Gaming on Mac has never been easier or better, but there are still many games that won’t run on macOS natively, especially from the classic PC gaming era. The good news is that the list of compatible native classic ports is growing longer by the day.
While most native classic PC ports to Mac are not official, they are legal since these ports require that you legally own the game, and the “port” is usually a new executable that uses the resources from your legal copy of the game. There are a lot of these native ports for Mac, but I think these are the most important if you want to experience PC gaming’s glory days. I have tested and installed every one of these games on my M4 Pro MacBook Pro, and it usually just takes a minute or two to get it all running, so grab your Mac and get ready for some classic gaming fun.
Most of the games below are available for purchase on GoG.com, but you’ll need to get the resource files from within the game to use the native Mac ports. Easy enough if you also have a PC to copy the files from, but if you only have a Mac, you’ll need the Extractor app.
Simply download the backup WIndows installer from your game library on GoG.com, then run Extractor on it. This will extract all the game files, which you can then use with the source ports below. If you already own a Steam version of a game, you can use Whiskey to install the Windows version of Steam, and then install the game. After that, you can extract its files from the Whiskey folder that way.
Many of the games below require that you put the data files into the “~/Library/Application Support/” folder in a subfolder with the same name as the app. However, there are two versions of this folder. One linked to your user profile, and a general one. In most cases, you want to use the folder linked to your user profile, so access it by opening Finder and using the Go>Library menu option. “Library” will only show up if you hold down the Option key.
Usually, the first time you run the game without the data files in place, it will create the folder in the Application Support directory. So you can check both locations to see which one got the directory, and that’s usually where the game wants it. Failing that, if the game files don’t work in one library, move them to the other and try again.
10
Quake (via vkQuake)
What can I say about Quake that hasn’t been said before? This is the grandaddy of modern shooters. Well, some people are going to put DOOM into that slot, but Quake is a true 3D first-person shooter with completely free mouse aim. DOOM is a pseudo-3D game that did a lot to make FPS games the juggernaut they are today, but if we’re talking about the actual technical genetics of the genre, Quake is where it’s at.
It also helps that this is still a masterful shooter with amazing gameplay and level design. The graphics have also aged very well thanks to various ports and updates to sharphen things up and modernize some aspects of the game.
All you have to do to get this running on a Mac is to download the source port build for Quake for your Apple Silicon or Intel Mac system, and then place the “id1” folder of a Quake installation next to the vkQuake.app file.
In case you get stuck, Andrew Tsai has a full tutorial on YouTube.
While vkQuake is awesome, the newly updated Windows version of Quake works perfectly using Whiskey, at least in the few hours I played it. This version of the game has many enhancements and is the best unmodified version to play. So try both and decide which you like more!
9
Diablo (via DevilutionX)
This is by far my favorite classic PC game source port, and it’s always installed on my MacBook. While there is a Mac version of this game released in 1998, it doesn’t work on modern macOS, so you’ll need to use DevilutionX to play it, but that’s a good thing since this source port of the classic ARPG pioneer runs like a dream and looks great.
To play the game, you need to download the DevilutionX source port for your Mac. Then make a “~/Library/Application Support/diasurgical/devilution” directory on your Mac using Finder. With that done, copy all the .MPQ files from your extracted Diablo installer or from a PC installation of the game to this folder. Then, when you run DevilutionX, you should be good to go!
8
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (via VCMI)
Of all the Heroes of Might and Magic games, it’s the third one that’s the best, in my opinion, and being the most popular entry, it looks like plenty of people agree. The way to play this excellent turn-based fantasy strategy classic is by using VCMI. This is an open-source engine that, combined with the original game files, lets you play HOMM III on your Mac.
You should know that there’s an official modern update for HOMM 3 called the “HD Edition”, but this is for Windows only, and when I tried that version using Whiskey, it was unplayable due to audio glitches. Besides, the HD Edition does not include the DLCs Armageddon’s Blade and The Shadow of Death.
When you first run VMCI, you can point it to where you’ve saved your HOMM3 files, and it will greenlight them if everything is good to go. Then simply tell it to copy the files over and run the game.
Related
Thanks to Whiskey, I’ll Be Gaming on My Mac More Than Ever
Whiskey is better for gaming than WINE.
7
DOOM (via GZ Doom)
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Doom has numerous source ports, and GZDoom is an excellent way to get this classic shooter on your Mac. Hey, it runs on everything else, right? While Bethesda has created excellent modern ports of the classic DOOM games, for some reason the studio didn’t think it was worth porting to Mac. So pick up the games from GoG, extract those files, and enjoy all the modern conveniences that ZDoom makes possible, not least of which are an endless slew of mods.
6
Half-Life (via Xash3D FWGS)
Half-Life is another iconic and important classic PC shooter that had an official Mac version, but it won’t work on macOS Catalina or later because Apple dropped support for 32-bit apps. The Xash3D source port has also hit a roadblock since Apple deprecated OpenGL support, but there are builds available on Mac Source Ports.
To play the game make a “~/Library/Application Support/Xash3D FWGS” directory. Then copy the “valve” directory from an installation of Half-Life into it. Then run the downloaded source port after installing it.
The good news is that if you own Half-Life on Steam, you can still install the original macOS version even if it doesn’t work, which makes it easy to copy the “valve” folder to Xash3D.
5
Arx Fatalis (via Arx Libertatis)
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Arx Fatalis is one of the best examples of an “immersive sim” you’re likely to find. Created by Arkane, the same folks behind later imsim titles like Dishonored and Prey (2017), there is infinite playability in this creative, story-rich dungeon crawler. The game is still readily available on Steam and GoG, but even Windows players would do well to play it using Arx Libertatis for the best experience. Get started on the Mac Source Port page for the game then after downloading the source port, make a “~/Library/Application Support/ArxLibertatis” directory. Then copy the files from an installation of Arx Fatalis into it.
4
Commander Keen (via Commander-Genius)
Before DOOM, before Wolfenstein 3D, iD Software brought us Commander Keen. This series of platformers is a favorite of mine, and also happens to be fun to play. You can buy a decent modern collection for Windows that runs via DOSBox, but on Mac or PC I’d say using Commander Genius is the best way to play.
You can grab a stable build from Mac Source Ports and combine it with the Commander Keen game of your choice from a source like GoG. Make a “~/Library/Application Support/Commander Genius/” directory then copy the installation files from the Keen games to it before running the Commander Genius app.
Sometimes the games are put in folders called “base1”, “base2”, and so on. This is how it was in my copy of the Commander Keen Complete Pack. All you have to do is rename these folders to “KEEN1”, “KEEN2”, and so on.
The second Elder Scrolls game, Daggerfall, doesn’t get as much recognition compared to mainstream ES titles like Morrowind, Oblivion, and, of course, Skyrim. However, this is a massive and worthwhile RPG that suffers a little too much for its clunkiness.
Thankfully, a mega fan named Gavin Clayton spent a decade of his life porting Daggerfall to the Unity game engine, and Daggerfall is free in its entirety on GoG and other storefronts that carry it.
You don’t even have to do that, to be honest. Simply follow the official cross-platform installation guide, and you’ll have your copy running in no time.
2
Wolf3D (via ECWolf)
We have DOOM and Quake on this list, so you know we need Wolfenstein 3D. While not technically the first first-person game, this is the first game that could properly be called a first-person shooter. I saw this game for the first time running on a computer in my dad’s office, and remember telling a kid at school “It looks just like real life.” Can you imagine?
While Wolf3D certainly doesn’t look like real life, this game is still a blast to play, and don’t think it’s easy just because it looks simplistic! The best way to play this on Mac is by using ECWolf. I used the GoG version of the game for the data files, and everything else you need can be found at Mac Source Ports.
For me, the best part of playing Wolf3D using ECWolf is that you can strafe like in a modern game, where in standard Wolf3D you need to hold down a key to toggle strafing on. This made sense with keyboard controls, but not when also using a mouse to turn.
1
Duke Nukem 3D (via EDuke)
Duke Nukem 3D was the main competitor to Quake when it released, and it stuck with the pseudo-3D technology of DOOM, though the Build Engine is arguably much more advanced. Just be warned, this game is for adults only, since it also has adult themes on top of the usual boomer shooter violence.
To get EDuke32 running, grab the source port from Mac Source Ports, and create a ~/Library/Application Support/EDuke32 folder. Copy the DUKE3D.GRP from your original Duke 3D installation into this folder, then run the source port. It should show you Duke3D as one of the game options.
There are a huge number of other great source ports for Mac and most of them can be found at Mac Source Ports or each projects individual GitHub page or website. While I love playing these games the retro way, having them on my Mac wherever I go is pretty awesome too.
