Best Hidden Object Games for Mac

I’m on Observation Duty 6

I’m on Observation Duty 6’s name sounds like some voyeur’s dream. Normally I wouldn’t even read more about it, but I honestly put it up here as a standout in the horror puzzle genre. Out of all of them, this one made the most impression on me, probably because of my penchant for suspense.

The genre is stale as far as gameplay elements go, so it’s pretty difficult to make something that differentiates from the rest. Here you monitor live security footage in various eerie backgrounds and try to spot anomalies such as moving objects or ghostly figures. This then escalates into a boiling pot where you have to report the abnormalities fast or they will overwhelm you. The most enjoyable aspect for me – the game’s twist to keep it fresh – is the randomized anomaly occurrences which keep you out of the monotone.

Game	I’m on Observation Duty 6
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS, Linux
Genre	Hidden Object, Puzzle, Psychological Horror
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No
Performance on Mac	(The game runs well even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

The general feeling is enhanced by what I would call a minimalist interface. This is by design – you are supposed to spot differences in the feeds, and a bloated UI won’t help, so the creators ensure you can focus on what’s important. Which is scanning every frame of the surveillance for changes. 

It’s also worth noting the obvious: this is the sixth game in the series, so quite a lot of iteration went into the game design. I briefly explored the fifth game to see whether it’s the same thing. What stood out to me is that they added more environments and anomalies in this one for variety and depth.

The Room

The Room is “the” masterclass in the genre according to most people. I’ve heard the term “tactile puzzle” thrown around, which is mostly to say it has intricately designed mechanical puzzles. It also has a bit of atmospheric storytelling. But don’t think I’m underplaying its significance – if you don’t like this one, you probably don’t like the genre.

Game	The Room
macOS support	No
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
Genre	Hidden Object, Puzzle, Mystery, Point and Click
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No
Performance on Mac (local workaround methods)	(The game runs great even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

The gameplay involves solving a series of interconnected puzzles. They become increasingly more complex by what’s called “staging”, which is to say, the game teaches you a change then employs it more. Unlike typical puzzle games, most objects in The Room can be manipulated and examined, so puzzles demand not just logic but also observation. 

Storywise, The Room is pretty sparse, offering cryptic letters and secrets about an ancient artifact. This is complemented by the sound design which is essential in this case or the mysterious slow burn wouldn’t work at all.

Midnight Mysteries

In five words: historical fiction and supernatural intrigue. You probably got a lot out of this sentence. Let’s expand. You are thrust into the shoes of a detective, solving paranormal mysteries that involve famous historical figures. The premise could work for a good story, actually, but I feel the game doesn’t do enough with it aside from adding a bit of exotic flavor. For example, it adds ghostly twists to real events and I certainly felt curious to learn more each time, but then the gameplay is very… separated from the narrative. Like these are 2 different games.

Game	Midnight Mysteries
macOS support	No or INTEL ONLY Macs
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows
Genre	Hidden Object, Puzzle, Adventure
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No
Performance on Mac (local workaround methods)	(The game runs great even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

Gameplay revolves around searching for clues in illustrated scenes, where the items needed to progress are hidden. The puzzles vary in difficulty and find a good balance in keeping you engaged just enough not to get bored. Midnight Mysteries also adds mini-games and logic puzzles as a form of break from the core loop.

June’s Journey

Continuing with the historical theme from the previous entry in the list, June’s Journey presents a 1920s Gatsby-style setting. June Parker unravels family secrets and solves a murder mystery. June Parker apparently needs to search every inch of a scene to progress. 

The visuals are my standout here: let’s say period-accurate. The developers went overboard by deciding to double down on this, make everything as detailed as possible, and even have you decorate and renovate June’s island estate.

Game	June’s Journey
macOS support	No
Alternative methods to play on Mac	N/A
Platforms and operational systems	iOS, Android
Genre	Hidden Object, Puzzle, Adventure
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No
Performance on Mac (local workaround methods)	N/A
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

The story itself is told in episodes which always has me on guard for mobile-first games: I’m always wary of a “pay to progress further” scheme. The narrative certainly feels fresh, though. Overall, June’s Journey offers a unique if slightly bloated blend of sims style building, Agatha Christie wannabe story, and an interesting setting. My personal 2 cents is if you like the aesthetics and just want to try something different, if not necessarily better, this is a good choice.

Mystery Manor

As the name suggests, Mystery Manor is set in a single building, so don’t look for varying landscapes here. You are in the titular mansion to uncover its secrets, and the game goes for a spooky cookie vibe by having you interact with quirky characters. This one goes all in on a Halloween Special kind of feeling.

Gameplay is standard fare searches in rooms. The puzzles range from straightforward to devilishly tricky and sometimes the difficulty spike felt quite abrupt for me. Considering the repetitiveness, it’s good that Mystery Manor also includes various mini-games and quests that break up the hidden object routine and add variety.

Game	Mystery Manor
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows macOS, iOS, Android
Genre	Hidden Object, Puzzle, Adventure
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No
Performance on Mac	(The game runs well on higher-end Macs. It can also run on older and weaker ones, but only if you use the lowest settings)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

The story unfolds around an enigmatic Mr. X and the mansion’s many mysteries. Other than that though, I’d say it’s pretty empty. It’s one of those games you should pick up for a few minutes then shut off without a thought, then start up again whenever you feel like, and you won’t lose anything in context. It’s just solidly made enough to be polished and stand out that way.

Nancy Drew Games

The Nancy Drew Games – adventure plus puzzle-solving and detective work. I chose to focus on the entire series instead of one game like “I’m on Observation Duty 6” at the beginning because the Nancy Drew Games are all the same if you try them. In each, you play as Nancy Drew. It consists of a standalone mystery, often inspired by the classic novels of the same name. 

Gameplay involves exploring environments to collect clues and solve logic or mechanical puzzles.

Game	Nancy Drew Games
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Parallels, Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS X (NOTE: Will NOT run on Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, or higher Mac operating systems)
Genre	Hidden Object, Puzzle, Adventure
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No
Performance on Mac	(The game runs great even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

The biggest features in my opinion are the dialogue trees and decision-making, ranging into RPG territory to add layers to the investigative process. All of the other game elements aren’t very noteworthy, but this alone makes the storytelling punch above its weight (Nancy Drew is like Scooby Doo in the past). With added actual voice acting and stylized 3d models, and you’ve got a breath of engaging fresh air rarely seen in similar games. I personally liked how the music complements the rest as well.

I would’ve placed the series higher, but you’ll notice all the bottom half of this list consists of series. I believe in single games as gems.

Grim Tales Series

Each installment of The Grim Tales series places you in the role of detective extraordinaire Anna Gray who dabbles in supernatural cases. A noteworthy twist is that the mysteries often involve time travel and spectral encounters, which spices up things compared to most other of the best hidden object games on this list. There are also interactive scenes, although not on the level of the Nancy Drew games.

Game	Grim Tales Series
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS X (Intel Only)
Genre	Hidden Object, Puzzle, Adventure
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No
Performance on Mac	(The game runs great even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

Full disclosure: there’s a lot of family drama involved in this series. If this isn’t your thing, skip it, but the series is good (for Hidden Room stuff). The storylines consistently concern themselves with the Gray family’s haunted past. The gameplay is what you’d expect from a hidden object game and didn’t really stand out much for me. Puzzle difficulty was at times overly simple, at others I got stuck, and I didn’t understand why. This difficulty curve isn’t for everyone if you just want to take your time leisurely.

Hidden Expedition Series

The Hidden Expedition series carves a niche in the hidden object genre by introducing some educational undertones – my presumption is this is for younger users. In each game, you carry out an expedition (duh) in exotic locales based on real-world geography and history. The puzzles in the game often integrate elements of the locations you explore and the stories all concern themselves with a historical artifact or mystery. Again, I think this is primarily for younger users – I don’t think this will give you much if you are already a history buff. But for someone who’s only now getting into the cultures on display, you can find out neat stuff.

Game	Hidden Expedition Series
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Genre	Hidden Object, Puzzle, Adventure
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No
Performance on Mac	(The game runs great even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

The puzzles themselves are a mixed bag, though. I thought the series didn’t do a good enough job with the gameplay, which didn’t feel intuitive enough to carry the whole experience forward. On the contrary, the gimmick here appears to be the educational twist. The rest is very simplified.

Enigmatis Series

The Enigmatis series is another entry in the supernatural detective niche Hidden object games are obsessed with. Above and beyond the rest, this series fuses horror themes and detective work throughout dark and quite atmospheric settings. The artwork is good compared to standard puzzle games, in my opinion. The rest is filled with big marketing words like “sinister secrets” and “solve a central mystery” but they don’t amount to much excitement when actually playing, so don’t rely on them. The series does take the detective theme seriously, though. One standout feature is a detective’s board, where you piece together clues to advance the story.

Game	Enigmatis Series
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Genre	Hidden Object, Puzzle, Adventure
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No
Performance on Mac	(The game runs great even on older and weaker Macs)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

The narrative of the series isn’t very good for newcomers, and honestly doesn’t have very good plot progression overall. The story revolves around a recurring battle against the forces of a dark preacher and his minions. But since it’s all connected, and the series needs this central antagonist, you kind of go on fighting him indefinitely. Other series provide one-off stories with definitive ends; this one doesn’t.

Haunted Hotel Series

The Haunted Hotel series plunges you into a new haunted hotel in each game, again, as is par for the course, with supernatural themes. The storylines involve ghostly apparitions, disappearances… look, you get it. This is another series that thrives on the Halloween spirit. The only thing that makes the series stand out is its consistency in adding all standard cookie-cutter things the genre is known for. And it does it in a solid way, like a checklist. Atmospheric graphics. Eerie soundtrack. Vanilla gameplay puzzles. There’s even voice acting.

Game	Haunted Hotel Series
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS, iOS
Genre	Hidden Object, Puzzle, Adventure
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No
Performance on Mac	(The game runs well on higher-end Macs. It can also run on older and weaker ones, but only if you use the lowest settings)
Graphics
Gameplay
Story
Soundtrack and Audio
Community and Support
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

There’s also an overarching narrative if you play multiple of the games, so apparently someone cares about progression. But the series is boggled by its “Haunted Hotel” premise and can’t escape it by design. If you grow bored with one of the games, the next one will be more of the same.

Notable Mentions

None of out lists will be finished without mentioning a few other special entrants. They don’t have the same fanfare as the other properly listed titles (or series), but they deserve a little space of their own.

• Dream Chronicles
• Dark Parables 
• Lily’s Garden

We hope the list can sate your curiosity – but if it doesn’t, check out some of the others in our categories. We’re sure we’ll find a proper release for you.