With desktop virtual machine software, you can run a copy of Windows as a 'program' under Mac OS.

Sometimes the Mac port is bad, or is actually a version of the game ported using one of these other methods (see Emulation).

Some features that you want may be platform-specific and unavailable on Mac.Sometimes can be expensive to re-purchase a game if you already own it.Some features that you want may be platform-specific and only available on Mac.Better support for 3D acceleration and other advanced hardware features.Usually the best possible experience, designed for your OS.Support Mac publishers and encourage more Mac games.Whenever you can, invest time in researching the Mac version of a game, as playing it typically produces the best experience. More and more games are now showing up in browsers, which can also sometimes make them platform independent. Don't assume that the game is Windows-only until you've done the research. With the advent of things like SteamPlay and the rise of independent game houses, more and more games are coming out for the Mac. 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. The intent is to generally summarize the solutions to allow people to choose a direction to invest further effort. It is further not meant to be a full and complete overview of WINE/Virtual Machines/dual booting/etc.

This is not indented to be a 'catch-all' answer to 'how do I overcome game X's difficulties when running under solution Y.' The existence of this answer does not mark every other MacOS gaming question on this topic as a duplicate.

Please note: This is intended as general advice to a non-technical audience. When attempting to play a Windows game on a Mac OS-based machine, you have several options, each with its drawbacks and strengths.

However, it is possible to play PC games on a Mac. 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.

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