Looking for the best free Mac games? It doesn’t matter if you’re broke or you just love free stuff (who doesn’t), Mac gaming has plenty of quality free games to offer. In fact, there are more than enough options to satisfy you, whether you like strategy games, First Person shooters or else!
Free Mac Games are also a perfect way to discover the gaming potential of your Mac. Do you want to get into Mac gaming but you’re afraid your Mac is not powerful enough? Free Mac Games are your best option. No risks and hours of entertainment (by the way, don’t be fooled by appearances, even MacBook Airs can smoothly run demanding games!).
A short disclaimer before we begin: This list will include only the best free mac games out there. You can find lists with 50 or more games, but I rather give you the Top 10 instead of 50 including lots of shovelware and defunct games…
I give you the 10 Best Free Mac Games:
League of Legends, from developer Riot Games, is the most popular and successful Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) right now. 12 million players play it every day! But you know what makes LoL even more interesting? The fact it’s free.
In League of Legends, you assume the role of a “champion” with unique abilities, weaknesses and strengths. Your objective is to fight alongside your team against other player or computer-controlled champions. In the most popular game modes (there are many), your have to destroy the opposing team’s nexus, which lies at the heart of a guarded base. With over 100 champions at your disposal, only those who know how to play their strengths will succeed.
A Good Match for: Folks addicted to complex and highly competitive games. This game is particularly hard to master, and to make matters worse, LoL players are known for their harshness towards newbies. You have been warned…
Get if from their Official Website
You just cannot make a best free games list and not mention Team Fortress 2. In fact, it doesn’t matter what genres you prefer, you have to download Team Fortress 2 right now. I mean it, you can pick up the rest of the list afterwards (yes, it’s that good)…
TF2 is a team-based First-Person Shooter developed by Valve. The game gives you have the choice among nine character classes. After choosing a character, you then join one of two teams and battle in a variety of game modes including capture the flag and king of the hill. Team Fortress 2 is one of the best PC rated games of all times. People love it for its art direction, gameplay, humor, and strong community.
As any other game from Valve, you can confidently expect the same high-quality as always (which for a free game, is impressive).
A Good Match for: Big fans of online First-Person players with a strong sense of community. Close to 10 years after it’s release (in 2007, as part of the Orange Box), Team Fortress 2’s community is stronger than ever.
Get if from their Valve
There’s only one company that can deliver as much quality for free as Valve, and that’s no less than Blizzard. Hearthstone is a digital collectible card game based on the popular Warcraft universe. But before you move on to something else because you don’t “dig” card games, be aware that this game is simply amazing, no matter your past experiences (or lack thereof) with the genre.
Hearthstone is much simpler than you would imagine. In every match, you pull three or four cards (depending on who goes first) out of your customized deck of 30 cards. There are a different card types (weapons, spells and minions), but the objective is clear: empty your opponent’s health before he does the same to you.
A Good Match for: Everyone. Seriously. This game is appealing to hardcore and casual gamers alike. Easy to get into, but hard to master. Just the way we like them. This game is also perfect for everyone who has a Mac with limited performance (the game is very light).
Read our review.
Get if from Battle.net
It wasn’t easy to chose the best free MMO, simply because most of them are free-to-play nowadays. But because it has solid gameplay and takes place in the majestuous universe of the Middle-Earth, the Lord of the Rings Online takes the spot.
Developed by Turbine, LotRO follows the story from the movies and gives for free full access to almost everything the game hast to offer. The only differences with the paid version are the 2 character slots (as opposed to 5), the fact you cannot send money through the in-game system and lack of destiny points (high-end points you have to be a VIP member to use).
A Good Match for: Fans of the classic MMO formula such as World of Warcraft’s, but prefer not to pay a dime for it. This game is also perfect for fans of the Lord of the Rings lore.
Get if from their Official Website
Dwarf Fortress is unlike any of the other game from this list. Part construction and management, part roguelike, and to top it all off, text-based, Dwarf Fortress is unique.
A typical Dwarf Fortress game involves a randomly generated world in which you indirectly control a group of dwarves in a attempt to build an underground fortress. Needless to say, without much direction (the game has no objectives) and text-based graphics, this game is hard. But that’s also Dwarf Fortress’ charm. Once you figure out how everything works, building that fortress becomes an addiction.
Also, part of Dwarf Fortress fame comes from the fact it is a two-member project that survives solely on donations.
A Good Match for: Folks who appreciate a good challenge (the game is famous for its difficulty and complexity), but also everyone wanting to support the indie movement, especially when the outcome is as solid as Dwarf Fortress.
Get if from their Official Website
Marathon is a science fiction First-Person shooter from Bungie, the creators of the legendary Halo franchise. The game takes place several centuries into the future and puts you in the shoes of a security officer attempting to defeat an alien invasion aboard a colony ship named the Marathon.
Marathon is a perfect break from all those online First-Person Shooters that have saturated the market. Other than being a monument to gaming (it was revolutionary when it was first released in 1994), the game is genuinely fun, specially if you dig retro games.
The Marathon Trilogy includes the original Marathon, Marathon 2 and Marathon Infinity.
A Good Match for: Folks who love old-school gaming, fans of the Halo series, and overall, gamers willing to discover an important piece of Mac gaming’s history.
Get if from their Official Website
DotA 2 is a MOBA from developer Valve. League of Legends may be slightly more popular, but DotA 2 is closing in fast.
In DotA 2, all matches involve two teams of five players each and only one objective: To destroy the other team’s “Ancient”, which is a building located at their stronghold. Throughout the game, you will be in control of a “Hero” that you will need to improve and “level up”: collect XP, gold, better items and gear.
If this sounds a lot like Warcraft III, it’s simply because DotA 2 is the stand-alone sequel to Defense of the Ancients (DotA), the infamous fan-made Warcraft III mod.
A Good Match for: MOBA fans who love the Steam Platform (DotA 2 is only available there) and the fascinating universe of Warcraft.
Watch it in action.
Get if from their Steam
Cave Story is a 2D platformer that pays homage to the big classics such as Metroid and Castlevania.
What started like a hobby for Daisuke “Pixel” Amaya (it took him 5 years to develop the game on his free time) became one of the first Indie gaming successes. Quickly, the game gained traction because of its great story and solid gameplay. In Cave Story, you play the role of an amnesiac character who wakes up in a cave. Obviously, he quickly learns that he has to fight a crazy doctor who plans to conquer the world. You know how it goes.
Since, an enhanced version called Cave Story+ appeared on Steam, but the original Cave Story is still available for free.
A Good Match for: Fans of 2D platformers who also want to reminisce and remember the good old days of Castlevania.
Get if from their Official Website
Spelunky is an indie action-adventure game created by Derek Yu. In Spelunky, you control a unnamed adventurer/explorer, known as the Spelunker. Your aim is to explore the underground tunnels, gather as much treasures as possible while avoiding the traps and enemies that fill the tunnels. The gameplay is straightforward, you can whip or jump on enemies, pick up items or use bombs and ropes to further explore the caves.
Levels are randomly generated and you only get one life (if you die, you have to start from the beginning). This gives each run a very unique feeling.
A Good Match for: Fans of good 2D platformers who also want to reminisce and remember the good old days of Castlevania.
Get if from their Official Website
Initially developed for the iPhone by Illusion Labs, Touchgrind is one of a kind. Touchgrind’s concept is fairly simple: You use your fingers and the trackpad to perform all sorts of tricks on a virtual skate. Touchgrind is a lot like fingerboarding or real skateboarding, you will need 10 minutes to understand it, but hours to master it.
Indeed, the game’s physics engine will demand a lot of accuracy to pull off tricks like ollies, shuvits, kickflips, heelflipsand more.
A Good Match for: Folks wanting a more down to earth “feel” from their games. And of course, fans of skateboarding or fingerboarding.
Get if from the Mac App Store
Bonus: Developed by Blizzard, Starcraft II is a fast-paced strategy game that takes place in space. The original Starcraft helped define the strategy genre and Starcraft II is probably the best strategy game today.
In fact, the only reason why the game is listed as a bonus is because of a technicality. Starcraft 2 is a paid game, but it offers a Starter Edition which includes enough content to have fun for hours. With the Free Starter Edition, you get the first 4 missions from the Wings of Liberty Campaing, the first 2 Challenges, matchmaking against AI players, access to all 3 races (previously, only Terrans and more.
Needless to say, this is enough content to give you a fair idea of what the StarCraft 2 experience is all about. In fact, I have already played over 6 hours of free StarCraft2 with the Starter Edition alone!
A Good Match for: Fans of fast-paced strategy games. Beware though, Starcraft II is extremelly competitive. Be prepared to be pawned the first few matches!
Watch it in action.
Get if from Battle.net
These games are so different, I guarantee you will find the right one for you. Being free, you have absolutely no more excuses not to give gaming a shot. If you’re still looking for good free Mac games to play, you can check Macworld’s The Best Free Mac OS X Games or MacLife’s 7 Best Free-to-Play Games.
Once you’re convinced that everybody is wrong about Mac Gaming, you can move on to our Top 75 Mac Games to chose your next, non-free game to play on your Mac.
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