Saturday, November 27, 2010

The Best Online Sources For Free Mac Games [Mac]

The Best Online Sources For Free Mac Games [Mac]: "

free mac gamesThe life of a Mac gamer can be a hard one. Most Apple computers have nice displays and a graphics card capable of handling at least basic 3D titles. Unfortunately, the relative lack of visible and publicized Mac games can be a downer.

But don’t despair – there are free games available for the Mac, and some of them are extremely good. You just need to dig a little deeper in order to find them. Today we’re going to help you find those free Mac games.

Apple

free mac games

Before we venture off into the wilds of the web, let’s first talk about a source that is skipped with surprising frequency – Apple itself.

Yes, Apple has a games page on its website, and it’s full of free games. It’s important to note that in this case “free” often means “demo” – but that’s not always true. Some of the games on the Apple website are truly freeware, and a handful are older PC games that were once sold for profit but are now made available for free.

While the Apple website lists a fair number of games, it’s doesn’t offer much in the way of organization. You can sort games chronologically, alphabetically and by popularity, or you can rely on the “staff picks” if you’re not sure where to start.

Of course, Apple has already announced a coming app store for the Mac, so you can expect a more complete and easily organized selection of free Mac games to be readily available in the near future.

Macgames

mac games

Although it appears as if it is an independent website in Google Search, Macgames is actually just a URL given to the CNET Downloads category focusing on Mac games.

That’s actually great news, as CNET Downloads remains one of the better repositories of applications currently on the web. Unlike the Apple website, CNET Downloads actually lets you sort Mac games by the ‘Top Freeware” tag. I noticed that a few demos are included in the results, but for the most part the freeware games listed are actually fully functional games.

Nearly every genre of game is represented on the site, and the stats associated with each game – such as the number of times it’s been downloaded and the user reviews – will help you discover games that scratch your specific gaming itch.

Free MMO Gamer

mac games

To be honest, there isn’t a lot to see here. The Free MMO Gamer site dedicated to free Mac games consists of 9 titles, each represented by a single screenshot. Clicking on a screenshot will send you to a game overview that tells you a bit about the title, but there isn’t any way to sort between games and the selection of just 9 games is obviously limited.

However, at least some of those 9 games are excellent. The Free MMO Gamer site includes titles like Quake Live, Savage 2 and Runescape. These are great free games that are sometimes missed by other free Mac game sites.

MacRumors Game Guide

free mac gamesIf you’re looking for the latest scoop on Mac hardware and software, MacRumors is often the site to turn to. It is a Wiki-based site with a strong sense of community that, despite its unconventional format, offers some compelling content.

The games section isn’t anything special in terms of organization. Titles are simply listed in a table alphabetically with a small description attached to each game. As with the Free MMO Gamer page, however, the MacRumors games section overcomes a lack of organization with content. A number of the games listed on the site are incredible (be sure to check out Cave Story) and are not listed on many or any other sites.

Conclusion

Mac gaming may not be as easy as playing games on a Windows PC, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun. The free game sites above will provide most gamers with everything they’ll need for years. If there is a particular game that you recommend, however, let us know in the comments!


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