Mac gamers can soon reclaim the empire in “Total War: Rome II”, which relaunches May 29 as a native Apple Silicon title with a free upgrade for existing owners.
The game originally launched for Windows on September 3, 2013, followed by a macOS version a year later from Feral Interactive. “Total War: Rome II” combined turn-based grand strategy with large-scale real-time battles and focused on the rise of the Roman Empire.
At launch, it faced criticism for AI bugs and performance issues, but patches and rebalancing gradually improved its reputation. The Emperor Edition, released in 2014, bundled fixes and new content, including the Imperator Augustus campaign, and forms the foundation of the upcoming release.
The new macOS edition runs natively on Apple Silicon and modern Intel Macs. It replaces the 32-bit version that became incompatible with macOS Catalina in 2019.
Feral Interactive confirms that the transition will be seamless for previous purchasers on Steam and the Mac App Store.
New campaigns and culture packs join Mac rerelease
Alongside the relaunch, ten downloadable content packs will be available for purchase — five campaign expansions and five culture packs. These include the Empire Divided and Rise of the Republic campaigns, as well as the Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack, all newly available on macOS.
The additional content brings new scenarios and factions that expand the historical scope of the game.
Players can lead one of 28 factions in “Rome II”‘s grand campaign, from Roman houses to civilizations like the Greeks and Parthians. The strategic layer challenges players to balance economics, military expansion and diplomacy.
Battles shift to real-time combat where terrain and troop morale can determine victory as much as numbers.
The relaunch reflects a growing trend in Mac gaming, where developers are reviving older titles to run natively on Apple’s current hardware. Feral Interactive has led much of that work, previously updating games like “Company of Heroes” and “Grid Legends” for Apple Silicon support.
Pricing & availability
“Total War: Rome II” returns to Steam for macOS on May 29, with a Mac App Store release following shortly after. Existing owners on either platform will receive the updated version for free.
Feral Interactive hasn’t announced the official price for new buyers, but the game previously retailed for $59.99. Current pricing will be confirmed on the Steam and Mac App Store listings closer to launch.
