Popular Video Games You Can Run On Mac

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PC emulators for Android have come a long way in the past few years, and now you can enjoy a wide variety of games that your phone might not even be able to run. Bluestacks is our favorite Android emulator with a gaming focus, so we put together this list of the best games to play on the Bluestacks Android emulator. Just click any of the links below to start your Bluestacks download and get playing right away!

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Best games on Bluestacks Android emulator:

Editor’s note: This list will be updated regularly when new Bluestacks games are released.

What is Bluestacks?

Bluestacks is one of the most popular Android PC and Mac emulators, used by more than 370 million people around the world. It not only allows you to run Android games on your desktop, it offers a number of additional features to take the experience to the next level.

Those features include improved graphics performance compared to even high-end smartphones, custom mappings for keyboards or bluetooth controllers, and multi-instance capabilities to play on more than one account at a time. Plus, there are regular giveaways for gaming gear and in-game items.

Why download Bluestacks?

The advantages above make Bluestacks an ideal choice for a number of Android games. While most mobile games are designed to be played in short spurts, some require extended play times that will eat through your battery in no time at all. Others, like PUBG Mobile, have graphics requirements that your phone might not meet.

For streamers, Bluestacks has even more advantages. It’s easy to stream to Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and more using OBS or other streaming software. This is a much more comfortable setup than streaming from your phone, which requires specialized cables and software.

Is Bluestacks safe?

Yes, Bluestacks is safe. Unlike many other Android emulators, Bluestacks is a legitimate company based in California that takes data protection seriously. Even so, you should always be sure to download Bluestacks from their official website, and not any third party websites.

Bluestacks will, however, consume a lot of resources on your computer, just like many other resource heavy applications or games. Keep that in mind if you want to leave it running in the background on a less than powerful machine.

Ready to get started? Just hit the Bluestacks download button below, then scroll down to the bottom and click the green download button. Or keep reading to learn more about our favorite games on Bluestacks.

1. AFK Arena

On the surface, AFK Arena looks like just another gacha game, but there is enough depth in its auto-play mechanics to sustain a huge playerbase around the world. Plus, the graphics and animations are fantastic, with just enough story to keep you interested in grinding it out. This makes our list of the best games for Bluestacks because you can take advantage of combo keys to repeat stages each time they’re finished. This is a game-changer for grinding out progression for both new and experienced players.

2. Arknights

Arknights is a new game from the same developer as the hit strategy game Azur Lane. It features the typical anime aesthetics, but gameplay is something truly unique for the gacha genre. It’s a kind of hybrid tower defense game with a much higher difficulty than you might expect. As always, there is an element of grinding to progress, but thanks to Bluestacks you can set it and forget it. With fantastic art and F2P friendly gameplay, Arknights is perfect for fans of gacha games that are looking for something different.

3. The Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross

Anime fans will be more than familiar with The Seven Deadly Sins, which is one of the most popular anime and manga series around. Although the manga finished in early 2020, you can still relive the story with the fantastic turn-based strategy game Seven Deadly Sins: Grand Cross. It features the same voice actors as the anime series and some of the best visuals ever seen in a mobile game. Even if you’re not a fan of the anime, the incredible graphics and charming characters will leave you hooked.

4. Call of Duty: Mobile

Call of Duty: Mobile is one of the biggest releases this year, and although Bluetooth controller support was recently added, mouse and keyboard controls remain the most accurate. That’s where the Bluestacks Android emulator comes in. It allows you to customize your control scheme and play how you want to play. If you enjoy this one, you should also check out PUBG Mobile, although odds are you’ve already spent many hours in the forests of Vekendi.

5. Rise of Kingdoms

From the developers behind AFK Arena and Rise of Civilizations, Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade is a strategy game that features both real-time battles and kingdom building gameplay. A huge player base, frequent updates, and plenty of premium currency for free players mean you’ll never run out of things to do.

6. Shop Titans

Shop Titans is a unique take on a fairly well-tread genre for mobile gaming, but what really sets it apart is great execution and balance. In it, you play as an upstart merchant who must build their shop into a retail empire. Not only can you fully customize your character and shop design, you can also team up with other artisans and equip local warriors to defend the town or explore dangerous dungeons. Like most simulation games, it’s a slow burn that you can come back to for years, but the daily and hourly progression is fast enough to keep you playing for hours at a time.

7. King of Avalon: Dragon Warfare

King of Avalon is another mobile game that has stood the test of time. At its core, it’s a multiplayer kingdom building game, but it also has MMO elements that keep the game interesting after weeks or months of gameplay. Playing on Bluestacks Android emulator makes it even easier to keep track of your kingdom while multitasking, and offers some powerful tools like multi-instancing for the truly committed.

8. Idle Heroes

If you’re looking for an idle game to play in the background while studying or watching Netflix, Idle Heroes is one of the best and most popular games out there. Countless players around the world have been playing for years, and by simply logging into your Google Play account you can continue your progression on your phone or PC thanks to the Bluestacks Android emulator. Many games have copied the formula set by Idle Heroes, but few do it as well. Plus, frequent updates and new events keep things fresh for veterans and newbies alike.

9. Civilization War

Civilization building games are a dime a dozen on the Google Play Store, but one of the best of the lot is Civilization War. It lets you choose from eight of the world’s most famous civilizations from history, from ancient Egypt to the Japanese Shogunate. As you build up your civilization, you can attack other players and steal their resources. With Bluestacks’ multi-instancing, you can have several civilizations building at once, which should help alleviate your reliance on active clanmates to progress in the late game.

10. State of Survival

There are plenty of zombie survival games on Android, but one of the best available is State of Survival. As you expand your territory and recruit new survivors, you can learn more about the infection and how to stop it. The game is great for running in the background while you do other tasks, and it’s very friendly to free players.

That’s it for our list of the best games to play on Bluestacks. We’ll be adding more games as they come to the Bluestacks Android emulator! Check out some of our other content about emulation below.

Finding good games for Mac® used to be slow and painful. There were very few games to choose from, and the options available were quite old. But things have definitely changed a lot.

Thanks to committed developers such as Aspyr, Feral Interactive, and even Blizzard and Valve, there are now lots of great, recent games you can play on your Mac. And with the continuous improvements of tools such as Parallels Desktop for Mac, playing Windows games on your Mac is becoming easier and easier.

Today Ric from MacgamerHQ.com will share ten of the best games you can play on macOS®, including some of the most exciting Mac games from 2018 and a few Windows-only games that run great thanks to Parallels Desktop.

1. Rise of the Tomb Raider

This action survival game is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Tomb Raider reboot from 2013. The game picks up right where its predecessor ended and takes Lara around the world in her quest to discover the secret of immortality.

This game has a solid story waiting for you, but what makes it great are the excellent survival elements, shooting mechanics, and insane action sequences. If you enjoy action adventure games, this is the best you will find on macOS.

Developed for Mac by Feral Interactive, Rise of the Tomb Raider is also one of the finest usages of Metal 2, the new graphics API from Apple. For the longest time, Mac games have suffered in terms of performance compared to Windows. With the improvements made to Metal 2 and the great job some studios have done to implement it, Mac games’ performance continues to improve. Also, having one of the best Mac computers for gaming certainly helps, too…

2. Fortnite: Battle Royale

Fortnite is such a sensation, it probably needs no introduction. But in the remote possibility that you’re not aware of this game, Fortnite is not only the most famous Battle Royale game right now, it’s the most famous game of the moment, period.

Pitting you in a huge map with 100 other players, you’ll need to scavenge weapons and armor to survive until you become the last man standing. Fortnite somehow creates tension and excitement for everyone involved, from the experienced to the beginners. That’s what makes it such a fun game to play.

Behind the playful graphics hides an intense game that is free to play. You read that right—the gaming sensation of the moment is one of the best free games for Mac. What are you waiting for?

3. Rocket League

Rocket League is one of those games that is hard to explain. Combining high-flying rocket-powered cars with soccer, the game pits you against another team, and you’ll need to use your battle-car to score.

That is, of course, easier said than done, because the game features an impressive physics-based gameplay that will require you to have perfect timing, placement, and anticipation in order to score. You can play solo against another opponent or as part of a team.

Needless to say, this is a multiplayer game that is ten times more fun when playing with friends. If you haven’t tried it yet and are looking for a team-focused online game, Rocket League is for you.

4. Civilization 6

Perhaps the best strategy game out there, we sure are glad that Aspyr brought Civilization 6 to MacOS. The follow-up to the stellar Civilization 5, Civ 6 lets you once again take the helm of an infant civilization and turn it into a mighty empire.

Your objective is simple: create the greatest and most powerful civilization in the World. It will then be up to you to decide how to best do it. Do you want to conquer the world using your mighty army? Or perhaps you want to create a trade empire that puts the other Civs to shame? It will be up to you. Even if you’ve played hundreds of hours of Civ games before, Civ 6 has plenty of new features and improvements in store for you.

Civ 6 also introduced new mechanics and improved graphics that take the franchise even further. A quick warning, though, Civ 6 is a very demanding game. In fact, you should have a modern Mac from 2016 onwards to properly enjoy it.

5. Subnautica

As you can see, some of the most famous AAA games support macOS. That’s great, but we can’t forget about all the world-class indie games that helped Mac gaming thrive.

Subnautica is one of the latest examples. In this survival adventure game, you’ll have to explore an alien underworld planet and gather whatever resources you can find to survive.

Subnautica somehow manages to find the right balance between survival and exploration. As you progress, you get to upgrade your equipment and go further into the depths to find better loot—but also face bigger dangers.

Best free games for mac

6. Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

The sequel to one of the highest-rated RPGs of all time, Pillars of Eternity II broke crowdfunding records, raising over four million dollars. Those are insane figures, but I’m happy to report developer Obsidian made good use of every dollar it raised.

Best Video Game For Mac

This isometric RPG managed to surpass the original in virtually every way. The game features a rich story, deep characters, a fascinating world, and improved tactical combat. Granted, this RPG is reminiscent to old-school RPGs, and if you’re looking for an action-heavy game, Pillars of Eternity might not be for you. But if you’re looking for a good story and fascinating world to immerse yourself in, give it a try.

7. DiRT Rally

DiRT Rally isn’t simply another racing game from Codemasters; this is probably their best game to date.

DiRT Rally features excellent gameplay that is both precise and exciting. The sense of speed is there, and you can always fine-tune the difficulty settings to suit your preferences. Whether you want a challenging simulation or an intense casual game, DiRT Rally can be both. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a rally fan or not—this game has so much to offer.

Best Games For Mac

Plus, DiRT Rally is the perfect example of how to do a Mac port right. Feral Interactive somehow managed to create a bug-free game that looks great and can run flawlessly on older Mac computers.

8. Terraria

Described by many as Minecraft in 2D, Terraria is so much more than that.

In Terraria, every game takes place in a randomly generated world full of monsters to fight, rare resources to find, and dangerous caverns to explore. But then it’s up to you to decide the kind of game you want to play. You can focus on exploring the world in search of treasure and rare resources. You can seek one of the bosses that hide within the world and fight it to the death. Or you can build a city of your own and house mysterious allies.

Terraria may be a few years old, but because of its cool retro graphics and deep gameplay, it’s still an excellent game to play today.

9. Overwatch

In spite of all of these macOS-ready titles, there are a few games that are sorely missing.

Overwatch is one of those games. Released in 2016 and winner of most Game of the Year awards, this team-based multiplayer shooter keeps getting better and better. It currently has over 30 million registered players and has received countless free updates, including new characters and maps.

Overwatch is also the only game from Blizzard that doesn’t support macOS. That makes us miss it even more. Luckily, it can run beautifully on a Mac using Parallels Desktop. The Parallels team recently tested it again to make sure it runs properly under Windows 10 and Parallels Desktop. As you can see from the video below, the game runs beautifully.



So if you were disappointed that Overwatch is not available for Mac, you can still play it with the help of Parallels.

10. Crysis

But can it run Crysis? For the longest time, that was the question every hardcore PC gamer had in the back of their mind. After all, Crysis looked so good, it changed the perception of what games were capable of. Subsequent Crysis games were less ambitious in terms of graphics, but they remain some of the best shooters you can play, especially Crysis 3, the latest entry in the series.
Crysis 3 is an open-world first-person shooter set in New York. The campaign picks up after the events from Crysis 2 and is somewhat linear, unlike the original Crysis. But that isn’t a bad thing, as the campaign tells a compelling story full of fun and engaging missions. In a way, Crysis 3 is more a refinement of Crysis 2 than the breakthrough the first game was, but that’s ok because this is the best Crysis game you can experience today. Plus, Crysis 3 looks great without needing a $5,000 computer to run.
Created using the CryEngine, this is game you won’t be able to play natively on MacOS, but thanks to Parallels Desktop, you can still enjoy it on your Mac and expect a fluid and bug-free experience.

Conclusion

By now you should be convinced that macOS offers enough quality games to keep most gamers entertained.

And if you ever felt frustrated that the one game you were dying to play is not available on Mac, remember that you can always check if it works with Parallels Desktop. That includes demanding games such as Overwatch or brand-new games such as Jurassic World Evolution.
So, what will you be playing next?

Thanks to Ric from MacgamerHQ.com for this very interesting Guest Blog post.

If you want to try out any Windows Game that doesn’t work on the Mac, check out these instructions how to make it work with Parallels Desktop for Mac and watch our Playlist with different Windows games that work perfectly on the Mac.