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In the general case, you normally can't expect to go to your favorite game shop, pick up a PC game, take it home, and expect to be able to put the game on your Mac and have it run. However, it is possible to play PC games on a Mac. when attempting to play a Windows game on a Mac OS-based machine, you have several options, each with its drawbacks and strengths.

In the general case, you normally can't expect to go to your favorite game shop, pick up a PC game, take it home, and expect to be able to put the game on your Mac and have it run. However, it is possible to play PC games on a Mac. When attempting to play a Windows game on a Mac OS-based machine, you have several options, each with its drawbacks and strengths.

If it exists, getting the Mac port or playing it natively on your Mac is almost always the best way to play any game on a Mac. With the advent of things like SteamPlay and the rise of independent game houses, more and more games are coming out for the Mac. Don't assume that the game is Windows-only until you've done the research. More and more games are now showing up in browsers, which can also sometimes make them platform independent. Whenever you can, buy/use the Mac edition of the game in question to get the best experience.

If it exists, getting the Mac port or playing it natively on your Mac is almost always the best way to play any game on a Mac. With the advent of things like SteamPlay and the rise of independent game houses, more and more games are coming out for the Mac. Don't assume that the game is Windows-only until you've done the research. More and more games are now showing up in browsers, which can also sometimes make them platform independent. Whenever you can, invest time in researching the Mac version of a game, as playing it typically produces the best experience.

• Not all games have a Mac port.
• Sometimes can be expensive to re-purchase a game if you already own it.
• Some features that you want may be platform-specific and unavailable on Mac.

• Not all games have a Mac port.
• Sometimes can be expensive to re-purchase a game if you already own it.
• Some features that you want may be platform-specific and unavailable on Mac.
• Sometimes the Mac port is bad, or is actually a version of the game ported using one of these other methods (see Emulation).