How to play Helldivers 2 on Mac
Excitement buzzed among third-person shooter enthusiasts with the recent release of Helldivers 2. However, Mac users like us faced disappointment as the game wasn’t available for macOS, putting a significant barrier between us and the thrilling action. Nonetheless, drawing from our experience in playing unsupported games on Macs, we set out to explore potential workarounds to play Helldivers 2 on Mac.
The Helldivers 2 Mac Method That We Suggest
After thorough research, we discovered that, at the moment, your best Helldivers 2 Mac method is the Boosteroid cloud gaming service. Intel Mac owners can also try running the game through Boot Camp, which is the other available workaround. In the following sections, we’ll delve into the performance and experience you can expect from the two methods, but if you’re eager to dive right in and try it yourself, here are all the instructions that you need:
Boosteroid Cloud Gaming (Recommended method)
Features: Constant 1080p/60 FPS; Stable connection; Low bandwidth requirements (15 MBPS); Huge gaming library with all the latest AAA titles.
Pros
- The best value cloud gaming option.
- Compatible with all macs
- Hardware specs don’t matter
- You can play in your browser in about 15 minutes
Cons
- Requires a good internet connection
- You need to look if the game is supported with your chosen vendor
Extras: Here’s our review of Boosteroid with a comparison to GeForce Now; also check out our Boosteroid Games List.
Boosteroid comes highly recommended for Mac users looking to play games, except for those deeply involved in competitive gaming. It offers a straightforward way to enjoy gaming on your Apple device, combining impressive graphics with smooth performance, without the need for complicated setups.
Getting Started with Boosteroid
- Simply click on the “Play with Boosteroid” option to navigate to the Boosteroid website. There, you’ll either sign up for a new account or sign in with your existing Google Account details.
- Once logged in, head over to “My account” located at the upper-right side of the webpage. To kick off your Boosteroid gaming experience, select and activate your preferred subscription plan found under the “My subscription” section.
- To find your game, use the search bar at the top of the page to discover the platforms Boosteroid is compatible with. Ensure you already own the game on one of these platforms before moving forward. For purchasing the game, here’s a direct link Steam. Additionally, you might want to check Cdkeys.com for potential discounts.
Boot Camp
Features: Provides a native Windows 11 experience. Allows running all Windows-compatible programs and games as long as the Mac’s hardware can support them.
Note: Not available for Apple Silicon models.
Pros
- It’s free
- Unlimited compatibility
- Stable and reliable
Cons
- Takes time to set up
- Takes tons of storage
- Unavailable for M1/M2
Note: Ensure you have the game ready in your library. It’s available on Steam, and discounts might be found on Cdkeys.com.
Boot Camp is a tool that helps you install Windows on your Mac computer, creating a separate section on your hard drive just for Windows. This makes it easier to run programs that are designed for Windows on your Mac. One big advantage of Boot Camp is that it’s very stable, meaning your computer is less likely to crash or have errors when running Windows programs. The best part is that Boot Camp is free to use, but you’ll need to buy the Windows software itself.
However, keep in mind that Boot Camp only works with certain types of Macs, specifically those with Intel processors. Also, setting up Boot Camp can take quite a bit of time, usually a few hours, because it involves installing both Windows and the game you want to play.
If you prefer to access the instructions for the two methods in a video format, check out our video on how to play Helldivers 2 on Mac:
Streaming Helldivers 2 with Boosteroid: Our Experience and Takeaways
We’ve used Boosteroid many times to stream various games to our Macs, thus circumventing their lack of macOS versions and/or overly-high system requirements, so we were glad when we learned that Helldivers 2 has also been added to the platform’s library.
As per usual, all it took for us to start the game was to go to the Boosteroid site, log in to our account, search for Helldivers 2, and click Play. A minute or two later, we were at the game’s main menu, ready to shoot down some aliens.
Since the Boosteroid servers are doing all the heavy lifting when playing any game through the service, we turned everything in the graphics settings department up to eleven to get the best visual experience. Sure, there’s an upper streaming limit of 1080p and 60 FPS, but that’s perfectly enough to enjoy the high-end graphics of the game. You just need to have an internet with above 15 Mbps of connection speed, and you are good to go. With our 50 Mbps Internet, the stream was smooth, with very few, very brief hiccups that lead to some choppiness and image degradation, yet this hardly affected our enjoyment of the game.
Overall, Boosteroid, and cloud gaming in general, is steadily becoming our preferred method for gaming on Mac that offers an elegant and straightforward solution to all the obstacles associated with trying to run unsupported games on an Apple machine.
Helldivers 2 on Mac with Bootcamp: What Performance To Expect
Boot Camp, while an option for playing unsupported games like Helldivers 2 on Mac, comes with its share of drawbacks compared to the other methods. Firstly, Boot Camp is limited to Intel Macs, excluding newer models with Apple Silicon chips. To utilize this method, you’ll need to allocate a portion of your Mac’s storage to install Windows OS, a process that demands ample space and several hours of setup. Additionally, due to the typically modest graphics processing power of Intel-based Macs, only higher-end models may offer satisfactory performance when running the game locally. Furthermore, Intel Macs are prone to overheating during resource-intensive tasks like gaming.
In our testing on a 2018 MacBook Pro with 16 GB RAM, we did run the game at the lowest settings and resolution to get a playable framerate, but we experienced significant heat buildup and the fan running at full speed throughout gameplay. Besides, we came across mixed reviews from the gaming community, primarily stemming from concerns regarding frequent crashes, pay-to-win elements, and anti-cheat issues. Therefore, if you’re eager to Helldivers 2 on Mac using the Boot Camp method, it might be better to wait until fixes for the Windows version of the game are implemented. This cautious approach could potentially save you from encountering frustrating gameplay interruptions or unfair disadvantages associated with the current issues reported by players.
Are there other solutions to play Helldivers 2 for Mac?
When it comes to playing Windows-only games on a Mac, both Crossover and Parallels stand out as popular methods among gamers. Crossover allows users to run Windows applications directly on their Mac without needing to install a separate operating system. On the other hand, Parallels creates a virtual machine on the Mac, enabling users to run Windows alongside macOS. These methods have been relied upon by many to enjoy a wide range of games and applications that are not natively compatible with macOS. However, given that Helldivers 2 is a recent release and has encountered initial-release issues reported by fans, we are currently in the process of testing both Crossover and Parallels to determine their suitability for running the game smoothly on Mac systems.
Our testing involves evaluating factors such as stability, graphics performance, and overall gameplay experience to ensure that players can enjoy Helldivers 2 for Mac seamlessly without encountering significant obstacles or drawbacks associated with using these methods. Once the testing process is complete, and we have gathered sufficient data on the performance of Crossover and Parallels with Helldivers 2 on Mac, we will provide an informed assessment of their effectiveness for Mac users seeking to play the game on their systems.
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