By Ric Molina from Mac Gamer HQ
They say the summer months are quiet when it comes to new releases, but this August was the busiest month so far this year. I know, I tend to easily get excited when it comes to new Mac games, but just look at the list below!
Plus, keep in mind that I take my “curator” job very seriously and only highlight the most noteworthy and exciting releases (I counted over 170 new games for Mac on Steam released last month).
And so to prevent you missing the few good games from the not so good ones, here are the 16 most exciting new Mac games from August 2017.
XCOM 2: War of the Chosen
Barely a few days later than the Windows release, Feral released War of the Chosen for Mac, XCOM 2’s latest and most ambitious DLC so far. In fact, many claim this to be the ultimate XCOM experience.
War of the Whosen is packed full of new enemies, factions, missions, environments and more depth. And more importantly, it introduces The Chosen, the most dangerous enemies XCOM has ever seen. You can read all about it here or download it from Steam.
ARK: Survival Evolved
ARK: Survival Evolved is an incredible first-person survival game that lets you can gather resources, craft weapons, build a fortress, tame dinosaurs and much more. Taking place in a huge island habited by other human players, this game feels like an MMO disguised as a shooter.
After many years in Steam Early Access, the game is now out and ready to shine. Controversies aside (such as releasing paid DLC when the game was still in Early Access beta), this game has grown to become quite an achievement. You can download it from Steam.
F1 2017
Feral Interactive surprised us with F1 2016 a few months ago. It was nice to get a Formula 1 game after so long ( the last one being F1 2013), but they truly outdid themselves with the release of F1 2017 for Mac on the same day as the Windows version.
Along with stunning locations, a huge career mode, and new game modes, this is the most complete F1 experience to come to macOS, with all the drivers, teams, circuits and cars from the real-world F1 2017 season. You can read all about it here or download it from Steam.
BioShock Remastered
To celebrate the original game’s 10th anniversary, Feral Interactive releases BioShock Remastered. Along with the original’s sublime atmosphere and solid gameplay, BioShock Remastered features improved graphics going all the way to 5K resolutions.
Originally developed by Irrational Games, BioShock is a now classic FPS set in the decaying underwater city of Rapture. You can read all about it here or download it from the Mac App Store.
Sudden Strike 4
After almost a decade since a proper sequel, Sudden Strike is back and supports Mac for the first time. And it comes to macOS on the same day as on Windows!
Featuring three extensive campaigns set in World War II, Sudden Strike 4 is a real-time strategy game that puts you at the helm of over 100 different units. It also features bigger battlefields, more units, better graphics, new scenarios and legendary commanders with unique abilities. You can read all about it here or download it from the Mac App Store.
Pyre
Pyre is the latest indie hit from Supergiant Games. Supergiant may ring a bell and that’s because they’re the team behind Bastion and Transistor, two world-class games. Expectations surrounding their third game were obviously high, but they delivered.
In Pyre, your character was banished from civilization and the only way to come back is to win competitive matches in sacred courts. What sounds like a fantasy game feels more like a sports game, terrific party-based sports game to be exact. You can read all about it here or download it from Steam.
Slime Rancher
After a time on Steam’s Early Access program, Slime Ranger is now available on Mac. This is a really fun and original game about a rancher that makes a living wrangling slimes. The rancher can accomplish that through a combination of canons, vacuums, and more.
The game’s premise may sound weird, but with over 10,000 overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam, you can rest assured Slime Rancher is lots of fun. You can read all about it here or download it from Steam.
The Long Dark
The Long Dark is an exploration-survival experience that challenges players as they explore a frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a natural disaster.
I personally tested The Long Dark a few months ago and found it to be a promising and beautiful game. You could sense the game could be so much fun if there was more to actually do.
The game is now out of Early Access and seeing everything the full game features (especially that five-episode story mode), I can honestly recommend it to anyone now. You can download it from Steam.
Tacoma
Tacoma is finally available and we were lucky enough to get it on Mac on the same day as the Windows version.
Set in a deserted space station, Tacoma tells the story of what happened there and where everyone went. And just like Gone Home, Fullbright Studio’s first indie hit, Tacoma is clearly a narrative-focused game, but you can expect an engaging and fascinating story. Some called it Gone Home in Space, but Tacoma is much more than that. You can download it from Steam.
Batman: The Enemy Within
Setting aside the fact Mac users never got to play Batman: The Telltale Series, I’m excited to see that the sequel was released for Mac and on the same day as on Windows.
From Telltale Games, creators of some of the most engaging adventure games out there, comes Batman: The Enemy Within, a tale full of hard choices and consequences the Dark Knight will have to endure. The first episode is now out, with the second one to follow in a few months. You can download it from Steam.
For the rest of the games, check out this post.
