Best Strategy Games for Mac

StarCraft II

“Starcraft 2” (originally Starcraft 2 Wings of Liberty, nowadays “Legacy of the Void”) is a frenetic real-time strategy fest in which multitasking meets large-scale alien warfare. The game lets you pick between 3 starkly different factions – the adaptable Terrans, the overwhelming Zerg, and the technologically advanced Protoss – and somehow retains a razor-sharp balance. Each faction has a distinct play style and strategic depth, but none has the upper hand so the end result is always determined by one’s skill. 

The gameplay is very fast-paced for a strategy title – rapid decision-making and precise unit control are key ingredients to victory. This starkly contrasts with modern strategy titles which take a slower-paced approach that focuses more on macro management.

Starcraft 2 is so popular in the multiplayer RTS circles that people often forget that it actually has a pretty epic story. It’s a compelling narrative across a trilogy of campaigns that handles themes of prophecy, betrayal, and redemption. And yes, it does sometimes trip over its own grandiosity with a penchant for space opera clichés, but a bit of corny every now and then is okay.

Game	Starcraft II
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS
Genre	Strategy, RTS, Action, Sci-fi
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes (plenty of fan-made maps and game mods)
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	(Offers considerable value, with the base game (Wings of Liberty) being free-to-play, and expansions available for purchase)

But the real brilliance of SC2 is in the multiplayer arena. The meticulously balanced gameplay encourages a dynamic meta that evolves all the time. Just note that the multiplayer in this game is unforgiving and you’ll probably spend a long time learning how to face real players before you start scoring wins.

Starcraft 2 has many advantages that we can’t list in such a brief review. The game captivates with a complex interplay of tactics so that each skirmish is both a cerebral challenge and a test of dexterity. It’s not just about building armies but about crafting victory one meticulous step at a time.

Age of Empires IV

Age of Empires 4 revives the classic RTS series with a welcome polish and it once again mixes historical gravitas with compelling, hands-on warfare. We can loudly proclaim it as one of the best strategy games for Mac just for its pedigree alone. But the game doesn’t just splash old wine in new barrels – it vintages it. The civilizations aren’t just reskins like the AoE2 factions but functionally diverse entities with unique mechanics and units. Varied tactical approaches are encouraged now more than ever and there aren’t any one-size-fits-all strategies.

The gameplay is intricate but intuitive and it respects the player’s intelligence. The game demands that you juggle economy, technology, and military might with the finesse of a Renaissance juggler at a royal court (but with more arrow volleys and less applause). One thing we really liked in AoE4’s gameplay is how terrain plays a much bigger role – it will affect the movement of your troop, provide defensive advantages, or put you in an unfavorable position if you aren’t careful.

Game	Age of Empires IV
macOS support	No
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid, GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud, Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, Xbox One/Series X/S
Genre	RTS, Strategy, War
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes (Plenty of official mods available)
Performance on Mac (local workaround methods)	(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 narrative-driven campaigns are rich in historical flavor (as you’d expect) and do more than parade characters across battlefields. Each campaign educates and entertains – there are even mini-documentaries that deepen the context and enrich the player’s engagement with the epoch.

Our conclusion about AoE4 is that it is a worthy continuation of a great series. It feels a lot like AoE2 in all the right ways, but it never comes off as a rebrand. The game stands on its two feet and has much to offer to both AoE veterans and people who’ve never played an RTS in their lives.

Civilization VI

Civilization VI offers a buffet of empire-building that evolves from past iterations with its “district” system. The new system forces you to think geographically since now cities can spread across multiple tiles. To some players, this could feel like an unnecessary complication in an already complex title, but we think it fits perfectly with the genre and feel of the Civilization franchise.

Its predecessors allowed you to pile all wonders and buildings into one hexagon, but Civ VI wants you to strategize spatially – choosing between a farm or a university for your city’s next tile. Combined with the other familiar aspects of a 4DX game (economy, politics, education, resources, etc.) gameplay spirals into complex decisions from simple beginnings. You may start with a lonely settler but you can end up with a sprawling civilization.

Game	Civilization VI
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android
Genre	Strategy, Turn-based Strategy, 4X
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes
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 multiplayer brings out the Machiavellian in friends, with diplomacy that turns more knives than a circus act. Every session inevitably transforms into a dynamic flow of alliances and betrayals which is only heightened by the addition of cooperative and competitive modes that cater to various player strategies. The game runs a bit long for our liking but its depth of mechanics keeps the board interesting.

Civilization VI turns history into a playground, where foresight and cunning are your most important tools. Be sure to give it a try if you can think a millennium ahead and don’t mind multiple-hour sessions.

Company of Heroes 3

Company of Heroes 3 is a military strategy title with a pronounced focus on moment-to-moment tactics. The game isn’t about just slapping tanks on a map and shouting “charge’. Its “Full Tactical Pause” feature marries its real-time strategy roots with turn-based thoughtfulness. This gives even the most frantic gamer a moment to ponder their next disastrous move. 

Game	Company of Heroes 3
macOS support	No
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid, Boot Camp
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Genre	RTS, Strategy, Wargame, Tactical Warfare
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	No
Performance on Mac (local workaround methods)	(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 gameplay in CoH3 bristles with both expansive campaigns and minutely detailed skirmishes. Like in previous Company of Heroes titles, this one focuses on resource management and positional tactics over mere troop spamming. This focus is ratcheted up further once we get to the multiplayer scene. Although many people weren’t impressed by the multiplayer when the game first launched, it has been polished over the years. The multiplayer is now well-balanced and it provides a good variety of battlegrounds. Maps are richly varied and demand adaptive strategies – think fighting through narrow Italian villages or wide North African deserts. The only gripe we have with it is that there’s still no ranked matchmaking, but we don’t see this as such a huge problem.

Company of Heroes 3 had a shaky start and many people criticized it for various things, but right now it’s a very enjoyable tactical RTS. If you enjoy strategies that focus more on micro-management and less on the macro, you owe it to yourself to try this one.

Crusader Kings III

“Crusader Kings 3” isn’t just a strategy game but a medieval soap opera simulator where you manage a dynasty rather than a country. This makes the game a unique blend of personal drama and grand strategy which you won’t find in many other titles. 

The gameplay in CK3 focuses on managing your royal house which mostly happens through intrigue, arranged marriages, backstabbing, and occasional warfare. You’ll be plotting both on the battlefield and at banquets, all to ensure your lineage thrives across the tumultuous centuries.

Game	Crusader Kings III
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid, GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Genre	Strategy, Medieval, Simulation, Grand Strategy
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes (Extensive, with official support for mods)
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 thing that makes Crusader Kings 3 is the way it thrusts you into the velvet slippers of a ruling family. This means you’ll have to deal with more than just warfare and resource management. You’ll also have to manipulate political, marital, and even religious levers to maintain your grip on power. 

The game’s graphics elegantly support its particular playstyle. Most of your playtime will be spent at a clean, detailed map that makes medieval Europe’s chaotic geopolitics somewhat easier to navigate. We also liked how the character portraits evolve with time to reflect their aging, stress, and the weight of royal responsibilities.

CK3 is a deep and complex game and this can be daunting to newcomers, but the visual and narrative complexity makes it a compelling court of strategic machinations.

Empire Total War

Total War: Empire yanks the historical strategy genre into the Age of Enlightenment, where it puts under your command not just armies but entire nations during the 18th century. The game is a blend of full-scale warfare and intricate political management. Its dual-layered gameplay is what sets it apart from other strategies. The game has a turn-based empire management stage, where you juggle diplomacy, economics, and the occasional regicide on a sprawling global map. And then there’s the RTS-focused part with real-time epic battles on land and sea, making it one of the best strategy games for Mac.

Game	Empire Total War
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid, GeForce Now, Xbox Cloud
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS, Linux
Genre	Strategy, Turn-based Strategy
Multiplayer	No (Works with a Mod. The community is very low in numbers, if you can find players, you can play multiplayer)
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	(It’s an old game, and there aren’t many people playing it)
Replay Value
Price/Value ratio

The game plays like a grand chess match with muskets, cannons, and ships. You’ll plan your moves on a beautifully rendered map. There you’ll plot your next expansion or revolution and then zoom into visually stunning battlefields to manually direct your troops in real-time. It’s in those moments that the game’s graphics shine particularly. Although the game’s over a decade old, its detailed units and environments still manage to bring gritty realism to the smoke-filled conflicts.

The Total War series has always been a staple of the strategy genre and it’s filled with many worthwhile titles, but Empire is the one we like the best despite being an older game. So the combination of Grand Strategy turn-based gameplay and real-time epic battles but have never played this game, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Hearts of Iron IV

Hearts of Iron IV plunges into the tumultuous waters of World War II with the precision of a submarine homing in on a battleship. It’s a grand strategy game where you must micromanage military divisions, factories, and national policies to eke out Axis or Allied victories. But what hooked us in this game is how it’s both grounded in historical realism, yet it lets you alter history. Imagine France turning fascist or the USA joining the Axis.

The gameplay is a dense web of strategic decisions, where you’ll have to manage production lines and strategically deploy battalions along your front lines. Even small choices will affect your war effort on a global scale. Hearts of Iron IV is primarily a Grand Strategy game, where you control everything from a big map, but unlike other Grand Strategy titles, it’s not turn-based. Instead, everything happens in real-time, but you have the option to pause whenever you feel like you need more time to decide your next move.

Game	Hearts of Iron IV
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid, GeForce Now
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS, Linux
Genre	Strategy, Grand Strategy, World War II
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes (Official supported mods)
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 graphics in this game are clean and functional. They are detailed enough to keep you in the commander’s seat without overwhelming you. The focus is on maps and unit icons that communicate complex information efficiently.

HoI IV is fun in single-player but even more so when played with other people. The multiplayer turns these strategic skirmishes into frenzied diplomatic poker games, where players will align, betray, and outwit each other in real-time. The game offers a profound, if occasionally daunting, sandbox for history buffs and strategists alike.

Offworld Trading Company

Offworld Trading Company ditches the typical real-time strategy game’s arsenal of tanks and soldiers and swaps them with stocks and commodities. Here, economic sabotage trumps military might and shows that there’s more than one way to skin a Martian. This game is a cutthroat race in economic warfare that takes place on the Martian surface. You’ll be competing to dominate the market rather than destroy bases. You’re not just mining resources like in other strategy games. Instead, your job is to manipulate the market: buying low, selling high, and maybe crashing the price of aluminum just as your rival ramps up production.

The gameplay isn’t about fighting but about strategic resource management and market manipulation. You must decide quickly which resources to mine and sell, which decision should be based on the market fluctuations driven by all players’ actions.

Game	Offworld Trading Company
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	GeForce Now
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS
Genre	Strategy, Atmospheric, 3D, Sci-fi
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes
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 graphics are sleek and functional, with a clean interface that makes complex data digestible. Yes, it doesn’t have the prettiest visuals since it’s not a very new game, but we like that it lets you quickly access the information you need without cluttering your screen with a ton of boxes and buttons. And let’s be honest, Mac devices are still better off trading visuals for performance, so this isn’t such a bad thing. It actually makes a case for Offworld Trading Company as one of the best RTS games for Mac. 

The multiplayer brings the gameplay dynamics to a head. It’s much more fun to play Offworld Trading Company with live opponents that replace the predictable AI. This turns every match into a frenetic dance of supply, demand, and backstabbing. 

Offworld Trading Company is a neat twist on the RTS genre but it’s not for everyone. If you like strategies because of their epic battles, then this title may not be ideal for you. But if you are someone willing to try something new and different from the established genre conventions, you may want to give this one a try.

XCOM 2

XCOM 2 kicks off where most games fear to tread: your team already lost the war. Aliens are now running Earth, and your job is to boot the buggers out with tactics, stealth, and just a dose of RNG luck. Unlike its genre siblings that let you amble up to victory, XCOM 2 turns up the pressure by putting you on a tight turn-based deadline to make each decision count. It’s an unforgiving game, where you will be battling both your alien enemies but also your bad luck.

The core of its gameplay is a turn-based tactical combat where every soldier’s move can tip the scales. Familiarity with your squad’s abilities and the various enemy types is essential, but you must also take into account that each move is essentially a dice-roll. This means that even if your best shot has a 98% of hitting the enemy from a point-blank range, there’s still a 2% chance that they’ll miss that shot, so you must always have a plan B (and C and D).

Game	XCOM 2
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
Genre	Strategy, Turn-based Strategy, Sci-fi
Multiplayer	No
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes
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

You command a squad of customizable troops through various missions with the option to upgrade their gear and abilities in-between missions. While you aren’t busy completing another mission, you’ll be managing a mobile base of operations in an attempt to ignite global resistance.

The story in XCOM2 stitches the separate missions into a gripping narrative of resistance and resilience so that every battle feels critical to the larger war effort. Despite the game’s punishing gameplay and use of RNG, the sheer sense of high stakes at every point in the narrative makes you come back for more.

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak

Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak strips the space opera of its usual celestial stage and plunks the strategic scuffle firmly in the sands of a single planet. The replacement of the void of space with arid dunes is more than a cosmetic change but something that significantly alters the tactical gameplay. 

The game’s a prequel to the venerable Homeworld series and so it focuses on ground-based RTS mechanics. Positioning and line of sight take precedence here thanks to the rolling dunes and steep cliffs of Kharak’s landscape.

Game	Homeworld Deserts of Kharak
macOS support	Yes
Alternative methods to play on Mac	Boosteroid
Platforms and operational systems	Windows, macOS (For older Macs-Ignore the 32-bit warning in Steam, and try for yourself)
Genre	RTS, Strategy, Sci-fi
Multiplayer	Yes
Single-Player	Yes
Modding support	Yes
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

You command a fleet of land and air units that are centered around your massive carrier. The carrier functions as your mobile base and powerhouse, so you must protect it at all costs. Movement across the map isn’t just about confronting enemies (though there’s plenty of that too) but navigating tricky terrain which can shield but also expose you.

The story in Deserts of Kharak serves as a prequel to the other Homeworld games. If you’ve never played them this won’t mean much to you, but if you did, knowing what follows adds a lot of flavour and drives home the desperation of a civilization on the brink of doom.

Deserts of Kharak is a well-made RTS that manages to distinguish itself enough from other titles in the genre with its clever use of terrain, well-designed aircraft combat, and unique look. If you like sci-fi RTS games for mac but want something that doesn’t play like a Starcraft 2 rebrand, then Deserts of Kharak should be right up your alley.

Notable Mentions

Like others of our lists on Macresearch, we always feel guilty for leaving out good games. Thesee gems deserve a mention as well, even if we don’t fell they make the cut for best strategy games for mac:

• Anno 1800
• Company of Heroes 2
• Civilization v
• Cities Skylines
• Endless Legend
• Frostpunk
• Into the Breach
• Humankind

You know what, we can keep going on. Maybe we should just expand the list.