Elden Ring (Mac) 

Elden Ring on Mac

Elden Ring isn’t officially available on Mac, yet eager Mac users may still have a chance to experience it on their computers through workaround options. Possible ways to get Elden Ring running on Mac is with the help of cloud gaming or via Windows emulation.

Elden Ring is one, if not the most anticipated game of 2022, and for a good reason. The developers of Elden Ring, FromSoftware, are the people behind revered gaming titles such as the Dark Souls series, Sekiro, and Bloodborne. In addition, the deeper lore, backstory, and worldbuilding of the game were largely developed by G.R.R. Martin – the author of the world-famous book series, A Song of Ice and Fire (also known as Game of Thrones).

Elden Ring’s release on February 22, 2022, was surrounded by overwhelming hype, so much so that a lot of people who have never before touched any of the Soulsborne games have decided to give a try to this latest addition to the list of titles developed by the FromSoftware studio. Now all that is left to be seen is if all that hype was deserved and justified. The game has been out for some time now and opinions on how good it actually is varies, but here is our take on the matter – hopefully, it will give you a better insight into the great, good, and not so good aspects of Elden Ring and help you decide whether it’s worth purchasing it.

A gateway into the Soulsborne universe

Many people see Elden Ring as their entry into the Soulsborne universe. The game combines all the best aspects of its predecessors and implements them masterfully. Pretty much everything that veterans of the Soulsborne series praise about those games comes returns with Elden Ring, only on a much bigger scale. For anyone who has been thinking about trying any of the FromSoftware games, now may be a great time to do that, starting with Elden Ring. However, a fair warning is in order: Elden Ring is just as difficult and as punishing as its predecessors and, no, there isn’t an easy/casual mode. In a true Soulsborne fashion, Elden Ring is a game that requires you to pay attention and actively try to improve your gaming skills in order to progress further. On its PC version, fewer than half the players who’ve tried the game thus far have managed to get through its first boss. Therefore, if you’re thinking about giving it a try, thinking that this would be an easier game to beat compared to Dark Souls, Bloodborne, or Sekiro, know that this isn’t the case. Of course, changes in some of the combat mechanics and character progression may make Elden Ring subjectively easier to some compared to the other Soulsborne games, but the opposite is just as likely. All in all, if you are new to these games, expect a tough gaming challenge ahead of you if you decide to try Elden Ring. Some players will love it, some won’t mind it, others will hate it, which is why it’s important to know what you are getting yourself into by buying Elden Ring.

On the flip side, if you are a long-time Soulsborne veteran, you will likely be pleasantly surprised by Elden Ring, as it retains all that which made Dark Souls, Sekiro, and Bloodborne great, while still being its own unique experience. There are, of course, many similarities with the previous games, but make no mistake, Elden Ring is wholly original and has tons of new content, on a scale that most players wouldn’t expect.

A world you can get lost in

Speaking of the scale of Elden Ring, the game is huge – not only does it have a very large map, but it’s a map that’s very densely “populated” with content. There’s hardly any space that’s wasted. Everywhere you go, there’s something to do, something to discover and uncover. This is the first Soulsborne game that is truly open-world, but unlike most other open-world games, you will hardly find a region or a place in the game, where that’s empty and serves on purpose. The world of Elden Ring is full of secret dungeons, caves, castles, and other areas that wait to be explored and have their secrets revealed.

Needless to say, this abundance of content in an open-world setting yields the game a lot of replayability. On average, most players would realistically take somewhere around 70 hours to complete the main plotline of the game. Doing so, however, would only show you a fraction of everything that Elden Ring has to offer in terms of content. If you only play through the main plotline once and don’t touch the game again, a lot of that content will be lost on you. Multiple replays are required to get a more accurate sense of the true scale of the game. 

Combat and new mechanics

Players who have experience with other FromSoftware games will likely feel at home with the combat system in Elden Ring. However, there are some notable changes that would prevent even experienced Dark Souls veterans from steamrolling through the enemies in Elden Ring. The combat basics are the same – you need to have pixel-perfect precision, timing and have good knowledge of the enemies’ movement patterns in order to beat them and survive. Being used to the specific types of enemies you are fighting as well as to your character’s own abilities and attacks is key to being successful. There, however, are certain differences compared to the previous games in terms of combat. For instance, a new system has been introduced that allows the player to summon friendly spectral allies that can provide substantial aid in battle. The game doesn’t force your hand to use those friendly summonses, but it’s still an option – one that a lot of players would probably end up using quite often.

Another change in the combat aspect of the game is the combat pacing or dynamics. In the previous games, you’d typically spend the majority of the battle dodging attacks and waiting for the perfect opening to strike at the enemy when they have exposed themselves. While this aspect of the combat is also present in Elden Ring, here you’d also need to find the perfect moment to heal yourself. You see, in Elden Ring, the enemies’ attack patterns and overall combat behavior are actively aimed at leaving you no breathing space. You may need to heal after taking damage, and so you retreat to what you assume is a safe spot in order to chug down a healing potion, only to get charged by the enemy and take even more damage. That is not to say that in-combat healing is not an option, but you’d need to have a very good understanding of the patterns and behavior of a given enemy to know when it’s safe to take a step back and recover before you go back to fighting. This adds an extra layer of tactics to most fights (especially boss fights) that may feel like added difficulty, but it also makes each victory feel even more earned and, therefore, satisfying.

Something else that gets added with Elden Ring is horseback combat – you can now ride into battle and swing at the enemy with your ax, sword, mace, or whatever other weapons you are wielding from the back of a horse. It’s a cool new feature that adds one more option to your arsenal and, of course, also allows for traversing the world of Elden Ring much faster.

The story premise, setting, and lore

We won’t tell you much about the story of Elden Ring in order to avoid spoilers. The overall premise of the story is that the Elden Ring has been destroyed, split into several shards called the Great Runes. The Great Runes are now held by demigods who gain immense powers through them, but also get corrupted by them. The player’s character is a Tarnished – an exile called upon to find the Great Runes, destroy those who hold them, restore the Elden Ring, and thus become the Elden Lord. Yeah, it’s as vague a premise as you’d expect from a FromSoftware game, but, then again, it’s all intentional. A big part of the fun in playing any Soulsborne game is getting to uncover and interpret the game’s story by and for yourself. That said, the game’s director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, had contacted the well-known fantasy novelist G.R.R. Martin, asking him to help with the development of the game’s lore and worldbuilding. The end result is a game that’s a bit more narratively accessible from a story perspective compared to its predecessors. That is not to say that the game’s story and lore will be spoon-fed to you, but if you’d still be able to get a general grasp of what’s going on in the Elden Ring’s world even if you don’t stop to read every scroll you find in the game.  

Imperfections

While Elden Ring received a lot of praise from critics upon its release, not all gamers were particularly satisfied by the game they got and while, in our opinion, Elden Ring is great, some of the criticisms that fans have towards the game are legitimate.

Since this is a multiplatform game, it’s not surprising that performance may differ between different platforms. In this case, the problem is with the PC version that has poor optimization that leads to frequent drops in FPS and even occasional crashes. In a game that requires you to have split-second timing and pixel-perfect accuracy, even the smallest drop in the framerate can get your character killed. It’s a frustrating issue in a game that can already be very frustrating due to its difficulty levels. Besides, the game is quite demanding as it is, and if you have a system that struggles with maintaining a good FPS count in Elden Ring, having poor optimization of the game can be that more unpleasant. Hopefully, this will change as new patches for Elden Ring get released, but as it stands now, the game is quite rough around the edges.

Another common criticism of Elden Ring is that it’s too difficult and that it has no “easy mode”. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and a lot of gamers may feel left behind due to the high difficulty barrier that this game has, but we believe that Elden Ring being as challenging as it is a part of the experience, an intended part of the game that is part of what defines it, similarly to how part of what defines chili as food is its spiciness.

Conclusion

Elden Ring is not a perfect game, and it’s not for everyone, yet it is still a very good game that has a lot of thought, effort, and talent put into its creation. It’s been made with a clear vision and confidence in what it should be, and the end result is an immersive experience with layers upon layers of engaging content to be uncovered and explored. If you are a fan of the Soulsborne series, you will almost certainly enjoy Elden Ring and if you have never played any of the previous games but are thinking of giving them a try, Elden Ring may be the perfect place to start. Again, it’s a difficult and unforgiving game that has some issues with its PC version, but if you can get past that, you will no doubt come to appreciate the scale and craftsmanship of Elden Ring.

Can you play Elden Ring on Mac?

In short, yes, you can play Elden Ring on mac. The game’s release is for Windows, as well as the current and previous generations of the PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

Unfortunately, as of now, there are no plans for native Mac support. However, since we believe that it would be quite disappointing to be unable to play the game if you have a Mac, we have a solution for that. The instructions in the next paragraphs will allow you to play Elden Ring on Mac despite the lack of Mac support.

How to play Elden Ring on Mac

To play Elden Ring on Mac, the method we’d recommend is to use the Boosteroid cloud gaming service to quickly start the game in your browser. Another possible variant to play Elden Ring on Mac is to emulate Windows and download the game’s Windows version.

Elden Ring has become available in the Boosteroid cloud gaming service, which means that you can now play the game directly in your browser, using cloud gaming technology. This method of playing Elden Ring removes the need for any complex and time-consuming workaround methods such as installing Windows on your Mac or creating a Windows virtual machine.

Elden Ring Set Up Methods

To get Elden Ring on Mac:

First, you will need to purchase the game. Limited time offer on CD.Keys.com for a discount – 22 % Elden Ring for $ 53.79

Now you will need to register for Boosteroid. This allows you to add Elden Ring to their Cloud Gaming Library. Once uploaded you can seamlessly play the game from your Mac, TV, or Mobile Device.

When Registered you will have additional access to more games for free. Pricing varies depending on the subscription plan.

Elden Ring with Boosteroid

1. Go to Boosteroid.com in your browser and create a new account with your email (signing up with Google is also a variant, but, in our experience, this option doesn’t always seem to work).
   
2. Enter your Boosteroid account, search for the Elden Ring game, and then click the Install & Play button. After that, you will be transported to a loading screen where you will install the game in a virtual machine supplied for you by Boosteroid. Click “Next” and “Accept” where it is needed. Nothing will be installed on your computer – this is just for the virtual machine.
   
   

1. Click the Subscribe button when a subscription prompt appears and choose a payment plan and payment method. Then enter the required payment details to complete your Boosteroid subscription.
   
2. Back on the Elden Ring page on the Boosteroid site, click the Play button again, and confirm that you are okay with connecting to your Steam account.
   
3. After the installation is complete, you will be transported to a virtual instance of the platform you chose. The important thing to note is that you will need to navigate to your game Library and choose Elden Ring. The game will then start on the same screen.

How to download Elden Ring on Mac

To download Elden Ring on Mac, you will either need to install Windows on your Mac using Boot Camp Assistant or create a Windows virtual machine using Parallels. Once you have Windows/ a Windows VM, you’d be able to download Elden Ring on your Mac.

In the next lines, you will be provided with quick instructions on installing Windows with Boot Camp and creating a Windows VM with Parallels. Below the quick instructions, you will also find links to detailed guides on both methods of emulating Windows on a Mac. Note that the Boot Camp method is not available for M1 Macs, because the M1 chips’ ARM architecture isn’t compatible with Windows.

The two methods are quite different and would yield different gaming performance results depending on what Mac they are used on. In general, the Parallels method is recommended for more powerful Macs with lots of RAM and CPU cores, and it is the only option for M1 Macs. The Boot Camp method is recommended for Intel Macs that don’t have as much RAM and as many CPU cores. In both cases, however, the Mac would need to meet the system requirements for the game, or else you wouldn’t be able to run it.

Creating a Parallels VM

1. Get the Parallels program from its official site and install it on your Mac.
2. Install Parallels on your computer by running the .dmg file and following the directions on the screen.
3. Once Parallels has been installed, open it and select the “Install Windows” option to begin the process of creating a Windows VM.
4. Create a Parallels profile or sign in to the virtual machine using one of the other available sign-up options.
5. Once you enter the VM, download the Steam or the Epic Games client and use it to install the game on the virtual machine.

If you need more in-depth steps for Parallels with screenshots , check out our Full Parallels Guide for solutions.

Detailed Guide for creating a Parallels VM on Mac

Installing Windows with Boot Camp

1. Begin by downloading a Windows 10 installation file (64-bit) from this Microsoft page.
2. After the file downloads, open Boot Camp Assistant (it’s in the Utilities folder) and the load the file into it. Make any necessary adjustments to the distribution of storage space between the two partitions.
3. Launch the installation, follow the prompts after your Mac restarts, and install Windows 10.
4. Set up Windows 10 by customizing its settings and creating a Windows account, and then enter Windows 10.
5. Use the Boot Camp window that’s already open to install Apple drivers for Windows 10, connect to the Internet, and download and install Elden Ring.

Detailed Guide for installing Windows 10 using Boot Camp

Elden Ring on Mac M1

To play Elden Ring on Mac M1, our advice is to try using the Boosteroid cloud gaming service that will enable you to play the game without even downloading it. The other option for playing Elden Ring on Mac M1 is to use Parallels.

Now that cloud gaming has become an option for Elden Ring, creating a virtual machine for Windows 11 using Parallels and then downloading the game in the VM is no longer the only way of playing this game on an M1 Mac. However, if you want to have the game downloaded and installed on your M1 Mac, Parallels remains the only way of doing that. As mentioned earlier, Boot Camp Assistant only works on Intel-based Macs, so there’s no way of actually installing Windows on your Mac. On the flip side, Parallels VMs work on both Intel and M1 Macs, providing a viable alternative to the Boot Camp method. However, note that to run Elden Ring through a Parallels VM, the Mac you are using would need to meet the recommended system requirements for the game, and not only the minimum ones. This is because the VM cannot use all of Mac’s CPU cores and RAM, as some of those resources would need to be left for macOS. Check the system requirements for Elden Ring that we’ve posted above to see if your Mac is up to the task of running this game through a Parallels virtual machine. Again, we still consider the cloud gaming variant to be a much better option for running this highly demanding game on a Mac (M1 or Intel-based).

How to play Elden Ring on Android?

To play Elden Ring on Android, you can use the Boosteroid game streaming service. An alternative way of playing Elden Ring on Android is to stream the game from your own PC, but note that the PC must meet Elden Ring’s system requirements.

Just as you can play Elden Ring on Mac with the help of Boosteroid, so can you use this service to stream Elden Ring to an Android device. Boosteroid has a dedicated Android app that you can download from the Google Play Store and use to play any of the games available in the service’s library. Here is how you can use Boosteroid for Android to play Elden Ring on your Android smartphone or tablet:

Play Elden Ring on Android via Boosteroid

1. Visit Boosteroid.com, get registered, then go to the Play Store app on your smartphone and download the Boosteroid app from there.
2. Open the app, log in with your account’s details, and, if you aren’t already subscribed to Boosteroid, tap the profile icon in the bottom-right.
   
3. Select Subscribe, then proceed to pick a subscription plan and to provide your payment details in order to start your Boosteroid subscription.
4. After that, tap the Search icon shown at the bottom in the Boosteroid app, type Elden Ring, and tap on the game.
   
5. Now tap Play, then tap OK, and wait for Boosteroid to load the game.
   
6. You will first be asked to log in to your Steam account before you could start playing. Tap the keyboard icon in the top-left to get a keyboard on your screen and use that to type in your Steam logins.
7. Once you log in to Steam, Elden Ring will start. If you don’t have a controller connected to your phone, you can get on-screen touch controls for the game by tapping the controller icon from the top-left.

Play Elden Ring on Android by streaming it from your PC

As mentioned earlier, it is also possible to use your own Windows computer to stream Elden Ring to an Android device, but there are two important conditions that must be met:

• The PC must be able to run the game and the game must already be installed on it.
• The computer and the Android device must remain connected to the same network during the streaming.

There are different PC-streaming apps that you can use to stream Elden Ring from a PC to an Android device. Three of those apps are Steam Link, Moonlight, and AMD Link.

Steam Link – This app only allows you to stream the Steam version of Elden Ring. To use it, start Steam on your PC and log in, then open the Steam Link app on the Android device, pair it with your computer, and then connect to the PC to get a Steam interface on your phone and to start playing.

Moonlight – This app only allows streaming from PCs that have Nvidia GPUs. To use it, first register on Nvidia’s site, download and install the GeForce Experience app on your PC, and, in it, go to Settings > Shield and enable the Gamestream option. Then open the Moonlight app on your Android device, pair the device with your PC, and start the connection. To begin streaming the game, on your Android device, tap on Steam, navigate to your games’ library, and start Elden Ring from there.

AMD Link – Steaming through AMD Link only works with PCs that have AMD Radeon video cards. To stream using AMD Link, go to the AMD Radeon Settings app on your PC, open AMD Link, enable AMD Link Server, and select Add Device. Then, on the Android phone/tablet, open the AMD Link app, tap QR Scan, and scan the QR code shown on the PC screen. After that, on the PC, click on Gaming, and find and select Elden Ring from the list to begin streaming it.