play windows games on mac without bootcamp

You’ll also need to be comfortable using the command line via the Terminal app, an internet connection, and a couple of hours to work through all the steps involved. Install it as you would any other package file. If you’re running 10.8, head over to the XQuartz web page to download an open source version of X11 for Mountain Lion. You’ll also need the X11 app, which used to be a standard install app starting in OS X 10.5, but which has recently been removed from OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Honestly, though, if you don’t know what kind of Mac you’re running, you might have a bit of trouble with the following instructions, which assume you have access to your admin account and password, can install XCode, and have the latest Java Development package (it comes as default with Mac OS X 10.7 and up). To find out what kind of Mac you have, click on the Apple menu in the upper left corner of your screen, choose About This Mac, and it will tell you. If you’re still running a Power-PC Mac, a) it’s time to upgrade and b) this isn’t going to work.

I just want a way to play a game that is created for the Windows operating system on my Mac, without a reboot, without buying a new program or new copy of an operating system I really don’t want to use.įirst up, you’re gonna need an Intel Mac. They also cost a bit, and require a full copy of Windows, which will run you some money, too. There are emulators you can buy, like Parallels and VMWare Fusion, but these never quite pan out, in my experience, as they always seem to be fraught with issues when connecting peripherals, mice, etc. There’s Boot Camp, which allows you to run a full copy of Windows right on your Intel-based Mac, but it requires a reboot to switch between OS X and Windows environments, which can be tedious. There are a few options for running those PC games on Macs, of course.

The reasons for this are manifold, including mid-level integrated graphics chips and less customizable hardware, but it shouldn’t be this disparate. Even on Steam, the leader in cross-platform computer game support, most games run only on Windows. The Mac may be a better computer than a windows box, but even so, most games don’t support OS X. PC games: they can be the bane of a Mac gamer’s existence.

Play windows games on mac without bootcamp