Mar 20, 2020 Sometimes a great game on Windows can suffer from extremely poor MacOS performance, or even worse, a broken Mac version. That’s why testing these games on Mac hardware is critical for us. In this list, you’ll only find games that are both great and have proper MacOS support. Mac is a well-known brand for all its fine features, from software to interface. However, one can even make use of the games that are given downloads for Mac. There are a few game setups that are taken as must-have applications for Mac, and the following are the top 10 of them: 1.
I've owned a lot of Macs in my day, and I've gotten into a pretty comfortable rhythm when it comes to setting up new ones. When I got my new 21-inch Retina iMac, however, I decided to step outside my familiar box and ask my iMore and Mobile Nations colleagues what they consider must-have software on their computers.
There are dinosaurs that eat only meat, and there are others who eat only vegetables. You also have to buy food for your over-sized attractions. However, this is not your ordinary amusement park but a dinosaur park. You start off with $5000 which is borrowed from the bank. The game doesn't just limit itself to buying a few dinosaurs, but also having to buy land (there are three types of land on wich you can build your park), fence it properly (there is even an option to buy electrical fences) and hire maintenance men since you don't want your dinos to escape. 
Unsurprisingly, our lists overlapped quite a bit, but I also came away with a few exciting new apps to try. Here are our 10 favorite apps that every Mac user should own.
Dropbox
If you want to back up your files, share them with friends, collaborate with them, and access files across all your devices, Dropbox is an absolute no-brainer. Setting up a Dropbox account is simple: Once you install the app and sign up for the service, it creates a private Dropbox folder for you and your files. Anything you put in that folder gets automatically uploaded to Dropbox's encrypted servers when there's an internet connection; work on a file inside your Dropbox, and it will save changes automatically. You'll get 2GB of online storage space free, and can upgrade your space to a whopping 1TB for $10/month. Best of all, your Dropbox folder also saves locally to your Mac, so when you're offline, you can still access and change those files and it will re-sync with the server when you return online.
Your Twitter client of choice
Twitter may be weathering some rough seas at present, but it's still a must-have app for myself and my co-workers at Mobile Nations. It's the fastest way to keep in touch with our friends and colleagues, track news stories, respond to readers, and share the latest adorable BB-8 option.
For me, there's only one option for Twitter on the desktop: Tweetbot, Tapbots's fanastically quirky Twitter app. Tapbots also offers an iOS version of Tweetbot, and both versions sync with each other, so you can browse on your iPhone or iPad and switch to your Mac without losing a beat. Twitterrific's Mac client is also pretty great, and offers a slightly different style for your tweet viewing experience. If you don't have the cash to spend on a Twitter app, there's also always Twitter's official Mac client, but it's not nearly as full-featured as Tweetbot or Twitterrific.
3. Google Chrome
I have a very fond spot in my heart for Apple's web browser, Safari, but it never hurts to have alternative options on your plate. And when it comes to alternatives, Google Chrome tops the list. The Alphabet company's browser syncs with your Google account and offers access to a number of different plugins, and it's traditionally run Google Hangouts far better for me than Safari.
And, as an added bonus: It comes with a local Flash install, so you never have to sully Safari with Flash if you don't want to.
4. Fantastical 2
The default Calendar app isn't bad, but if you need to take charge of your calendaring on your Mac you want the best in the business. Fantastical has pretty much everything you'd want in a high-powered calendar client: A shortcut to your calendar in your toolbar, a beautiful, easy-to-read layout, support for reminders, natural language support, time and geofenced-based alerts, time zone support, and customized calendar views. Of all Fantastical's great features, it's the last one that I use the most — this lets me group all my work calendars and my personal calendars on separate views, so I don't have to see 10 events per day.
Best of all, Fantastical offers a 21-day free trial, so you can give it a test-drive to see if it fits for your workflow.
5. 1Password
You need a password manager on your Mac. You do. The days of remembering all your passwords or using one password for everything are gone: It's simply not smart or safe to do these things, and you put your financial and personal security at risk. Luckily, encrypted programs like 1Password exist to store all your hard-to-remember passwords in one place. You need only remember one master password to unlock your vault; inside your vault, you can keep passwords for sites, credit card information, passport numbers, and more. Add a simple extension to Safari or Chrome, and you can auto-fill those passwords right into your web browser when you come across the appropriate site.
I resisted 1Password for a long time, and last year, I finally took the plunge. I'm so glad I did: It got me off my stubborn 'I can remember 40 different 8-character passwords' high horse, and it saved my bacon when I had my passport card stolen and had to find the ID number to report it missing.
6. DaisyDisk
When you're setting up a new Mac, you almost never worry about disk space: A brand new hard drive feels like an opportunity for neverending file storage. But as time goes on, preference files and backups can fill your drive before you know it. DaisyDisk helps track down disk eating offenders and purge them from your Mac without a second thought. I've been using the app for four years since I stumbled upon it back in my Macworld days, and it's the easiest app I've ever used for eliminating unnecessary files. I love the way DaisyDisk color-codes your files for easier viewing, and you can easily view the offending files directly with a single mouse click.
7. Bartender
As you start to add apps and utilities to your Mac, you may notice an ever-increasing amount of tiny icons popping up in your right-side menu bar. While these can be super-useful shortcuts (as with Fantastical), too many of them can make your toolbar cluttered and hard to read. Enter Bartender: The utility lets you rearrange menu bar icons in the order that most suits you, and lets you hide any unnecessary icons within Bartender's More button. The app is a life-saver on my 11-inch MacBook Air: Without it, I'd have enough icons to run into my left-side menu bar.
8. Photo-editing software
When it comes to photo editing, everyone has their preferences and their favorites. Adobe Photoshop was king of my Mac's image mountain for a very long time before I switched to Pixelmator; others at Mobile Nations have a fond spot for Acorn.
Which app appeals to you will largely depend on what you require of your image editing software. Photoshop is one of the largest, most full-featured, and best image-editors out there — but it can be overkill if you're just trying to repair some dark spots or edit your brightness; Acorn is great if you need something like Photoshop without the full power of Photoshop. I like Pixelmator for its easy-to-use Repair brush, color correction tools, and Handoff support between iOS and Mac.
9. TextWrangler
Your Mac offers two great text editors for rich text: TextEdit, and iWork's Pages. But if you ever want to write in plain text (no bold or italics) or code, Bare Bones Software's TextWrangler will keep you comfy. TextWrangler is, in some ways, BBEdit Lite: It lets you edit plain text easily, but doesn't offer many of the advanced features BBEdit boasts. If you're a pro, BBEdit's what you want; for everyone else, TextWrangler is a great free accessory to have in your app arsenal.
10. Augment with your honorable mentions
I can't do any top ten list without mentioning some apps that almost made my list.
- If you need an excellent calculator app beyond what the standard Calculator app can offer you, you should check out PCalc ($9.99).
- If you need to record audio, you can't go wrong with Rogue Amoeba's Piezo ($19).
- Like to do a lot of cooking? Paprika ($19.99) is the recipe manager of your dreams.
- If you want to make copies of DVDs you own — or burn something on your computer to a disk — Handbrake (free) is the best app in the business.
- Own a Sonos speaker or two? Make sure you pick up the Sonos Controller (free) app for your Mac to upload your iTunes library and control your queue.
What are your must-install Mac apps, iMore readers? Let me know below — I'd love to discover a great new app or two.
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If reports are accurate we might be waiting a little while longer than normal for iPhone 12 Pro. But would you care if it looked like this?
Some folks might have you believe that Macs aren't meant for gaming, and I hate to sound mean, but those folks are wrong. Clearly, a list like this one is going to be very subjective; however, there are some games that are just empirically good — great graphics, fun to play, great story, whatever.
The ten games listed below are games we think go above and beyond to provide a fantastic gaming experience.
Divinity: Original Sin
What started as a Kickstarter campaign, Divinity: Original Sin is a classic RPG that has a ton of good things going for it. A ton of character customization, a compelling story, superb voice acting, and an amazing tactical battle system makes Divinity: Original Sin a must have for any gamer.
Divinity: Original Sin takes place in Rivellon, featuring two customizable protagonists and a whole host of optional companions to make up a squad of four. The two main protagonists are 'Source Hunters', charged with the eradication of practitioners of forbidden Source magic. The start of the game sees the two hunters investigating a murder, where Source magic is thought to be involved. A routine investigation escalates into a cosmic conspiracy that threatens the very universe, and it's up to you to stop it.
My favorite part of the whole game is how well the light-hearted humor resonates through the rather dramatic storyline. The colorful NPCs that you interact with make the whole world come alive and provide a constants surprises that will delight and horrify you.
- $39.99 - Download on the App Store
Firewatch
Firewatch, at its core, is a mystery game set in the Wyoming wilderness. You play as Henry, a man who decided to give the simpler life a try by joining a fire lookout team. Set in 1989, you watch for smoke during an especially hot, dry summer, aided via radio by your supervisor, Delilah. However, something draws you out of your tower and into the woods, where you must explore the unknown wild, making choices that could make or break your relationship with Delilah.
This is a gorgeous game, with a beautifully crafted open world, true-to-life characters, and a story that changes, depending on the choices you make throughout your story. Plus it has some amazing voice acting providing by Cissy Jones from the first season of The Walking Dead plays Delilah, and Henry is portrayed by Rich Sommer of Mad Men fame.
If you're looking for more than just a game — an experience — then Firewatch should be at the top of your to-play list. Even though the story is linear and replayability isn't a huge selling feature of Firewatch, I have personally played this game through about five times. What starts as a simple game of watching for forest fires becomes a strange, twisty-turny, mystery-filled rabbit hole with new discoveries at every turn. It's like a book you just can't put down.
- $19.99 - Download on the App Store
The Witness
The Witness came out earlier this year, it's absolutely stunning visuals and exploration gameplay makes it one of those game you can easily get lost in the world it creates.
You wake up on a mysterious island, alone and are a force to explore the world around you. With over 500 different puzzles to solve, the game never gets stale and offers a bunch of challenging moments that keep you on your toes.
You'll need a newer Mac to run The Witness properly, so if you have the proper hardware (listed on the App Store) you should definitely check it out.
- $39.99 - Download on the App Store
Must Have Mac Games Online
Life is Strange
Life is Strange is an episodic mystery game of sorts that has you playing as Max Caulfield, a photography student, who randomly discovers that she has the ability to rewind time (saves her best friend's life). The pair end up investigating the disappearance of a fellow student, while Max struggles with the realization that altering the past can have consequences in the future.
Essentially, you go through the entire game making choices, and the choices you make can screw things up for you down the road or make life much easier (think Until Dawn). With well-crafted characters and a moving story, Life is Strange is for the folks who like a cinematic experience fraught with emotion (á la Heavy Rain). The first episode is $5 and you can buy subsequent episodes via in-app purchases.
- $11.99 - Download on the App Store
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley is one of those games you can spend your life playing and never really beat. It relies heavily on exploration and 'city building' and it seems to have an endless amount of content to go through.
You start the game by inheriting your grandfather's farmland, and with only a few coins to your name, you'll need to build up your farm to new heights it has never seen. The strength of Stardew Valley is really in the ability for the player to play the game the way they want. Feel like spelunking? Explore one of the many caves in the game. Want to spend a relaxing afternoon? Take your rod and go fishing for hours. What you want to do and how you want to play is all up to you!
With over 30 unique characters to interact with and plenty of secrets and treasures only available at special times, Stardew Valley consistently feels refreshing and new.
- $14.99 - Download on Steam
Myst
Originally released in 1993, Myst was recently revamped for the Mac, so that you can explore the open world of Myst Island and its Ages in a gloriously rebuilt environment. The world is completely interactive and you'll have to discover and solve puzzles in order to find books containing access to all of the Ages.
The ending of the game changes depending on the choices you make, and you'll be torn between helping one of two brothers or their father, with your own fate entirely unknown until it's too late. Myst is an absolute classic and the graphics update puts a modern spin on it, bringing the Myst you grew up with into the 21st Century.
If you love a classic puzzle game, a story filled with intrigue and twists, and open-world exploration games, then totally check out Myst.
- $17.99 - Download now
GRID: Autosport
I don't usually enjoy racing games, but GRID: Autosport brings so much to the table, that I couldn't help but to play it.
It's gosh darn beautiful and that's a fact. The textures of the cars, the racetrack, and all the terrain around you is truly marvellous! Cars get damaged, and glass goes flying; go off-roading, and you're kicking up dirt and grass like nobody's business. GRID Autosport goes above and beyond to put attention into small details that make the game come alive.
Graphics aside, the gameplay is dynamite! It's important to keep in mind that unless you're already an expert at racing games, GRID Autosport will be difficult and comes with a steep learning curve. In fact, the game even reminds you that it considers itself a racing simulator and the game mechanics will be very hard to master. Normally this would discourage me, and I would feel compelled to warn everybody about being frustrated; however, the gameplay is so damn fun that even when you suck, you don't really notice.
- $35.99 - Download on the App Store
Best Mac.games
Braid
Braid is very similar to one of the most popular games of all time. Get into the actual gameplay, and you'll be like, 'THIS IS JUST SUPER MARIO', but then you'll sit back, listen to the AMAZING soundtrack, notice the little detail in Tim's hair while it flows in the wind when he runs, enjoy the beautiful scenery and interesting-looking enemies, and you'll be like, 'SUPER WHO?'.
In all seriousness, Braid is a lovely little game and it really emphasizes Tim's motives for rescuing the princess without ever saying exactly what they are or what exactly his 'mistake' was. Gameplay is quite simple; it's a Mario-style platformer, and you have to collect puzzle pieces along the way and slowly build a large puzzle in each world.
If you like platformers and love games with out-of-this-world soundtracks, then check out Braid.
- $9.99 - Download now
Rocket League
It's soccer. With cars. There really isn't much more to say except that's it's freakin' awesome. Think of a physics-based FIFA with wild and crazy vehicles and full-frontal multiplayer mayhem. And if those aren't enough hype buzzwords then imagine yourself as a small child, forced to play soccer in order to 'build character'. Now imagine that you're a child driving a monster truck around a massive enclosed arena, smacking giant balls around and flying and flipping around because physics.
If you're kind of into multiplayer sports games, but prefer them with a side of absolutely wacky, then Rocket League is totally for you.
- $19.99 - Download on Steam
Portal 2
It doesn't matter which platform you're playing on, Portal 2 is hands-down one of the greatest video games of all time. It builds on the fun and weirdness of Portal from the Orange Box and throws you into a more fascinating story, with puzzles that never really feel like puzzles, since you're out of the testing chambers just trying to escape.
You once again play as Chell (the voiceless captive with the sweet boots and 'stubborn will to live') who is once again trying to escape the Facility, which she totally ruined years earlier. Wheatley, a personality core voiced by Stephen Merchant, revives Chell to escape the Facility with him, but all is not as it seems.
This game is incredibly atmospheric, often creepy and weird, as well as gut-bustingly hilarious. You'll learn about the history of the ruined Facility, mainly from GLaDOS (in an unusual form) and voice recordings from Aperture Science founder Cave Johnson, voiced by the legend J.K. Simmons (the funniest part of the game).
Portal 2 also has a sweet multiplayer mode where you play as testing robots Peabody and Atlas, working with a partner to frustratingly solve testing chambers (you might lose friends over some of the more difficult levels).
Must Have Mac Eyeshadow
If you're at all into physics puzzles and hilarious, quirky games, then Portal 2 is not to be missed. Hell, even if you don't like puzzle games, play it. You'll be a better person for it. You can even download the stellar soundtrack for free
- $19.99 - Download on Steam
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Concepts everywhereAnother day, another iPhone 12 Pro concept. How much would you pay?
Free Mac Games
If reports are accurate we might be waiting a little while longer than normal for iPhone 12 Pro. But would you care if it looked like this?