Emulator is the software that helps us to run multiple OS on a single hardware. It typically helps one OS to behave as another for as much amount of time as we want and then switch back to our original OS. This in turn helps people to run different apllications exclusively for various OS on a single platform. Like if you have an Windows PC emulator, or the iOS one, you can run Windows or iOS appliactions on your Mac computer, especially good for app developers.
Mac PC is now common around the world, and it’s not surprising that some people would want to play game with it. But there are some games that only built for Windows, Nintendo or other devices, and hence you may need the game emulator for these games to run on Mac OS. So, here in this article, we will show you some of the best Game Console Emulators for macOS.
Tips: If you ever lost important notes or messages on iPhone, you can also use Gihosoft iPhone Data Recovery for Mac to get them back easily even without backup.
Also read: 6 Best iOS Emulator For Windows To Build & Run iOS Apps
Top 15 Gaming Emulators for Mac Computers
Ever wish you could step out of your life and into another? Well, the best simulation games help you do just that! Simulation games transform real-life situations into one-of-a-kind video game experiences. By combining true-to-life sandbox environments with rewards-based objectives, sim games always make for an exciting gaming adventure. Simulation games take many shapes and. Unfortunately, not every PC game runs on a Mac. You’ll have to sort through the library of games natively compatible with your new system. Fortunately, we’ve got a list right here of PC games for Mac worth trying out. Read our list below and discover a game that’s right up your alley. Other awesome games on Mac OS X Borderlands 2: The framerate may not be the best for the Mac version of Borderlands 2, which is why we haven't thought to include it on this list. The biggest hits generally start their lives on PC. From Metro Exodus, and Fortnite to Minecraft to Civilization and more, this is our guide to the best games for PC. It includes many free games.
1. Virtual PC for Mac
This emulator by Microsoft aims to emulate Windows OS on your Mac giveing you the freedom to run those programs specifical for Windows OS that you can not use on your Mac OS.
This game emulator will successfully take out your worry about the fact that you cannot run your Windows games on Mac. This Windows emulator will work as Windows 7 version, which may be a bit outdated but still it can do your job perfectly.
Download: Virtual PC for Mac
2. XBOX 360 Emulator for Mac
As the name suggests this is an XBOX oriented emulator completely made for Mac OS. For playing XBOX games, XeMu360 emulator is the most widely used emulator. This is comparatively a new software and it does support almost all XBOX games.
This is a very powerful emulator so that Mac OS users can enjoy playing XBOX games on it flawlessly.
Download: XBOX 360 Emulator for Mac
3. Playstation Emulators for Mac
PCSX-Reloaded is one of the the best emulator that can be installed on your Mac OS ideal for playing Playstation games. As an open source software, this emulator gives you the freedom to install it on all versions of Mac OS. Things become much simpler and easier after its installation process has been modified recently.
It would be better to keep all your playstation games inside one folder on Mac. Then after installing PCSX-Reloaded all you have to do is to drop the game you want to play in it. The emulator also has a built-in BIOS and the ability to edit memory cards as well.
Download: Playstation Emulators for Mac
4. Nintendo 64 Emulator for Mac
Mupen64 is one of the well-known emulator for Nintendo 64 to use on Mac OS. This emulator is very stable and compatible with all types of Mac OS.
However, you will require to install the GTK+ for this Nitendo 64 emulator to work smoothly. GTK+ is a graphical toolkit that needs to be installed on the Mac to process graphics. GTK+ will remains in the background and rightly handles the graphics of the N64 ROMS on Mac.
Download: Nintendo 64 Emulator for Mac
5. GameCube and Wii Games Emulator for Mac
Dolphin is one of the best game emulator for macOS to run GameCube, Wii and Triforce games. This emulator is very much compatible with multiple platforms including the macOS. It is also free to use as an open source project. The emulator works well with macOS 10.6 to 10.8 and is very user friendly as well.
The only thing the user needs to do is to specifiy the BIOS file which comes always with the ROM. When you start playing the game, Dolphin emulator automatically senses the game file and starts playing it on Mac.
Download: GameCube and Wii Games Emulator for Mac
6. OpenEmu
OpenEmu emulator is one of the most reliable emulators in the market, compatible with Mac OS 10.7 and higher. Being very user friendly, it also has an iTunes type menu. This is the ultimate gaming emulator that detects the game Roms according to their requirement.
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OpenEmu supports a great number of consoles like:
- Game Boy
- NeoGeo Pocket
- Game Gear
- Sega Genesis and lot more
Download: OpenEmu
7. RetroArch
RetroArch seems to be an all-in-one emulator for macOS that helps the users to play any kind of retro games. The emulator even can be used to play PlayStation 1 games and older ones as well. In the handheld game console RetroArch even supports Game Boy Advance games. It is totally based on the number of cores with each of the core emulating a console.
Download: RetroArch
8. PPSSPP
The name PPSSPP stands for Playstation Portable Simulator Suitable for Playing Portably, which is an emulator for playing PSP games. The emulator was originally created by Dolphin developers and is widely used across the globe. PPSSPP is very easy to install and to use on Mac, and also it supports a wide number of PSP games.
Download: PPSSPP
9. ScummVM
This emulator is speifically designed for those people who like to play point-and-click games. SucmmVM is supported by macOS and uses the Scumm scripting language shown as its name. The emulator also supports many of the adventure games like the Monkey Island 1-3, Sam & Max and much more.
Download: ScummVM
10. DeSmuME
DeSmuMe is another emulator for macOS that helps users to play with the dual screens of Nintendo, i.e. by simulating dual screens on the monitor itself. The emulator also supports games that we want play on the devices sideways.
The best part of this emulator is that its constantly being modified by developers and new features are getting added to it on a regular basis. And now over the years this has become one of the best game emulators for Mac in the market.
Download: DeSmuME
11. DosBox
As the name suggests this emulator is purposefuly made for DOS based programs. Many DOS based games are still played by users; so to make those games available even on macOS this emulator has been created.
Download: DosBox
Computer Games For Mac
12. Xamarian Android Player for Mac
This is an Android emulator that can be run on macOS so that you can play the millions of Android games onto your Mac. Xamarain Android player also supports OpenGL and actually virtualizes the device instead of simply emulating it.
This also helps to enhance the performance of your Mac. The emulator has a great integration with both the Visual Studio and the Xamarin Studio, and this one has a native user interface.
Download: Xamarian Android Player for Mac
13. PS3 Emulator for Mac
PS3 emulator typically supports macOS and allows users to play PlayStation 3 games on Mac. It is completely free and only need you to have any PS3 supported game. This gives complete freedom for users to choose whatever PS3 game they want to play on their Mac.
Download: PS3 Emulator for Mac
14. iOS Emulator iPadian for Mac
As its name suggests, this is an emulator that helps you run iOS applications on your Mac. By downloading this simulator, users can use iPad applications on a Mac as well. The best iOS emulator currently available is the iPadian.
This emulator is based on Adobe AIR and readily creates an interface similar to iPad on your Mac. iPadian is a very good emulator if you are just looking to run iOS appliactios and games on your Mac flawlessly.
Download: iOS Emulator iPadian for Mac
15. Visual Boy Advance
The Visual Boy Advance, also known to be the Mac Boy advance, can play almost all games of the Nintendo consoles on Mac. This GBA is written and developed specifically for the OS X and is compatibile with almost all kinds of macOS.
Download: Visual Boy Advance
So, here are our top 15 picks of game consloe emulators that you can readily download onto your Mac and seamlessly enjoy Android, DOS, Windows, iOS and much more experiences. By this way, you do not have to buy other kinds of OS, but just an emulator that will help you to run other applications on the single macOS.
Each of these emulators for Mac has its own advantage, and gaming on them is another treat to be honest. With such wide variety of support for games, you can download each of them and find out your favorite one and play all along. If you have any other good suggestion or question, welcome to comment down.
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Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.The 100th year anniversary of the end of World War One has now passed. While the subject has seen renewed interest these past few years generally, there's not been any decent new computer war game releases so this list remains fairly static, which is a shame considering the interesting materiel coming out of the board war games world these days.
Still, these are all great games if you haven't tried them yourself yet, and we've divided them into a couple different types of game. There's not as many tactical games as there are strategic, and we've thrown in a flight sim as well for good measure
So, without further ado, here is our list of the best WW1 Strategic & tactical war games...
What are the best WW1 games?
- Serbia '14
- Strategic Command: World War I
- Guns of August 1914-1918
- Commander: The Great War
- To End All Wars
- Supreme Ruler – The Great War
- Hearts of Iron – Darkest Hour
- France ’14
- East Prussia ’14
- Battle of Empires 1914 – 1918
- Squad Battles - First World War
- Rise of Flight
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Strategic Games
Strategic Command: World War I
Publisher: Matrix Games
Tags: strategic, square based, corps, army, random events, turn based, moderate complexity
Purchase: Matrix Store, GOG.com, Steam
Fury Software are masters of their craft, and it's fitting that after they'd finished making the ultimate WW2 grand strategy war game, they'd move on to (re)make the ultimate WW1 game. Taking all of the experience and refinement they've learned over the past few years, the team decided to have another stab at the Great War by remaking one of their earlier titles that covered the same period.
Update graphics, a new engine and mechanics all serve to make this a pretty special WW1 strategy game. So much so that Bill declared SCWW1 to be his new 'go to' WW1 war game, replacing the much celebrated Guns of August. If that's not endorsement enough, I don't know what is. Read our review for more.
You may also want to check out a previous entry on this list and SCWW1's predecessor, Strategic Command Classic: WW1. It's a much older game and hasn't benefited from the refinements later Fury Software games have enjoyed, but it's still pretty good.
Guns of August 1914 - 1918
Publisher: Matrix Games
Tags: strategic, hex-based, moderate complexity, turn based, WEGO, corps
Purchase: $29.99 - Matrix Store
The older graphics and mechanics are clunky but capture the crucial problem of the combatants: a war in which the resources and military thinking of the coalitions were outstripped by industrial warfare. In the four scenarios marking each year of the war, players must choose which HQs to activate given a limited number of activations. Points are used to research tanks, gas, trenches and to influence or declare war on neutrals. Ships are assigned orders and areas while subs starve Britain. Air units are assigned to fronts. Play uses two-month turns composed of impulses resolved simultaneously. The map covers Europe, the Middle East and some of North Africa. Each nation of a coalition is handled separately. National morale and exhaustion determine victory. The game replicates the attrition aspect of World War I quite well.
Commander: The Great War
Publisher: Slitherine/Matrix Games
Tags: strategic, turn based, IGOUGO, hex based, corps, army, intermediate complexity
Purchase: $29.99 US Matrix Store, also on Steam
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Slitherine’s 2012 game shows how the Commander engine could handle World War I. The terrain and unit graphics combine simplicity with enough detail to make them interesting as well as informative. Mechanics are simple with tabs bringing up panels for research, diplomacy, production, and selection to show unit stats. A management panel shows countries’ overall status. Submarines are always submerged and can be attacked only when the enemy stumbles into their hex.
Air, artillery and infantry capabilities grow through research. Commanders are attached directly to units instead of separate HQ units. A unique swapping function allows units to easily exchange places. The five campaigns cover each year of the war. Research focus on broad topics instead of individual concepts while a simple supply system makes this game accessible to new gamers and still captures the essence of the topic. Also available on iOS.
Read our Commander: The Great Warreview for more!
To End All Wars
Publisher: Matrix Games (AGEOD)
Tags: strategic, area based, turn based, WEGO, army, division, corps, intermediate complexity
Purchase: $39.99 US Matrix Store, also on Steam
Using a better engine this game features two-week turns, while the main map covers Europe with off-map boxes for the rest of the world. Units begin as single armies but can be broken down by increments to regimental level. Leaders can be attached, promoted and demoted under certain circumstances. Lists and map filters lay out the many factors of play. Movement is the AGEOD click-and-drag engine with a battle mode for selecting tactics. Weather affects movement and supply.
Success on the field and triggered events yield diplomatic points and decreases or increases national morale. Players can use regional decisions to accomplish operational goals where diplomacy is a matter of alignment. Submarine warfare is more abstract than in other games. An expansion module called Breaking the Deadlock is available.
Supreme Ruler – The Great War
Publisher: Battlegoat Studios
Tags: grand strategic, war economy, industrial production, world theatre, very complex
Purchase: $19.99 US on Steam
Read our Supreme Ruler - The Great Rulerreview
This software is concerned more with logistics and resource management as opposed to putting rounds down range, but there are several areas which make play unique. There is a full-fledged weather system, while movement is a simple process of drawing a line from start to destination, then allowing the AI to figure out the best way to get there. And believe it or not, all of this is done in semi-real time. The detail in the game is fantastic and doesn’t simply allow of things like heavy artillery. No, the player must choose the type of gun – 130 mm vs 152 mm for example – for his rubles based on what was historically available.
But the BIG draw of the game is the scope. While most games define World War I as East Front, West Front, Italian Front and Lawrence of Arabia, this game takes the term “World” literal. The game covers the entire globe, so if Japan invades China, you move to that real estate and fight/produce it out. And you don’t stop in 1918 but can continue the game on well into the 21st Century. Fun fact:Battlegoat are now taking their 'Supreme Ruler' series into Space withGalactic Ruler.
Hearts of Iron – Darkest Hour
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Tags: grand strategy, world theater, war economy, industrial production, area based, very complex
Purchase: $19.99 US on Steam, but only $ 2.50 US on the Paradox Store
The Hearts of Iron franchise needs little introduction as one of the most famous strategic World War II games ever. Darkest Hour is actually a variant of HOI Armageddon created by a group of dedicated modders in love with the series. It is a stand-alone game with two scenarios, one beginning in 1936, but the other in 1914 covering WWI. It's a typical strategic logistics and production fare but using the HOI engine and overall design as the selling point.
Often called the best of all HOI add-ons, the game has outrageously high reviews on Steam. Trust me, if you like Hearts of Iron, you will like this. Read our Darkest Hour review for more!
Operational Games
Serbia '14
Publisher: John Tiller Software
Tags: operational, Eastern Front, hex based, turn based, battalions, moderate complexity
Purchase: $39.95 JTS Store
It's nice to see JTS still making games for their 'First World War Campaigns' series - France '14 & Prussia '14 below is pretty much all we had for a while, but the latest entry in the series offers an excellent look at this often overlooked part of WW1's history. Serbia '14 contains 28 stand-alone battle scenarios, four multi-scenario campaigns, a small multi-scenario campaign on the Serbian invasion of Bosnia, and three grand campaign scenarios combining Serbia, France, and East Prussia ’14 into one huge, quarantine-breaking conflagration. It also covers the initial 1914 offensive right through to the final operations in 1915.
France ’14 and East Prussia ’14
Publisher: John Tiller Software
Tags: operational, Western Front, Eastern Front, hex based, turn based, battalions, moderate complexity
Purchase: $39.95 US France ’14 JTS Store, $ 39.95 US East Prussia ’14 JTS Store
Scale is 1 km per hex, two hours per turn with battalion sized units. Tiller’s 2010 offering, France ’14, is only one of two legitimate World War I operational level games. The 3D icons are too small for easy use but the 2D counters and the meticulously detailed terrain provide a satisfying experience enhanced by the colorful uniforms in the info boxes. Weapons include early reconnaissance aircraft, German siege guns, and French 75s. Fortifications like Liege show the difficulty in taking chains of strong points. Lessons from fighting the first five weeks of conflict all revolve around time. Going from travel to combat mode takes time even for the ubiquitous cavalry units.
The fast movement required by the plans of both sides means more and more HQs go out of the chain of command as campaigns continue. Movement to contact requires the use of roads creating traffic jams. All these factors combine to show why the maneuver was so slow. The game’s companion package, East Prussia ’14, is similar but more fluid with greater movement. Both games can be linked into a single campaign. We've got a review of France '14, if you want to have a look.
Tactical Games
Battle of Empires 1914 – 1918
Publisher: Best Way Soft
Tags: tactical, squad, company, real-time, multiplayer, skirmish
Purchase:Steam
This is a bit of cautionary recommendation, only because the technical health of the game can fail to meet expectations. Still, we're great fans of the Men of War series, and this is essentially a spin-off WW1 game based on the same engine. It's surprisingly authentic in how it recreates the soldiers, weapons and equipment of the era, and the developers have adapted the mechanics well to suit how warfare worked for the period.
Bill was especially impressed in his review, and the single player offers a fairly robust series of unlinked scenarios, with many factions covered now via DLCs and add-ons. Multiplayer has always been the core of the Men of War experience, and there's still a community there to engage with should you feel so inclined, but you can also do the narrative missions in co-op if you want. Read our Battle of Empires review for more.
Squad Battles - First World War
Publisher: John Tiller Software
Tags: tactical, squad, company, turn based, hex based, moderate complexity
Purchase: $39.95 US JTS Store
John Tiller Software addresses turn-based small unit tactics in this 2014 offering in a game where units are leaders, squads and companies, and where hexes are 40 meters across with each turn covering five minutes of time. The 2D graphics show the troops’ heads while 3D figures stand on bases. Terrain ranges from the shell hole Hell of the Western front to the beaches of Gallipoli. The 67 scenarios include two linked campaigns covering the entire war so that Turkish, ANZAC and Canadian troops get their due. The full panoply of weapons shown include trench knives to grenades to poison gas and tanks. Seven separate campaigns follow field officers including Major Charles W. Whittlesey of “Lost Battalion” fame.
Rise of Flight
Publisher: 1C Games (Russian) and 777 Studios
Tags: tactical, flight, simulator, air war, first person shooter, very complex, real time
Purchase: Free direct from publisher, but additional aircraft have varying prices
Gorgeous graphics support likely the most realistic game on this list. While you can reduce the complexity, full throttle this game is an air force grade simulator that would make Manfred von Richthofen’s jaw drop. Cockpits are meticulously rendered and require you to fly the plan as did the lads in 1916. Some aircraft did not have a throttle but required the pilot to change the fuel mixture level, and this game does likewise. Your Pfalz D.XII stall?
Well you’ll need to turn the engine off to recover, because that’s really the way it was. Also unique is the game’s business model. You can download the software along with three planes and play for free, forever. But getting additional planes and upgrades costs extra. Being a Russian software company, you also get access to a lot of plans you likely have never head of, such as the Gawd awful huge Sikorsky S-11 Muromets bomber (which will cost you $20.00 US BTW).
After WW1, there came WW2 - our sister website PCGamesN has created a list of excellent WW2 Games, and we have our own list of WW2 Strategy Games if you want some contrasting options as well.