When it comes to strategy games on Mac, there are a lot of impressive choices. Some of these are available through Apple Arcade, while others are just a download away from the Mac App Store. Here are our current favorites.

  1. Best Free Games For Mac
  2. Games For Apple Mac Computers
  3. Apple Macbook Games
  4. Best Apple Mac Games Ever To Buy
  5. Best Apple Mac Games Ever Play
  6. Best Apple Mac

Civilization V

When it comes to turn-based strategy games, you can't do better than Sid Meier's series of Civilization titles. In this fifth edition, you begin with 20 historical leaders, and your job is to slowly take over the world from the dawn of man into the space age. Along the way, you'll get to discover surprising new civilizations and wonders, excellent gameplay systems, and much more.

Game devs are embracing macOS like never before. Here's our roundup of the best Mac games of 2017, from intense first-person shooters to gorgeous platformers filled with charm.

Currently, Civilization V offers 10 in-app purchases, including Brave New World and Gods and Kings. With these options, you get to decide just how far you want to go through the game.

How far will you go?

Civilization V

Diplomacy or War?

Sid Meier's Civilization V offers a brilliant story that's advanced further with a lengthy listing of in-app purchases big and small.

Source: Aspyr Media, Inc.

And here we go again! Similar to the previous installments, Civilization VI has one goal for players: to create and maintain a lasting civilization. In this most recent installment, you achieve victory through military domination, technological superiority, or cultural influence. It offers a nice mix of new and old civilizations. There's also renewed emphasis on the terrain and fresh artificial intelligence mechanics for computer-controlled opponents.

The game's first expansion pack, Rise and Fall, features entry into a prosperous Golden Age and terrifying Dark Age. There's also a Heroic Age. The second expansion pack, The Gathering Storm, features ecosystem difficulties that could impact the entire planet, including floods, volcanoes, and more.

The newest in the series

Civilization VI

Bigger than ever

This game is the newest in the long Civilization series and was first introduced to Mac in 2016.

Source: Dinosaur Polo Club

Being stuck in traffic is never fun unless you're playing Mini Motorways! The strategy simulation game gives you the power to keep existing roads clear while also expanding your digital city by adding new locations and road networks.

Featuring different color modes, including colorblind and night, Mini Motorways is for anyone with an imagination. Better still, like all Apple Arcade games, it comes without in-app purchases or any additional costs.

They will come

Mini Motorways

Create your city

As your city expands, make sure it remains easy to get from point A to point B. Otherwise, no one will be happy.

Source: Feral Interactive

Offering 3D real-time battles on land and at sea, Total War: Empire allows you to lead one of 12 great nations. Your success is determined by your diplomatic skills and military force, when necessary. Set in the 18th century, the game allows you to conquer overseas territories to establish colonies and profitable trade networks. Along the way, you'll need to learn more about your enemies and beat them on the battlefield accordingly.

First introduced on Mac in 2014, Total War: Empire is the fifth installment in the Total War series, which, as a whole, comes recommended. The turn-based strategy game was released for Windows in 2009. Before purchasing the game, just check the Mac App Store for compatibility with your Mac, since some older machines aren't supported.

Non-stop action

Total War: Empire

How will you succeed?

Empire is a thrilling installment in the Total War series. Just make sure your Mac supports it!

Source: Blindflug

In this multi-player real-time strategy game, you are fighting for control of distant planets. You have just seven minutes to destroy your opposition or the world as you know it will collapse and explode right before your eyes.

To accomplish your goal, you slowly gain access to rockets, tanks, and stealth generators. Futuristic troops are also available if you can find a way to unlock them.

Stellar Commanders is currently one of the best-reviewed Apple Arcade games available. Download it today.

Best Free Games For Mac

Fly those rockets

Stellar Commanders

The world needs your help

You have seven minutes until success or destruction. Which path will you take?

Source: Tortuga Team

Old-school meets the 21st century in this impressive turn-based strategy game from Tortuga Team. Featuring a unique system of dynamic turn-based battles that last no more than 15 minutes, Spaceland features 10 different enemies from alien animals to unnerving monsters.

Offering a squad of space rangers, each with a unique fighting style, the game includes an exciting backstory about a mysterious planet, which you must protect. Use rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, and more to get the job done. Fail, and you must start again!

Single player fun

Spaceland

Protect this fascinating world

Shoot, kick, blow up, and destroy and achieve greatness in this Apple Arcade game.

Source: iMore

In This War of Mine, you aren't a great commander or a space fighter looking to protect the outer reaches of the universe. Instead, you're just one in a group of civilians trying to survive in a besieged city. Along the way, you must struggle with the lack of food, water, and medicine. At the same time, there's a constant worry that snipers and hostile scavengers could cause further pain.

This War of Mine has been well-received since it was first released and continues to receive kudos with each new expansion. While it's not necessarily a 'fun' game to play, per say, it tells a relevant and emotional story that should not be missed.

Can you survive?

The War of Mine

There's no escape

Can you find and explore all of the different outcomes of the game?

Best apple mac laptop

What's your favorite?

Strategy games and Macs go together well. Which games are you currently enjoying on your desktop or laptop? Let us know in the comments below. Perhaps we'll add it to our list on a future update!

macOS Catalina

Main

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Concepts everywhere

Another day, another iPhone 12 Pro concept. How much would you pay?

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?

Apple Arcade is Apple's very own gaming subscription service that provides users with unlimited access to dozens of games for one flat rate per month (you save if you do an annual subscription). There's a little bit of everything for everyone in Apple Arcade, especially families, so you're bound to find something you'll enjoy. And in times like this, you may be looking for some games to help you relax. Don't worry, here are some of our favorites.

Game on!

Apple Arcade

Unlimited games, one price

Apple Arcade has over a hundred premium games with more added regularly each week. There is something here for everyone, and it only costs $5 a month for all you can game!

THE BEST

Assemble with Care

  • Studio: ustwo games
  • Age rating: 4+
  • Gamepad: No

Assemble with Care is from the same developer that brought us Monument Valley, which is arguably one of the best puzzle games on mobile. So it's no surprise that Assemble with Care is another excellent title from them.

This game is about taking things apart and putting ourselves back together. Maria, a globe-trotting antique restorer, arrives in a beautiful, sun-soaked town called Bellariva, but is met with inhabitants who want nothing more than their possessions to be saved. Without them, the personal lives of the people are fracturing, and Maria must save them by holding them together, one screw at a time.

The graphics in Assemble with Care are beautiful and fall in with an impressionist style. Everything is handcrafted from ustwo, which just adds to the charm. And since the game is about rediscovering objects from decades past, the soundtrack is like a blast from the past, as it's inspired by the sounds of the '80s (one of the best decades for music).

Seriously, if you haven't played Assemble with Care yet, make sure to give it a look. It's a must-play from Apple Arcade.

Mini Motorways

  • Studio: Dinosaur Polo Club
  • Age rating: 4+
  • Gamepad: No

Traffic is something that we all hate, right? Well, except there seems to be less of it these days, you know, since more people than ever are working from home. But what if you could fix it yourself? That's what Mini Motorways simulates, and it's more fun than you think! Mini Motorways is like the developer's other game, Mini Metro, but this is about the roads, not a subway system.

In Mini Motorways, you're in charge of a growing city, so you must draw the roads that make it work. You start with one road at a time, and it'll soon become a bustling metropolis. But how long can you keep it up without running into problems?

There are plenty of upgrades available at your disposal, so make sure to use them. The graphics are minimalist, but there are several different color themes to choose from, including colorblind and night modes. The soundtrack is also relaxing, which can help ease your mind as you play and escape the real world for a little bit.

If you enjoyed Mini Metro, then you will love Mini Motorways.

Skate City

  • Studio: Snowman
  • Age rating: 4+
  • Gamepad: Yes

Do you love to skate? What if you have no skateboarding skills? No problem! Skate City is a relaxing skateboarding game for everyone, whether you have actual experience or not. You can totally pretend like you know what you're doing in Skate City, it's alright Рђћ no one's going to judge you.

Skate City is the ultimate zen skateboarding game; I'm serious! It's so chill. You can freely explore the streets of Los Angeles, Oslo, and Barcelona with stages that are inspired by their real-life counterparts. Of course, you'll start in LA first, and unlock the rest, but doing so is a fun journey.

You simply skate and do tricks in Skate City. There are some objectives that you will want to complete before you're able to move on to the next level, but for the most part, the game is relaxing. There are no timers, so you can take your time to learn the basics and get the hang of things. You can also challenge yourself with the Challenge mode, or just endlessly skate to your heart's content. There's a Skate Shop with upgrades and gear, too, so you can customize your style.

What the Golf

Games For Apple Mac Computers

  • Studio: The Label
  • Age rating: 9+
  • Gamepad: Yes

This game is for people who hate golf, though I suppose it's also great for fans of golf. Either way, it's downright fun and one not to be missed.

This silly physics-based golf parody game has a wide variety of courses, all of them full of hilarious, even absurd surprises. I'm talking about exploding cars on the course, random crap all over the place, and so much more.

I highly recommend checking out What the Golf. It's one of the hidden gems on Apple Arcade, and playing it is fun and relaxing.

THE REST

Patterned

  • Studio: BorderLeap
  • Age rating: 4+
  • Gamepad: No

If you like patterns and jigsaw puzzles, then Patterned is perfect for you.

In Patterned, you'll be immersed in the beauty and joy of seamless, repeating patterns. Each of these patterns starts out as a sketch, and you'll need to look for the visual clues to reassemble the scrambled pieces. The pattern will soon come to life with color and structure.

In crazy times like this, sometimes you just need a zen game like this to take your mind off of things.

Possessions.

  • Studio: Noodlecake
  • Age rating: 9+
  • Gamepad: No

Do spatial awareness puzzles relax you? Then Possessions is another that you should try.

In Possessions, you'll find everyday objects and environments that you see daily. But what if you changed the perspective and angle until it becomes something else? That's what you'll find in Possessions, a minimalist 3D puzzle game. Think about a room where a TV sits on a table, but from another angle, it looks like the TV is floating in midair. It's not magic; it's perspective.

Each stage in Possessions is like a 3D diorama. The game reveals a story about the life and struggles of a family, all without dialogue or text.

Tint.

  • Studio: Lykke Studios
  • Age rating: 4+
  • Gamepad: No

Painting is something that some do to relax. But what if you could paint to solve puzzles? That's just what Tint. is.

In Tint, you mix watercolors to match the color of the origami. There are no timers, countdowns, or points, so all you need to do is relax, mix colors, and paint. There's zero rush, so you can play as you wish. Tint has over 200 levels, and there are more added through updates, so there is a ton of content to go through to keep you busy.

To add to the overall zen, every sound in the game was crafted from recordings of real objects in nature and an art studio. And to make sure that the game is accessible by everyone, there are colorblind and visually impaired modes.

Word Laces

Apple Macbook Games

  • Studio: Minimega
  • Age rating: 4+
  • Gamepad: Yes

I don't know about you guys, but I honestly find word games to be very relaxing, but that's because I love words and writing. It's what I do! So, of course, Word Laces is a great game with which to relax.

Word Laces is an interesting word game because it's about associations, connotations, and collecting... shoes. Each picture will tell a story, and your job is to figure out the words that each picture represents. Swipe to lace up words together. There are over 1000 puzzles to solve, which unlock new themes and expands your digital shoe collection.

It's fun, makes you think, and sometimes that's just what we need.

Sit down and relax

We all could use a break every now and then, and Apple Arcade is filled with a ton of great games to keep you occupied. These are some of our favorite games to relax and unwind. What are your favorites? Let us know in the comments!

Game on!

Apple Arcade

Unlimited games, one price

Apple Arcade has over a hundred premium games with more added regularly each week. There is something here for everyone, and it only costs $5 a month for all you can game!

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Best Apple Mac Games Ever To Buy

Concepts everywhere

Best Apple Mac Games Ever Play

Another day, another iPhone 12 Pro concept. How much would you pay?

Best Apple Mac

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?