team and conquer the silly beings on the earth. Of course, you need to have a proper strategy; otherwise, you fail. The game comes with turn-by-turn tactics, online multiplayer and more.
Price: Robothorium: Rogue-Like RPG is priced at $13.49
System Requirements: 1.3GHz Processor, 2GB RAM and 1.2GB Storage Space
#11 Europa Universalis IV
Europa Universalis IV is a strategy game that takes you through a long period of time. You have to build your civilization and see how it survives the test of time. Compared to other strategy games, Europa Universalis IV offers more freedom for your decisions. As you progress through the large-enough map, you can get used to different systems like trading and commerce. It also offers cross-platform multiplayer games where your strategy and combat are important alike.
Price: Europa Universalis IV is priced at $39.99
System Requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD 6750 / NVIDIA GeForce 320 / NVIDIA GeForce 9600 or higher, 2GB Storage space
#12 Total War: SHOWGUN 2
Another title from the Total War series, Total War: SHOWGUN 2 is set at a period when Japan is struggling through its hard time. You have to be the clan leaders and bring solace, through your political decisions and more. The clan will conquer places and extend the empire to other places, while you have to take the right decisions. Thanks to the larger community, you can play online multiplayer missions as well. This title has an impressive set of graphics and gameplay to offer.
Price: Total War: SHOWGUN 2 is priced at $29.99
System Requirements: 1.8GHz Processor, 4GB RAM, 256MB Graphics, 25GB Storage Space
#13 The Banner Saga 2
The Banner Saga 2 is primarily RPG in nature. However, without the right strategy and tactics, you can’t win this game. It’s based on an epic story and each character has something behind the trail. As you move along the timeline, you have to engage in battle and take some worthy decisions. While making sure that Viking clans are completely safe, The Banner Saga 2 wants you to explore sub-plots as well. It’s actually about the story than the gameplay, you know.
Price: The Banner Saga 2 is priced at $19.99
System Requirements: 2GB RAM and 4GB available space
#14 RimWorld
RimWorld is still available as an early-access title on Steam. However, this does not mean that you have to compromise features or performance. When RimWorld starts, you have three characters — survivors — who are struck in an unknown world. Each of these three survivors have different stories to play, you know. That is the best part about RimWorld: it lets you change the story depending on the slight details. If you love a lot of stories that involve strategical playing, RimWorld would never bore you.
Price: RimWorld is priced at $29.99
System Requirements: Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 3000 with 384 MB of RAM, 500MB Space
#15 Medieval II: Total War
We’d like to conclude this list with another title from the Total War series. Medieval II: Total War is set in a time when bloodthirsty battles were common. When it comes to gameplay, the graphics and choreography get better and better. You can also engage in multiplayer matches via Internet or LAN. One of the best things about this strategy game is its reach itself. You have a huge community of gamers to play with. And, nothing beats a strategy game with a large user-base, you know.
Price: Medieval II: Total War is priced at $19.99
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Board Games On Mac
System Requirements: 1.8GHz Processor, 4GB RAM, 256MB Graphics, 32GB Storage space
The Bottom Line
Most of these strategy games can work on the current Macs, subject to storage space and performance. So, you can focus on getting a game of your taste instead of worrying about compatibility. Also, if you think you know some other great strategy games for Mac, do let us know via comments.
Read: 20 Best Online Games for Android
Board games are enjoying a huge renaissance right now. A lot of that is due to the quality of the games on offer, which are leaps and bounds ahead of the Monopoly and Risk you knew growing up. Modern games are compact, exciting and challenging to play.
No surprise then that many of them have also migrated into digital form. There are many advantages to doing so: it makes them easier to learn, faster to play and means you can find matches against other humans online. Which is a little ironic given that increasing face to face time is another driver of the rising popularity of board games. But hey, we're happy with anything that gets more people playing.
What are the best PC Board Games?
- Yellow & Yangtze
- Raiders of the North Sea
- Scythe: Digital Edition
- Fort Sumter
- Galaxy Trucker: Extended Edition
- Twilight Struggle
- Slay the Spire
- Terraforming Mars
- Ticket to Ride
- Lords of Waterdeep
- Istanbul: Digital Edition
This is a ‘living’ list, in the sense that there are many worthy candidates and not enough room to fit them all in. Every so often (especially as new games come out), we’ll give this list a refresh and an update to bring some other titles their turn in the spotlight.
Reiner Knizia Yellow & Yangtze
Developer/Publisher: Dire Wolf Digital
Platforms: Steam, Mobile
Price: $12.99
Multiplayer: Solitaire, Online Multiplayer, Local Pass & Play
Dire Wolf's second entry on this list, Reiner Knizia's Yellow & Yangtze is a classic empire-building game set during China's 'Warring States' period (it's not all about those Three Kingdoms, you know). You take turns developing your city state by either trying to cultivate the land and trading, or by deploying warriors to keep your opponents in check.
This is a tile-placement game, and another key mechanic is combining tiles of the same nature to create pagodas. As with Raiders below, Dire Wolf have done an expert job porting this game to digital - it looks good, runs smoothly, and the game comes with plenty of options. There's a solo campaign, as well as multiplayer. This is one of Dr. Knizia's older designs, but it still holds up today.
Raiders of the North Sea
Developer/Publisher: Dire Wolf Digital
Platforms:Steam
Price: £11.99
Multiplayer: Online, Local
The Viking era is very evocative and has led to some excellent table-top games over the years - no more so than the Euro-style award-winning 'North Sea' trilogy of games. The second game, Raiders of the North Sea has you assembling a crew and setting forth into the unknown to pillage and plunder, bringing glory and gold back to your chief. It's the first one to get adapted into digital form by Dire Wolf, and we're pleased to say they've done a fantastic job.
Maintaining the excellent 2D art style and blending it with tasteful 3D effects, Dire Wolf have really brought the board game to life in a way few ports have. Their adaptation of the mechanics is solid, and there's plenty of help and documentation to draw on to learn the game, a long with some respectable solo content. The recent edition of local-multiplayer has also solidified this game's place as one of the best PC board game releases of 2019, so you won't want to miss this one.
Best Games For The Mac
Scythe: Digital Edition
Developer/Publisher: The Knights of Unity / Asmodee Digital
Platforms:Steam
Price: £15.49
Multiplayer: Online, Local
If you threw a bit of each genre of boardgame into a melting pot and cast the result into an alt-history steampunk mech, you'd get something a lot like Scythe. This thrilling blend of economic engine, narrative and robot war took gamers by storm in 2016 thanks partly to its incredible art. It helped that the game was pretty ace too.
This digital version preserves much of the artwork in glorious high definition and adds to it with some sweet 3D effects. The original is information dense, but some clever interface tweaks make it as accessible on screen as is realistic. But the real pull here is simply the ease of being able to enjoy this long, expensive yet excellent game online. With ever turn teetering on the see-saw of choosing to gather resources or spend them in the fight, it's rarely less than compelling.
Fort Sumter
Developer/Publisher: Playdek
Platforms:Steam, Mobile
Price: $8.99
Multiplayer: Online, Cross-Platform
Playdek grace this list once again with another excellent adaptation of this abstract historical strategy board game. This is a card-driven game where players must try and control several key zones in the lead up to the American Civil War. Historically, the Confederates opening fire on Fort Sumter itself marked the start of the conflict, but in this game the Unionists and the Confederate players must exert their political influence through the tactical use of cards to gain the upper hand.
The digital port is excellently made, with some unique visual options to offer a smoother - and more legible - playing experience, and Playdek's multiplayer infrastructure is as robust as ever, meaning your online machinations will be a breeze. Fort Sumterfeatures much of the nuance and tension of Twlight Struggle, but is played in a fraction of the time. If you'd rather not take up more room on your physical shelf, than this may be the perfect digital board game for two.
Galaxy Trucker: Extended Edition
Developer/Publisher: CGE Digital
Platforms:Steam, Mobile
Price: £7.19
Multiplayer: Online, Local & Split-screen, Cross-Platform
Although this digital adaptation dates from 2014, it remains the gold standard for the genre. It's two race games welded together. First, players frantically grab face-down parts from a communal pile and try to puzzle together a functional spacecraft. The literal melee this engenders has no equivalent on a screen, making this an unlikely candidate for virtual play. They then fly their rickety constructs down a random course of aliens, pirates and asteroids trying to be the first to finish.
Not only does Galaxy Trucker capture the feel of scrabbling for virtual components very well, it even adds an all-new point-based building mode. It also boasts all the standard features of digital adaptations like a tutorial and online play. But as well as solo play against an AI it had a full single-player campaign, so good that play was even better offline than on.
Twilight Struggle
Developer/Publisher: Playdek / Asmodee Digital
Platforms:Steam, Mobile
Price: £7.19
Multiplayer: Online, Local/Same Device, Cross-Platform
The undisputed king of hobby board game rankings for years, Twilight Struggle had accessibility issues. Its subject matter, the history of the Cold War, was niche. And its mechanics, which borrowed from complex card-driven wargames, proved daunting for many. What it needed was a digital adaptation to help teach new players the ropes and in Playdek, it found an able developer.
With help from its tutorial and hints, anyone can now enjoy this brilliant slice of ever-increasing DEFCON tension. The heart of the game is the way it makes cards keyed to either the US or USSR player. You can take actions by playing an opponent's card, but the card effect triggers anyway. This makes every turn of every play an absorbing, baffling balancing act of limiting damage while maximising gains.
Slay the Spire
Developer/Publisher: Mega Crit Games
Platforms:Steam
Price: £19.49
Multiplayer: Not Available
Best Board Games Mac
This is the only game on the list that didn't start life as a physical board game. But it could have: there's little here that wouldn't work on a real-life tabletop. Your adventurer starts with a small deck of weak cards which they must use to battle up the ever-tougher levels of the titular Spire. Along the way, you'll gain magic items and have plenty of chances to add to, upgrade or remove the cards in your deck.
Tabletop veterans will recognise this as an offspring of the deck-building genre. And it makes the best of very simple attack and defence mechanics to create a fascinating card game in its own right. But it then uses the PC platform to burnish the basic mechanics with all manner of rogue-like delight. Random maps, unexpected encounters and the ever-uncertain whim of the card gods combine to create an addictive wonder.
Terraforming Mars
Developer/Publisher: Luckyhammers / Asmodee Digital
Platforms:Steam
Price: £19.49
Multiplayer: Online, Local
The digital version of this acclaimed heavy strategy game was a hot ticket in the build-up to release. When it arrived, however, it proved unfinished and riddled with minor bugs. We gave it a lukewarm review, accordingly. But in the months since developer Asmodee Digital has stepped up the plate with a host of updates. And while the interface remains a bit obtuse, the game itself is shining as it should.
Terraforming Mars is, at its core, an engine building game. You'll buy and play cards to generate various resources. But the game sparks to life when you come to spend them. You're not buying abstract effects here but adding water and forests, cities and climate to the surface of the red planet. Illustrated by the game's rich graphics, squabbling for space adds hot interaction to the dry but demanding economics of card play. The most recent update (at the time of writing) has further improved the UI, as well as introduced a new 'draft' format which allows for a more strategic start to the game, meaning you can somewhat control & choose which strategy you end up pursuing.
Ticket to Ride
Developer/Publisher: Days of Wonder / Asmodee Digital
Platforms:Steam, Mobile
Price: £6.99
Multiplayer: Online, Local, Shared/Split Screen
Such a popular breakthrough boardgame demanded a polished digital version for mass consumption. And boy did Days of Wonder deliver, with a smooth, shiny interface onto the game. A combination of Rummy and rail games, Ticket to Ride has players collecting sets of coloured cards to claim routes on a map. But the fire in the engine is the limited lines that connect distant cities for bonus points, creating a fierce competition to claim first.
It proved well suited to the online experience, delivering fast, tense games that were a perfect fit for the light, fun mechanics. There's cross-platform play ensuring you're never short of opponents. And fans had the extra convenience of being able to buy and play the plethora of maps and expansions in one place. (I've personally found it a great game to play with my wife on mobile-ED)
Lords of Waterdeep
Developer/Publisher: Playdek Inc.
Platforms:Steam, Mobile
Price: £10.99
Multiplayer: Online, Local, Shared/Split-screen, Cross-Platform
You'd never believe that one of the best Dungeons and Dragons video games has you hiring adventurers rather than being one. Yet here it is. You'll play as a powerful noble in the City of Splendors, using your resources to complete quests and build buildings. For all the resource management, there's also the huge satisfaction of sticking one over on your foes with worthless mandatory quests.
It's a worker placement title which owes a big debt to another game, Caylus. But Lords of Waterdeep strikes deeper notes with easier rules, more variety and a richer setting. This adaptation makes the latter really come to life with digital dragons soaring over the board. And the well-encapsulated player turns make it brilliant for online asynchronous play to hone your skills.
Istanbul: Digital Edition
Developer/Publisher: Acram Digital
Platforms:Steam, Mobile
Price: £7.19
Multiplayer: Online, Local, Shared/Split-screen, Cross-Platform
Amid the mass of optimisation games, Istanbul stands out for its clever innovation in movement. Each time you move to one of the sixteen tiles and get its effect, you have to leave an assistant piece behind. If you run out, you have to waste an action to get them back, so it's far better to plan a route that lets you pick them up again. But doing that, of course, means you might not be getting the effects you want the most.
Layered atop a more typical framework of gathering and trading resources, assistants push Istanbul to a new level with tons to think about every turn. This digital version doesn't have the nice plastic rubies of the original. But instead you get online and AI play and you don't have to faff setting up the tiles anew for every session. That's way more than an even deal.
OTHER EXCELLENT PC BOARD GAMES
Here are a few extra suggestions. Some just missed out on the list or maybe aren't quite considered 'board' games. Others are too new to bed in or have had significant updates that we haven't had a chance to re-evaluate.
- Aeon's End
- Potion Explosion
- Faeria
- Talisman: Digital Edition
- Race for the Galaxy
- Evolution: The Video Game
- Into the Breach
- Shards of Infinity
- Small Worlds 2
- Zombicide: Tactics & Shotguns
- Mystic Vale
- The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game
What are your favourite digital & PC board games? Let us know in the comments!