Mar 17, 2020 Though its online multiplayer is very minimalistic, Super Mario Party is an ideal game to play on family game nights. Up to four players can play at once, but only single Joy-Con controllers can. Dec 14, 2019 Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak offers both Single and Multiplayer modes and lets you enjoy an authentic story. With all the massive and ever changing environments, Tactical Combat, improved mechanics and a wit challenging gameplay, Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is truly one of the best RTS games to play. Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak is available to play on Windows PC and Mac.
And the Mac hasn't been left out of the equation — some popular MOBAs run natively on the Mac. Here's a roundup of the best ones you can get right now. What's more, all of them are free to play, so it won't cost you a dime to try them out.
First, for the uninitiated, let's answer the obvious question: What, precisely, is a MOBA?
MOBAs are real=time strategy games that involve multiple players divided into teams. Each player typically controls a single champion or hero character that leads others — computer-controlled minions — into combat. Teams square off and try to destroy or control each other's in-game structures in order to win.
MOBAs combine elements of action games and strategy games together, and have become a popular pastime for gamers looking for fun, challenging ways to team up with friends (and sometimes complete strangers) online.
Blizzard Entertainment's seminal strategy game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is often pointed to as the seed for the current MOBA craze. An active community of modders — hobbyists and programmers interested in expanding the capabilities of the game — took to Warcraft III, and one in particular, a fellow who went by the nom de mod of Eul, created Defense of the Ancients, a specialized map for the game modeled after another popular map for another Blizzard strategy game, StarCraft. Since then MOBAs have existed both as mods for other game and as entirely standalone projects. So without further ado:
League of Legends
Riot Games' League of Legends is nothing short of a phenomenon. Since it debuted in 2009 it's garnered millions of fans worldwide. For a long time Mac gamers were left out of the loop but the developer finally graced the Mac with a client in 2013. (Don't be scared off by the seemingly permanent 'beta' status of the Mac client.)
League comprised well more than 100 different champions, each with different strengths, strategies and weaknesses. Players fight each other to gain experience and to win gold, which they can use to buy items to strengthen their champions. A variety of game modes exist and Riot is constantly improving and tweaking both gameplay and the in-game characters, which leads to constant new challenges. And it's paid off: At peak times, more than 7 million players can be playing simultaneously. League is the focus of professional gaming tournaments, too.
League is free to download and play. Riot makes money from the sale of Riot Points (RP), which help players get ahead in the game.
- Free - Download now
Dota 2
I mentioned Defense of the Ancients at the outset. Dota 2 is its proper sequel, developed by Valve Corp. As a result, it's available for download from Valve's popular Steam online game matching and download service.
The classic elements of MOBA gameplay are here: Two teams of five players each, each of which occupy a base at a corner of the map. Teams are divided into The Radiant and The Dire. The Ancient is a building inside each base that must be protected or you lose the game. Players have over 100 different Heroes to choose from, each with different strengths and weaknesses. Combat provides experience, which levels the character up, enabling players to imbue their Hero with better statistics and new skills.
Dota 2 has been criticized for having a steeper learning curve that League does, and my experience has been that the Mac client doesn't run very well on systems that are on the lower side of its system requirements, but that hasn't stopped it from being very popular: Dota 2 gets close to a million players at peak times.
- Free - Download now
Heroes of Newerth
S2 Games' Heroes of Newerth squares players off into two factions: The Legion and the Hellbourne. Each team has to either destroy the World Tree or Sacrificial Shrine (depending on which faction you're fighting), or force the other team to concede defeat. There are different game modes, more than 120 heroes to master, and more.
Newerth was heavily influenced by the original Defense of the Ancients, though S2 Games developed it independently of DotA. The game remains fiercely independent. While Riot is the 800 pound gorilla and Dota 2 gets lots of attention because of Valve's involvement, S2 has done very well over the years, but its player base is much smaller. That's not a bad thing; the game continues to do well and get new players all the time.
- Free - Download now
SmashMuck Champions
A relative new entry to the MOBA market, SmashMuck Champions lets you play as absolutely weird heroes like a robot shark and a platypus unicorn. It's got a great sense of humor and some truly wacky design, and its creators cite its 'community driven development process' as a plus as well. Classic team-based play is here, though SmashMuck looks and plays a bit differently than the other MOBAs listed above, with five different game modes that include a capture the flag mode, tower defense mode, control point capture and more.
There's a more limited selection of champions to choose from, but more than 600 customizable items keep it interesting, along with daily challenge and alliance-based achievements.
- Free - Download now
Happy gaming
Hopefully these will get some of you started down the road of MOBA play. Are you already an avid MOBA fan? I'm sure I've left out a few that play well on the Mac without relying on a Windows partition. If I've left off your favorite or if you have any comments or suggestions, lay 'em on me.
Best Multiplayer Games Mac
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With all of the recent happenings, you may be stuck at home or even working from home much more now, and with that eventually comes boredom. I mean, you have nowhere to go and can't hang out with most people in person for the time being, so what can you do? If you live with others in your home, whether they're family or roommates, then you can try playing some party games together to pass the time. And if you're by yourself, it may be worth looking into something like an MMORPG or something similar. Here are some of our favorites.
Quiplash
Source: Jackbox Games, Inc.
Quiplash comes from the folks behind the popular YOU DON'T KNOW JACK games, as well as Fibbage and Drawful, so you know it's going to be a good time.
The goal of Quiplash is to pit your answer to questions with others in a battle of supremacy for cleverness or comedic gold. Other players in the audience will vote for their favorite answer, and the winner gets the point. There are no rules, and there are no correct answers - just whatever you want!
Quiplash
Answer questions with whatever you want, and try to be more clever or funny than your opponent. Anything goes!
Source: Jackbox Games, Inc.
When it comes to party games, it's hard to beat the Jackbox Party Packs. The latest in the series is Jackbox Party Pack 6, but there are five more before it, and each one is worth picking up since they have an assortment of different party games.
What makes The Jackbox Party Pack games so popular is the fact that many people can join in (some games support up to 10 participants) and play together, whether it's locally in the same room or even through a video conference call. The only thing each player who wants to participate needs is their own phone, tablet, or even computer. It's perfect for our stay-at-home time.
You can find all previous Jackbox Party Packs from the Jackbox Games website, along with many of the company's other party games.
Multiplayer Games For Mac
The Jackbox Party Pack 6
The Jackbox Party Pack 6 includes Trivia Murder Party 2, Dictionarium, Push The Button, Joke Boat, and Role Models.
Source: Jackbox Games, Inc.
If you have played The Jackbox Party Pack, then you may be familiar with Fibbage XL. This is the standalone version of the game, which is cheaper than purchasing one of the Party Packs. Plus, if you love Fibbage, then this could be all you want!
Fibbage XL is a bluffing party game that can only be played in local multiplayer. The goal is to fool your friends with lies, while avoiding theirs and finding the outrageous truth. If you can fool everyone else into thinking your lie is the truth, then you'll rack up those points! Just make sure you don't pick an opponent's bluff. This game is best suited for 2-8 players.
Fibbage XL
Come up with a lie and fool your opponents into thinking it's true.
Source: Blizzard
If you're toughing it out on your own, then a party game just doesn't really make sense. But you could check out an MMORPG like the highly popular World of Warcraft from Blizzard, no Warcraft experience necessary. You can try the game for free until you hit level 20. In WoW, you can choose between two factions and select from a handful of different races and hero classes to create your character. Then you'll embark on taking up quests from NPCs for experience and advancing the story, battle bosses in dungeons and raids, and you can even join guilds to play with other people.
Once your trial is up, you'll need to add game time or subscribe for $15 a month (it's slightly cheaper if you buy in three or six month increments at a time).
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is one of the most popular MMORPGs out there. Start a trial and escape reality.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment
Don't want to hop on the WoW bandwagon or just don't want to end up with another subscription fee? Then you should try Diablo 3 instead. I personally have put hundreds of hours into Diablo 3 across multiple platforms (Mac, PS4, and Nintendo Switch) since the game originally came out because I absolutely love it that much.
In Diablo 3: Eternal Collection, you can pick from seven different hero classes: Barbarian, Monk, Demon Hunter, Sorcerer, Witch Doctor, Crusader, and Necromancer (the last two are from the DLC, which is included with Eternal Collection). Each character has a different play style, so they're all unique in their own ways. You can choose to go through the Campaign mode (recommended for first time players), or even do Adventure mode for the loot grind. There are also Seasons with unique rewards to obtain, but you have to start fresh each season. Every hero has many skills and abilities to unlock as you level them up to 70, and the loot grind is endless. And there's nothing more satisfying than ripping through a horde of demons and monsters and watching a new Legendary weapon or armor drop.
Diablo 3 is one of my favorite games to play to pass time, and you can also play with up to three other people at once. So share the dungeon crawling fun! There is a free trial available.
Diablo 3: Eternal Collection
Slay hordes of demons with seven different heroes as you embark on a journey for perfect loot.
Source: Studio MDHR
Looking for some retro run-and-gun game to play with someone else? Try Cuphead, the hard-as-nails game that's finally available on Mac.
This game is hard and heavily focuses on boss battles, so you've been warned. It's visually and audibly inspired by the cartoons of the 1930s, which explains the unique style and form. Each level features a unique world and new boss to tackle, and there are plenty of weapons, super moves, and secrets to find. The game has local co-op, so grab a friend and team up.
Cuphead
Cuphead is one of the most challenging run-and-gun games of its time. Grab a friend and enjoy local co-op together.
Get your game on
We're all spending a lot of time at home these days, so there's no better time to try out a new game with family and friends. These are just a few of our favorites that you can play with others on your Mac. Did we miss your favorites? Let us know in the comments.
Best Multiplayer Games Free
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