Strategy games are the bread and butter of PC gaming (and by PC, I mean Windows, Mac and Linux). Consoles may be more popular if you look at the numbers, but no console can provide a proper strategy experience. Why? Mostly because strategy games require the precision of a mouse and keyboard combo, but also because they are part of the PC-gaming culture we share.
When it comes to the Mac, the strategy genre is one of the better represented, thanks to the efforts of some of the top Mac porting companies around. Not all strategy games are available, but the cornerstone franchises are here.
Continuing with my “Best of” round-ups, I give you the Best Strategy games for Mac. As always, my ultimate list will include only the best games out there. No web-based fremium stuff here. Sorry!
You may think that Strategy games are not for you, but they are all so different, one could be just perfect for you. In no particular order, these are the Mac’s best strategy games:
Brought to the Mac by Feral Interactive, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is the remake of the cult classic UFO: Enemy Unknown from the nineties. And by the way, this is how a remake is done.
The game is set in the near feature, during an alien invasion. You’re in control of an elite paramilitary organization called XCOM and it’s obviously up to you to stop the attack and save the Earth. As the man in charge, you get to command your squad on the field. Combat is turn-based, giving you limited moves each turn to destroy your enemies without getting anyone killed (specially as death is permanent here!). In-between missions, you get to research new technologies to enhance your soldiers from recovered alien technology and captured prisoners, expand XCOM’s base of operations, manage XCOM’s finances, and more.
By the way, the game only got better with the release of the expansion XCOM: Enemy Within.
A Good Match for: Gamers who enjoy turn-based strategy games, but old-school fans of previous XCOM games will particularly love it.
Watch it in action.
Get it from the Mac App Store:
XCOM Enemy Unknown - Elite Edition
by Feral Interactive Ltd
Rating
Premiere
2013-04-25
Genre
Games
34.99$
Platform
Mac OS X
Version
1.2.2 ⋅ 12.6 GB
Additional
Info ⋅ Gallery
XCOM Enemy Unknown - Elite Edition
XCOM, the Extraterrestrial Combat Unit - humanity’s last hope.
Before you buy, expand this description to check the system requirements below.
An electrifying combination of turn-based tactics, global strategy and sophisticated role-playing, XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Elite Edition puts you in charge of XCOM, a top-secret military organization responsible for defending Earth from a devastating alien invasion.
Take command on the battlefield while you simultaneously develop XCOM’s headquarters, train and equip its forces and negotiate with national governments. As civilian attacks and abductions work to create worldwide panic, you must outsmart and overpower your mysterious enemies before government funding for XCOM dries up completely.
Key features:
• A beautifully realized re-imagining of the groundbreaking classic X-COM: UFO Defense.
• Command XCOM’s soldiers in tense turn-based battles where each decision could be the difference between game-changing gains or devastating losses for humanity.
• Expand the XCOM base, manage its resources, oversee international relations and control Earth’s satellite coverage and air defenses.
• Recruit, customize and equip an elite squad, then upgrade each soldier’s unique skills and abilities as they gain experience in the field.
• Recover artifacts from battle and use them to research and build powerful technologies that can be turned against the invaders.
• Mix and match aliens and soldiers to create powerful squads in LAN and online multiplayer.
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown - Elite Edition includes the Slingshot and Elite Soldier Pack add-on content, as well as the Second Wave update, which includes a series of gameplay modifiers that add further depth and flexibility to the campaign.
Important information regarding XCOM: Enemy Unknown – Elite Edition:
• Please note that we cannot reply to comments or questions left in Mac App Store reviews. If you require assistance, please contact our support team at support@feralinteractive.com
• Minimum System Requirements: Processor: 2.0GHz, RAM: 4GB, Graphics: 256MB, Free Space: 15GB.
• The following graphics cards are not supported: ATI X1xxx series, ATI HD2xxx series, Intel GMA series, NVIDIA 7xxx series and NVIDIA 8xxx series. The following graphics cards require 8GB of system RAM: Intel HD3000, NVIDIA 9400 and NVIDIA 320M.
• You can find out more about the game on the XCOM: Enemy Unknown – Elite Edition mini-site at feralinteractive.com/xcomenemyunknown
© 1994-2013 Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., 2K, 2K Games, Firaxis Games, XCOM, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, XCOM: Enemy Within, and their respective logos are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Developed for and published on the Mac by Feral Interactive Ltd. Unreal® is a registered trademark of Epic Games, Inc. Unreal® Engine, Copyright 1998-2013, Epic Games, Inc. This software product includes Autodesk® Scaleform® software, © 2013 Autodesk, Inc. Autodesk, and Scaleform are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. DTS and the DTS Symbol are registered trademarks of DTS, Inc. and DTS Digital Surround is a trademark of DTS, Inc. Mac and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Feral and the Feral logo are trademarks of Feral Interactive Ltd. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. The content of this videogame is fictional and is not intended to represent or depict an actual record of the events, persons, locations, or entities in the game’s setting. The makers and publishers of this videogame do not in any way endorse, condone or encourage engaging in any conduct depicted in this videogame.
Shogun 2 may not be the latest Total War game available, but it certainly is the best Total War experience you can have on a Mac.
Shogun 2 follows the classic Total War formula, offering a mix of turn-based strategy and real-time combat. The game is set in 16th-century feudal Japan. The country is fractured into rival clans, all fighting for control of the country. As the leader of one of these clans, you will have to dominate all the other clans and reunite the country.
During your campaign to become ruler of Japan, you will get to manage your lands, economy and armies turn-by-turn (like Civilizations), but as soon as your army engages another one in battle, you get to control it in real-time.
Feral Interactive was also in charge of Shogun 2’s Mac port and it shows. The game plays smoothly, even in older Macs. Compared to most recent Total War games brought to the Mac directly by Creative Assembly, Shogun 2 is better optimized and has better Mac support. This is the main reason why Shogun 2 earned it’s spot here instead of Rome 2 or Attila.
A Good Match for: Tacticians. Gamers that are not intimidated by the complexity of Total War battles and love the subtleties of military tactics.
Watch it in action.
Get it from the Mac App Store:
Total War: SHOGUN 2 Collection
by Feral Interactive Ltd
Rating
Premiere
2014-07-31
Genre
Games
49.99$
Platform
Mac OS X
Version
1.0 ⋅ 17.4 GB
Additional
Info ⋅ Gallery
Total War: SHOGUN 2 Collection
The supreme art of war.
Before you buy, expand this description to check the system requirements below.
As leader of one of twelve competing clans, use political ambition, military brilliance and ruthless cunning to unify 16th century Japan under one undisputed shogun: you. Master your clan’s unique martial strengths to triumph in spectacular real-time battles and dominate the turn-based campaign map.
With strategic gameplay inspired by the Samurai code of honour and striking graphics that evoke Japanese art and landscape, Total War: SHOGUN 2 Collection is a dramatic and detailed depiction of epic events and a unique expression of the Total War series’ magnificent heritage.
Key features:
• Command samurai, ninja and warrior monks in spectacular real-time battles across snowcapped mountains, around fortified hilltop citadels and through fields garlanded with cherry blossom.
• Assert your dominance over a turn-based campaign map by developing infrastructure, researching new technologies and using clever diplomacy and covert agents to bend rival clans to your will.
• Act wisely in your negotiations, display mercy on the battlefield and follow the ancient ways of Bushido and Chi to earn honour, strengthen your generals’ bonds of loyalty and improve your status with other clans.
• Refine your strategy with the help of an in-game encyclopaedia containing both gameplay information and historical detail, then execute it using an intuitive and beautiful interface inspired by Japanese woodcut prints.
• Contains all add-on content packs including the Rise of the Samurai Campaign expansion, which challenges you to establish Japan’s first shogunate in a stand-alone campaign set 400 years before the events of the main game (Blood Pack not included).
Important information regarding SHOGUN 2:
• Multiplayer is not supported.
• Please note that we cannot reply to comments or questions left in Mac App Store reviews. If you require assistance, please contact our support team at support@feralinteractive.com
• Minimum System Requirements: Processor: 1.8GHz, RAM: 4GB, Graphics: 256MB, Free Space: 22GB.
• The following graphics cards are not supported: ATI X1xxx series, ATI HD2xxx series, Intel GMA series, Intel HD3000, NVIDIA 3xx series, NVIDIA 7xxx series, NVIDIA 8xxx series and NVIDIA 9400.
• The following cards require you to have 8GB of system RAM: Intel HD4000.
• This game is not currently supported on volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended (Case Sensitive).
© SEGA. Creative Assembly, the Creative Assembly logo, Total War, Total War: SHOGUN and the Total War logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of The Creative Assembly Limited. SEGA and the SEGA logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SEGA Corporation. Developed and published on the Mac by Feral Interactive Ltd. Mac and the Mac logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Feral and the Feral logo are trademarks of Feral Interactive Ltd. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
One cannot talk about the best strategy games without mentioning the Civilization franchise.
Civilization V is a turn-based strategy game that puts you in the helm of a civilization that you must guide over the course of thousands of years. Your “Civ” starts out as a primitive settlement, but it will be up to you to transform it into a great empire. Your objective is to lead your “Civ” to greatest, but you get to decide how. It can be through culture, wealth, science or military power.
Civilization IV was a monument to gaming, but developer Firaxis managed to make Civilization V even better. The game was based on an entirely new game engine (the same used on Civilization: Beyond Earth) with hexagonal tiles instead of the square tiles, an overhauled combat system and much more. Expansion Brave New World further improved the experience, with the addition of trade routes, a World Congress, tourism and Great Works.
A Good Match for: Everyone! If you want to give the strategy genre a try, Civilization V is the most complete, addictive and satisfying strategy game there is.
Get it from the Mac App Store:
Civilization V: Campaign Edition
by Aspyr Media, Inc.
Rating
Premiere
2011-06-07
Genre
Games
29.99$
Platform
Mac OS X
Version
1.3.7 ⋅ 4.7 GB
Additional
Info ⋅ Gallery
Civilization V: Campaign Edition
• Purchase additional content located within your game launcher, like the award winning Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Brave New World expansion pack! •
NOTICE: Civilization V: Campaign Edition does not feature internet multiplayer through GameCenter at this time. Currently multiplayer is played via Mac to Mac LAN play only.
Civilization V: Campaign Edition brings all the features and functionality of the single-player campaign to the Mac App Store. Become Ruler of the World by establishing and leading a civilization from the dawn of man into the space age: Wage war, conduct diplomacy, discover new technologies, go head-to-head with some of history’s greatest leaders and build the most powerful empire the world has ever known.
Civilization V: Campaign Edition includes the following downloadable content for free. Babylon Civilization Pack, and their ruler Nebuchadnezzar II, as well as the Mongols Civilization and Scenario Pack.
• SPECIAL INFORMATION ABOUT CIVILIZATION V: CAMPAIGN EDITION •
• Integrated video chipsets are not supported GMA 950: Mac Mini(2006,2007), iMac(2006), Macbook(2006,2007) GMA X3100: Macbook(2007,2008), MacBook Air(2008) Intel HD Graphics 3000
• In-App purchases require OSX 10.7 (Lion), 10.8 (Mountain Lion), or 10.9 (Mavericks)
• Civilization V Campaign Edition does not utilize Steam for encryption and will not work with Steam Civilization V DLC.
In order to run the game with satisfactory performance, your Mac must meet these minimum system requirements: 2.4 GHz CPU Speed | 2 GB RAM | 6.0 GB free disk space | (ATI): Radeon 2600; (NVidia): GeForce 8800 | 256 MB VRam
• Supported Video cards: NVIDIA GeForce 8800, 9600, GT 120, 320M, 330M, 640M, 650M, 660M, 675MX, 680MX, 750M, 755M, 775M, 780MX
ATI Radeon HD 2600, HD 3870, HD 4670, HD 4850, HD 5670, HD 5750, HD 5770, HD 5870, HD 6750 Intel HD Graphics 4000, 5000, and Iris chipsets
Recommended System Requirements: CPU Speed: 2.6 GHz | Memory: 4 GB or higher | Video RAM: 512 MB
• NOTICE: This game is not supported on volumes formatted as MacOS extended (Case Sensitive)
If you encounter any problems playing the game, please visit support.aspyr.com and submit a ticket. This helps us improve products and resolve issues, and we want to help. ________________________________________________________
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1991-2014 Take-Two Interactive Software and its subsidiaries. Sid Meier’s Civilization V, Civ, Civilization, 2K Games, Firaxis Games, Take-Two Interactive Software and their respective logos are all trademarks of Take-Two interactive Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mac Pro is a trademark of Apple Inc.
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 real-time strategy game today.
If you’re unsure whether Starcraft 2 is for you or not, you can try their Starter Edition, which includes enough content to keep you busy 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 StarCraft 2 with the Starter Edition alone.
A Good Match for: Fans of fast-paced strategy games. Beware though, Starcraft 2 is extremely competitive. Be prepared to be pawned the first few matches!
Watch it in action.
Get if from Battle.net
Brought to the Mac by Aspyr Media, Company of Heroes was revolutionary when it was first released in 2006. But the beauty is, play it at the highest settings today and you will still be impressed.
Company of Heroes is a real-time strategy game set during World War II. The game follows the general principles of real-time strategy games, asking you to collect resources to build units to destroy your enemy. However, Company of Heroes adds destructible environments, cover-mechanics, buildings that can be occupied (and destroyed, so be careful) and a variety of impressive units, from Sherman thanks to snipers and flamethrowers.
The game is intense and will keep you on your toes the whole time. Feeling confident with those too many tiger tanks? A smart enemy can tear them apart with the right counter units…
A Good Match for: First timers who think that strategy game are “dull”. Company Heroes is so action-packed that someone next to you could easily think it’s an action game instead.
Get it from the Mac App Store:
Company of Heroes® Complete: Campaign Edition
by Aspyr Media, Inc.
Rating
Premiere
2012-03-01
Genre
Games
19.99$
Platform
Mac OS X
Version
2.602.3 ⋅ 10.5 GB
Additional
Info ⋅ Gallery
Company of Heroes® Complete: Campaign Edition
• Now choose Allies or Axis in the heavily-requested Skirmish modes, allowing up to 4v4 custom battles against computer AI on over 50 maps! •
Company of Heroes® Complete: Campaign Edition is a thrilling single player experience that redefines real time strategy gaming by bringing the sacrifice of heroic soldiers, war-ravaged environments, and dynamic battlefields to life. Beginning with the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, players lead squads of Allied soldiers into battle against the German war machine through some of the most pivotal battles of WWII. Through a rich single player campaign, players experience the cinematic intensity and bravery of ordinary soldiers thrust into extraordinary events.
Company of Heroes Complete: Campaign Edition for the Mac includes the fully-featured single player campaign from the original Company of Heroes as well as the additional campaigns and content from the expansions Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts and Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor, delivering hours upon hours of tactical and strategic gameplay. Players can also create their own challenging custom battles against computer AI in the newly added Skirmish modes, "Annihilation" and "Control Point".
© SEGA. Developed by Relic Entertainment Inc. SEGA, the SEGA logo, Relic Entertainment and Company of Heroes are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. All rights reserved. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners.
• Please Check System Requirements Prior to Purchasing. If you are unsure about your system specs, head over to GameAgent.com and let the Mac Match feature do it for you! •
• SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS •
• PLEASE NOTE: COMPANY OF HEROES IS SINGLE PLAYER ONLY •
If you encounter problems playing the game PLEASE visit support.aspyr.com and submit a ticket. This helps us improve products and resolve issues, and we want to help.
In order to run the game with satisfactory performance, your Mac must meet these minimum system requirements: 2.4 GHz CPU Speed | 2 GB RAM | 13 GB free disk space | (ATI): Radeon HD 2600; (NVidia): GeForce 8600 | 256 MB VRam
Supported Video cards:
NVIDIA GeForce 8600, 8800, 9600, GT 120, 320M, 330M, 640M, 650M, 660M, 675MX, 680MX
ATI Radeon HD 2600, HD 3870, HD 4670, HD 4850, HD 5670, HD 5750, HD 5770, HD 5870, HD 6750M, HD 6630M, HD 6970M
Intel HD Graphics 3000
Recommended System Requirements:
CPU Speed: 2.6 GHz | Memory: 2 GB or higher | Video RAM: 512 MB
Notice: Integrated video chipsets are not supported (GMA 950 Mac Mini(2006,2007), iMac(2006), Macbook(2006,2007), GMA X3100 Macbook(2007,2008), MacBook Air(2008))
NOTICE: Company of Heroes Complete: Campaign Edition is single-player only.
NOTICE: Apple Intel Chipsets only.
NOTICE: This game is not supported on volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended (CaseSensitive)
NOTICE: This game is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.
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Faster Than Light is one of the most famous indie successes for a reason.
FTL: Faster Than Light is a roguelike real-time strategy game from indie developer Subset Games. The game puts you in control of a spacecraft and its crew. It turns out, your ship holds critical information that needs to be delivered to your allies, but a large rebel fleet is on your tail. Your challenge is to guide the spacecraft through many sectors, each holding entire planetary systems. However, every sector will be filled with procedurally-generated events full of unexpected surprises (both good and bad). All events that occur are random and no two games will be the same. Besides fighting rebel forces, you will also be in change of recruiting new crew members and upgrading your ship.
Combat takes place in pausable real time, however the game leaves no room for mistakes. Death is permanent and losing your ship or crew will force you to start all over again…
A Good Match for: Fans of roguelike games, where you never know what to expect, except for a challenge.
Get if from their Steam
DotA 2 is a Massive Online Battle Arena (MOBA) game from developer Valve. Some may claim that MOBAs are a different beast, but they are still closer to the strategy genre than anything else.
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. Also, gamers who love free games <img src="http://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/72x72/1f609.png" alt="