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MacBook Pro Retina Games

Pedro Pinto

Pedro Pinto

macrumors member
Original poster
Good morning everyone.

I would like to know your opinion about possible MBP games, in order to fill those "dead times" 🙂
 
Many games have been mentioned in the Games forum, so just a quick overview - there are many great Mac ports from Feral, Asphyr and others - the Call of Duty series, Borderlands 2, Bioshock (all of them), Total War series, Valve games such as Half Life 2 and both Portals, Grim Fandango Remastered, Trine 2, little games like Fez and Bastion and Machinarium and Botanicula, sandboxes like Minecraft or SimplePlanes, racing games like Grid or Dirt, the old and great FlatOut 2... So yeah, the choice is pretty wide.
 
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Might as well as for tips on tasty candy bars 😉

But since you ask, I might chime in with some personal favorites that run well on Macs:

  • Diablo 3
    Action-Heavy Role Playing Game.
    Somewhat addictive.
    Not the most demanding game, can easily be played while doing something else, like watching tv or having a conversation.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Very well optimized. -my fans don't even spin at top speed while playing!
    Buy from: Blizzard (Battlenet).

  • Torchlight 2
    Action-Heavy Role Playing Game.
    This is practically a more light hearted and charming Diablo 3 and frankly I prefer this.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Buy From: Steam

  • Starcraft 2
    Fast paced Real Time Strategy.
    Multiplayer behemoth.
    Singleplayer is also very, very good. -the storyline is pure sci-fi pulp, but quite fun if you don't expect more.
    Very well optimized.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Buy from: Blizzard (Battlenet)

  • Knights of The Old Republic 2
    Story-Heavy Role Playing Game
    Cult favorite, recently updated with widescreen/retina and mod support.
    Older game, not too demanding on modest hardware.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Highly recommended.
    (can also consider Knight of The Old Republic 1, but it lacks widescreen and retina support, for now)
    Buy from: App Store, Steam.

  • Deus Ex: Human Revolution
    Role Playing Game/First Person Stealth&Shooting.
    Great "cyber punk" setting and story.
    Might need a decent GPU to run properly, don't know how the latest integrated Intel GPUs handle it.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy from: App Store, Steam.

  • Pillars of Eternity
    Real Time (with pause) Party Based Role Playing Game.
    Think Dungeons and Dragons.
    Well fleshed out fantasy setting, well worth a look if you are so inclined.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    (You might also want to consider Baldurs Gate 1 and 2 Enhanced Edition, the progenitors of Pillars of Eternity)
    Buy from: Good Old Games, App Store, Steam.

  • Wasteland 2
    Turn Based Party Based Role Playing Game.
    The world has burned in nuclear fire.
    You control a group of Desert Rangers trying to bring order and justice to a post apocalyptic hellscape.
    Talk, sneak and shoot your way out of and in to trouble.
    Raiders, robots, mutated wildlife and cannibals are just some of the challenges you must face.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Note that there is an "enhanced edition" in the works, free to owners of the original.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, Steam
  • Divinity Original Sin
    Turn Based Role Playing Game.
    An interesting game, the game world can be considered a simulated world, almost.
    Spell effects interact with each other and the environment in interesting ways; oil spills can ignite, puddles of water/blood can be frozen for instance.
    There is also an interesting, if cumbersome and obtuse, crafting mechanic; hammer nails into boots to avoid slipping on ice, enchant a needle and thread to sew magical armor.
    I want to say highly recommended for this game but the controls are cumbersome, crafting is a pain, the story is ...okay and the voice acting is AWFULL.
    But it has charm and ideas in spades, people should play it.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Note that there is an "enhanced edition" in the works here as well, free to owners of the
    original.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, App Store, Steam

  • Invisible Inc
    Turn Based Stealth Game.
    Gorgeous art direction, innovative game mechanics.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, Steam.

  • Batman Arkham Asylum
    Third Person Action Adventure Stealth
    The perfect batman simulator?
    Excellent game mechanics, beautiful art direction.
    Highly recommended.
    (You might also want to consider the sequel Arkham City, but it is a much more demanding game on your hardware, also I prefer the confines of the Asylum to the sprawl of the City)
    Buy from: App Store, Steam.

  • Empire Total War/Napoleon Total War/Shogun 2 Total War/Rome Total War
    Empire Building Real Time and Turn Based Strategy.
    Pick your desired era; feudal Japan, napoleonic Europe or Roman Europe.
    You might also want to choose based on what hardware you have.
    Shogun 2 needs a good dedicated GPU to run nicely, but the others will probably run well on newer integrated Intel GPUs. -Rome will run well on anything, it's quite old.
    Buy from: App Store, Steam

  • Amnesia: The Dark Descent / Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
    First Person Horror and Stealth.
    Sneak around and run from Lovecraftian horrors.
    Those who are easily frightened must remember to put on brown pants before playing.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, Humble Store, App Store, Steam

  • Bioshock
    First Person Shooting and Role Playing.
    Very good art direction that sucks you right into the game world.
    Interesting story, falters quite a bit towards the end.
    You might also want to look a the sequels; Bioshock 2 and Bioshock Infinite (Infinite night require a dedicated GPU).
    Buy From: App Store, Steam

  • Company of Heroes
    Real Time Tactics and Strategy.
    This game is singleplayer only; skirmish and story campaign. I mention this because it had multiplayer on PC and it was/is quite good.
    Excellent Word War Two strategy game that demands you consider terrain and cover for infantry and armor thickness of tanks and such.
    It is in a way an intimate game compared to Starcraft 2 and Total War, you don't rely on a great number of units but rather just a few.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy From: App Store

  • Frozen Synapse
    Turn Based Arena Strategy and Tactics.
    Rather uniqe turn based game, you and your opponent plan and string together commands at the same time then press play and see what happens.
    Runs on modest hardware.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    (You can also consider the sequel Frozen Endzone)
    Buy From: Humble Store, Steam

  • Portal and Portal 2
    First Person Puzzle Game.
    Excellent puzzles, excellent writing and acting, excellent art direction.
    True classics.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy from: Steam
Hmm, that became longer than intended. 😛
 
Last edited:
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Ovedius said:
Might as well as for tips on tasty candy bars 😉

But since you ask, I might chime in with some personal favorites that run well on Macs:

  • Diablo 3
    Action-Heavy Role Playing Game.
    Somewhat addictive.
    Not the most demanding game, can easily be played while doing something else, like watching tv or having a conversation.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Very well optimized. -my fans don't even spin at top speed while playing!
    Buy from: Blizzard (Battlenet).

  • Torchlight 2
    Action-Heavy Role Playing Game.
    This is practically a more light hearted and charming Diablo 3 and frankly I prefer this.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Buy From: Steam

  • Starcraft 2
    Fast paced Real Time Strategy.
    Multiplayer behemoth.
    Singleplayer is also very, very good. -the storyline is pure sci-fi pulp, but quite fun if you don't expect more.
    Very well optimized.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Buy from: Blizzard (Battlenet)

  • Knights of The Old Republic 2
    Story-Heavy Role Playing Game
    Cult favorite, recently updated with widescreen/retina and mod support.
    Older game, not too demanding on modest hardware.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Highly recommended.
    (can also consider Knight of The Old Republic 1, but it lacks widescreen and retina support, for now)
    Buy from: App Store, Steam.

  • Deus Ex: Human Revolution
    Role Playing Game/First Person Stealth&Shooting.
    Great "cyber punk" setting and story.
    Might need a decent GPU to run properly, don't know how the latest integrated Intel GPUs handle it.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy from: App Store, Steam.

  • Pillars of Eternity
    Real Time (with pause) Party Based Role Playing Game.
    Think Dungeons and Dragons.
    Well fleshed out fantasy setting, well worth a look if you are so inclined.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    (You might also want to consider Baldurs Gate 1 and 2 Enhanced Edition, the progenitors of Pillars of Eternity)
    Buy from: Good Old Games, App Store, Steam.

  • Wasteland 2
    Turn Based Party Based Role Playing Game.
    The world has burned in nuclear fire.
    You control a group of Desert Rangers trying to bring order and justice to a post apocalyptic hellscape.
    Talk, sneak and shoot your way out of and in to trouble.
    Raiders, robots, mutated wildlife and cannibals are just some of the challenges you must face.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Note that there is an "enhanced edition" in the works, free to owners of the original.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, Steam
  • Divinity Original Sin
    Turn Based Role Playing Game.
    An interesting game, the game world can be considered a simulated world, almost.
    Spell effects interact with each other and the environment in interesting ways; oil spills can ignite, puddles of water/blood can be frozen for instance.
    There is also an interesting, if cumbersome and obtuse, crafting mechanic; hammer nails into boots to avoid slipping on ice, enchant a needle and thread to sew magical armor.
    I want to say highly recommended for this game but the controls are cumbersome, crafting is a pain, the story is ...okay and the voice acting is AWFULL.
    But it has charm and ideas in spades, people should play it.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Note that there is an "enhanced edition" in the works here as well, free to owners of the
    original.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, App Store, Steam

  • Invisible Inc
    Turn Based Stealth Game.
    Gorgeous art direction, innovative game mechanics.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, Steam.

  • Batman Arkham Asylum
    Third Person Action Adventure Stealth
    The perfect batman simulator?
    Excellent game mechanics, beautiful art direction.
    Highly recommended.
    (You might also want to consider the sequel Arkham City, but it is a much more demanding game on your hardware, also I prefer the confines of the Asylum to the sprawl of the City)
    Buy from: App Store, Steam.

  • Empire Total War/Napoleon Total War/Shogun 2 Total War/Rome Total War
    Empire Building Real Time and Turn Based Strategy.
    Pick your desired era; feudal Japan, napoleonic Europe or Roman Europe.
    You might also want to choose based on what hardware you have.
    Shogun 2 needs a good dedicated GPU to run nicely, but the others will probably run well on newer integrated Intel GPUs. -Rome will run well on anything, it's quite old.
    Buy from: App Store, Steam

  • Amnesia: The Dark Descent / Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
    First Person Horror and Stealth.
    Sneak around and run from Lovecraftian horrors.
    Those who are easily frightened must remember to put on brown pants before playing.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, Humble Store, App Store, Steam

  • Bioshock
    First Person Shooting and Role Playing.
    Very good art direction that sucks you right into the game world.
    Interesting story, falters quite a bit towards the end.
    You might also want to look a the sequels; Bioshock 2 and Bioshock Infinite (Infinite night require a dedicated GPU).
    Buy From: App Store, Steam

  • Company of Heroes
    Real Time Tactics and Strategy.
    This game is singleplayer only; skirmish and story campaign. I mention this because it had multiplayer on PC and it was/is quite good.
    Excellent Word War Two strategy game that demands you consider terrain and cover for infantry and armor thickness of tanks and such.
    It is in a way an intimate game compared to Starcraft 2 and Total War, you don't rely on a great number of units but rather just a few.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy From: App Store

  • Frozen Synapse
    Turn Based Arena Strategy and Tactics.
    Rather uniqe turn based game, you and your opponent plan and string together commands at the same time then press play and see what happens.
    Runs on modest hardware.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    (You can also consider the sequel Frozen Endzone)
    Buy From: Humble Store, Steam

  • Portal and Portal 2
    First Person Puzzle Game.
    Excellent puzzles, excellent writing and acting, excellent art direction.
    True classics.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy from: Steam
Hmm, that became longer than intended. 😛
Click to expand...

Hi ovedius, can above games be playing using rMbp 13" 2015? 🙂 normal/medium settings?
 
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apoenq said:
Hi ovedius, can above games be playing using rMbp 13" 2015? 🙂 normal/medium settings?
Click to expand...

With the exception of Shogun 2 and Bioshock Infinite I think they all should work rather well on a 2015 13".
I'm not sure about Deus Ex, but this video shows it being played on a 2014 13", so I think it's worth a shot.

EDIT:
Please note that you won't be able to play anything in full retina resolution (2560x1600 for the 13").
Even on my 2015 15" with an AMD GPU, I only ever play in 1680x1050.
 
Last edited:
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Ovedius said:
With the exception of Shogun 2 and Bioshock Infinite I think they all should work rather well on a 2015 13".
I'm not sure about Deus Ex, but this video shows it being played on a 2014 13", so I think it's worth a shot.

EDIT:
Please note that you won't be able to play anything in full retina resolution (2560x1600 for the 13").
Even on my 2015 15" with an AMD GPU, I only ever play in 1680x1050.
Click to expand...

Are you able to watch HD YouTube videos in 1080p on the rMBP 13inch full screen?
 
Ovedius said:
Might as well as for tips on tasty candy bars 😉

But since you ask, I might chime in with some personal favorites that run well on Macs:

  • Diablo 3
    Action-Heavy Role Playing Game.
    Somewhat addictive.
    Not the most demanding game, can easily be played while doing something else, like watching tv or having a conversation.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Very well optimized. -my fans don't even spin at top speed while playing!
    Buy from: Blizzard (Battlenet).

  • Torchlight 2
    Action-Heavy Role Playing Game.
    This is practically a more light hearted and charming Diablo 3 and frankly I prefer this.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Buy From: Steam

  • Starcraft 2
    Fast paced Real Time Strategy.
    Multiplayer behemoth.
    Singleplayer is also very, very good. -the storyline is pure sci-fi pulp, but quite fun if you don't expect more.
    Very well optimized.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Buy from: Blizzard (Battlenet)

  • Knights of The Old Republic 2
    Story-Heavy Role Playing Game
    Cult favorite, recently updated with widescreen/retina and mod support.
    Older game, not too demanding on modest hardware.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Highly recommended.
    (can also consider Knight of The Old Republic 1, but it lacks widescreen and retina support, for now)
    Buy from: App Store, Steam.

  • Deus Ex: Human Revolution
    Role Playing Game/First Person Stealth&Shooting.
    Great "cyber punk" setting and story.
    Might need a decent GPU to run properly, don't know how the latest integrated Intel GPUs handle it.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy from: App Store, Steam.

  • Pillars of Eternity
    Real Time (with pause) Party Based Role Playing Game.
    Think Dungeons and Dragons.
    Well fleshed out fantasy setting, well worth a look if you are so inclined.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    (You might also want to consider Baldurs Gate 1 and 2 Enhanced Edition, the progenitors of Pillars of Eternity)
    Buy from: Good Old Games, App Store, Steam.

  • Wasteland 2
    Turn Based Party Based Role Playing Game.
    The world has burned in nuclear fire.
    You control a group of Desert Rangers trying to bring order and justice to a post apocalyptic hellscape.
    Talk, sneak and shoot your way out of and in to trouble.
    Raiders, robots, mutated wildlife and cannibals are just some of the challenges you must face.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Note that there is an "enhanced edition" in the works, free to owners of the original.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, Steam
  • Divinity Original Sin
    Turn Based Role Playing Game.
    An interesting game, the game world can be considered a simulated world, almost.
    Spell effects interact with each other and the environment in interesting ways; oil spills can ignite, puddles of water/blood can be frozen for instance.
    There is also an interesting, if cumbersome and obtuse, crafting mechanic; hammer nails into boots to avoid slipping on ice, enchant a needle and thread to sew magical armor.
    I want to say highly recommended for this game but the controls are cumbersome, crafting is a pain, the story is ...okay and the voice acting is AWFULL.
    But it has charm and ideas in spades, people should play it.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Note that there is an "enhanced edition" in the works here as well, free to owners of the
    original.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, App Store, Steam

  • Invisible Inc
    Turn Based Stealth Game.
    Gorgeous art direction, innovative game mechanics.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, Steam.

  • Batman Arkham Asylum
    Third Person Action Adventure Stealth
    The perfect batman simulator?
    Excellent game mechanics, beautiful art direction.
    Highly recommended.
    (You might also want to consider the sequel Arkham City, but it is a much more demanding game on your hardware, also I prefer the confines of the Asylum to the sprawl of the City)
    Buy from: App Store, Steam.

  • Empire Total War/Napoleon Total War/Shogun 2 Total War/Rome Total War
    Empire Building Real Time and Turn Based Strategy.
    Pick your desired era; feudal Japan, napoleonic Europe or Roman Europe.
    You might also want to choose based on what hardware you have.
    Shogun 2 needs a good dedicated GPU to run nicely, but the others will probably run well on newer integrated Intel GPUs. -Rome will run well on anything, it's quite old.
    Buy from: App Store, Steam

  • Amnesia: The Dark Descent / Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs
    First Person Horror and Stealth.
    Sneak around and run from Lovecraftian horrors.
    Those who are easily frightened must remember to put on brown pants before playing.
    Buy from: Good Old Games, Humble Store, App Store, Steam

  • Bioshock
    First Person Shooting and Role Playing.
    Very good art direction that sucks you right into the game world.
    Interesting story, falters quite a bit towards the end.
    You might also want to look a the sequels; Bioshock 2 and Bioshock Infinite (Infinite night require a dedicated GPU).
    Buy From: App Store, Steam

  • Company of Heroes
    Real Time Tactics and Strategy.
    This game is singleplayer only; skirmish and story campaign. I mention this because it had multiplayer on PC and it was/is quite good.
    Excellent Word War Two strategy game that demands you consider terrain and cover for infantry and armor thickness of tanks and such.
    It is in a way an intimate game compared to Starcraft 2 and Total War, you don't rely on a great number of units but rather just a few.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy From: App Store

  • Frozen Synapse
    Turn Based Arena Strategy and Tactics.
    Rather uniqe turn based game, you and your opponent plan and string together commands at the same time then press play and see what happens.
    Runs on modest hardware.
    Plays well with a trackpad.
    (You can also consider the sequel Frozen Endzone)
    Buy From: Humble Store, Steam

  • Portal and Portal 2
    First Person Puzzle Game.
    Excellent puzzles, excellent writing and acting, excellent art direction.
    True classics.
    Highly recommended.
    Buy from: Steam
Hmm, that became longer than intended. 😛
Click to expand...

Don't forget Civilization V. When it first came out it ran horrible on Mac. Now, it's one of the smoothest games on Mac to-date.
 
Great responses from you, thank you 🙂

In my personal case I got a MBP Retina 13". Do you guys recommend any kind of base cooler in order to keep it as cool as possible?
 
I see you have a 2015 rMBP with only 256 SSD - Don't bother playing any games. Because I have 4 or 5 games I now only have 98GB free space left.
Civ 5
Empire Total War Gold Edition
The Sim 3
SimCity
Half Life 2
 
I'd probably check out GOG for adventure type and RPG games then (older ones where reflexes aren't needed to be lightning quick). I really like Apple's Force Touch trackpad but I personally wouldn't want to game on it. I'm not used to that. Then again, I remember seeing people in the 90s game with those weird Logitech trackball input device things.
 
Badrottie said:
I see you have a 2015 rMBP with only 256 SSD - Don't bother playing any games. Because I have 4 or 5 games I now only have 98GB free space left.
Civ 5
Empire Total War Gold Edition
The Sim 3
SimCity
Half Life 2
Click to expand...

98gb is still almost 40% of the total space, which is plenty. I've installed a couple of games on my 11" 128gb MBA and it's been fine, and anything else can generally go on an external hard drive (slightly longer load times, but it's a fair trade-off for storage space depending on the game).
 
The range of games you can play on a mac is increasing fast. There is now an Ultima Online, a private version, some would call it pirate called http://www.uorenaissance.com/download, that has a mac version. I have downloaded it but can't access it. I may need to write it into computer preferences, in order to do that, but not sure how to go about it.

Steam also offer several of the mass online games. Download Steam and give it a try.
 
c1phr said:
98gb is still almost 40% of the total space, which is plenty. I've installed a couple of games on my 11" 128gb MBA and it's been fine, and anything else can generally go on an external hard drive (slightly longer load times, but it's a fair trade-off for storage space depending on the game).
Click to expand...

the only folder I have moved to external drive is iTunes. I might need to move Aperture folder over to hard drive someday.
 
Pedro Pinto said:
Good morning everyone.

I would like to know your opinion about possible MBP games, in order to fill those "dead times" 🙂
Click to expand...

Hi, I found that Heroes of the Storm runs very well at native retina resolution on the Iris Pro. Diablo 3 also runs, but fps isn't very good at such high resolution.
 
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D3 seems to run well at 1280x800 with high res textures. Stays in the 40s, often gets in the 50s. Text is a little muddled here and there at that resolution though, but it's very playable on the base model 13" rMBP.
 
Suture said:
D3 seems to run well at 1280x800 with high res textures. Stays in the 40s, often gets in the 50s. Text is a little muddled here and there at that resolution though, but it's very playable on the base model 13" rMBP.
Click to expand...

I always have the doubt: play in full resolution with lower effects or play with half resolution and all effects.. Currently I'm trying to decide this in Witcher 1 and can't figure it out.
 
Yeah I do the same typically, but full resolution with everything turned off in Diablo 3 runs TERRIBLE. Even going to 1440x900 with everything on low vs 1280x800 with high res textures is a difference of 15 FPS.

The Witcher just randomly will run like junk too, no matter what specs your system is, PC or Mac. I would go from 100+ to the teens momentarily even during a cutscene for no apparent reason.
 
I've just learned from hours of trying to get into World of Warfare that my software is out of date, so it won't load. It looks to be beautiful graphics but heavily PvP oriented. So I will keep looking.
 
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