What are the Best Mac Games on Steam?

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Us PC users have it easy when it comes to gaming. But our Mac brethren? Well, that's another story. Apple computers might be sleek, beautiful machines designed for efficacy, but they're a little bit overlooked when it comes to gaming. Well, sort of. Because we love you, here are fifteen great Steam games that would totally rock your silvery-white system of choice. In no particular order:

Killing Floor

Killing Floor is a survival horror FPS in which a team of six must work cooperatively to cleanse the English countryside of hostile creatures — by-products of failed cloning and genetic manipulation experiments. Each round completed grants you money to upgrade your weaponry, and experience adds up to perks you can use to level up your character class. Although not the cleanest game aesthetically, its quality has been proven through its longevity. Released in 2009, fans have been playing it non-stop ever since. It’s even getting a sequel, Killing Floor 2. No word yet on when KF2 is coming to OS X, but don’t let that stop you from joining the fun. The Killing Floor scene is alive, kicking, and perfect for the casual FPS fan.

Besiege

Besiege is a construction-based game about the art of destruction. Yes, you're going to build things to destroy other things. Sounds fun right? Using a variety of tools, you must build war machines and vehicles to wreak havoc on fortresses and peaceful villages. In some levels you must transport objects, in others withstand armies of tiny angry men and tiny sheep that pop like cute fuzzy balloons filled with blood. As of now, the game can be completed within an hour, maybe less if you build a dynamic enough machine. However, Besiege isn’t the type of game you should just power through. The real fun comes with the building process. You’ll either create something magnificent, or something that will destroy itself as soon as you hit the space bar. Although still in Early Access, at only $6.99 Besiege is definitely worth a buy.

Counterstrike: Global Offensive

Like its predecessors in the series, CS:GO is a multiplayer first-person shooter developed and published by Valve. The player joins either the Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist forces, and works with the rest of their team to secure different objectives on the map, or simply destroy the enemy team. There are five different game modes, with the most popular being Classic Casual and Competitive. Don’t die! If you die once in a round, you must wait until the next round for re-spawn, which means less reward and a higher chance of defeat.

League of Legends

If you haven’t heard of League of Legends, let us introduce you to the smash-hit Multiplayer Online Battle Arena that a mere 68 million people are playing worldwide. If you’re tired of hearing about it and you’re just intimidated by the genre, rest assured that League of Legends is the perfect entry to the MOBA world. Team up in two groups of 5 to battle it out on Summoners Rift with the ultimate objective of taking the enemy Nexus. The champions pool is diverse and you’re sure to find one that suits your playstyle. Plus, the game is free-to-play so there’s is nothing to lose (other than your dignity!)

Don't Starve and Don’t Starve Together

Can you stay a gentleman while you're slowly going bloomin' mad? Don't Starve is a 2D survival simulation that practically bleeds Tim Burton. While the graphics might be reminiscent of a children's pop-up storybook, the actual game is made out of delicious, delicious nightmares. You begin with nothing but the bare basics and must, through raw ingenuity and sensible behavior, chisel a living from the barren, unholy wilderness. Don't Starve was already spectacular when it first launched, but time and an eager community have this game even better with the release of its expansion Don’t Starve Together. You can now cooperate with friends in a private game or take chances by grouping up with strangers online to work together in surviving the obscure wildlife and harsh environments.

Crypt of the Necrodancer

Crypt of the Necrodancer is a mixed genre game that incorporates elements of a roguelike dungeon crawler with a beat matching rhythm game. It’s a clever and quirky spin on an old classic. Using either a mouse and keyboard, gamepad, or even a dancepad, the player can traverse the map, but can only successfully move or perform an attack to the beat of the song playing. This game might sound like a one trick pony, but with a diverse gallery of enemies and 16 tracks accompanied by unique visuals, the game executes well.

Team Fortress 2

You can't go wrong with the classics! Team Fortress 2 is a game that requires only minimal introductions. A team-based first-person shooter that is all but bristling with hats, Team Fortress 2 is goofy, airy and riddled with classes for everyone. Prefer to be quick, nimble and deadly? Go with the Scout. Play a Heavy if you like mini-guns and slicing down people who don't check before they turn down corridors. Feel like confusing the enemy? The Spy's your guy. There's a reason as to why Team Fortress 2 is still so outrageously popular today, in spite of having been around for years.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a really, really good game. If you didn't already know that, you probably haven't spent much time on the Internet. The turn-based strategy game puts you in command of a secret organization dedicated to curbing the alien menace. XCOM: Enemy Unknown is one of the few games capable of making little gray men seem genuinely threatening, a miracle by any stretch of the word. I'm told the game is difficult, but completable. However, I can't attest to that personally. Iron Man mode is an addictive monster.

Borderlands 2

What's there to say about Borderlands 2 that hasn't been said yet? The third-person shooter features a rather diverse crew of Vault Hunters, each armed with a diverse set of talents. Both the story and the environments are loud, loud, loud. Neon-colored and draped with outlandish characters, Borderlands 2, much like its predecessor, doesn't try to be a heavy game. Instead, it focuses on being fun and being a vehicle for obsessive-compulsve behaviour. Equipment of all shapes and sizes practically rain from the skies, along with cosmetic items to help customize your Vault Hunter. This isn't so much a game for the thinker as it is a game for people who love fun.

Papers, Please

In direct contrast to the last recommendation, Papers, Please is practically bowled over by its own weight. As the immigrant officer, it's your duty to determine whether a new supplicant should be allowed access to your glorious country or subjected to worse weights. Things get progressively more difficult the deeper you move into the game. Decisions that seemed easy at first will eventually leave you agonizing over the morality of the situation. Have I mentioned a family? You're responsible for a family. Fail to bring the proverbial bacon home and you're going to get to watch them starve. (Also see: Cart Life.)

FTL: Faster than Light

'Tis the game that spawned the term roguelike-like. FTL is a top-down, real-time strategy video game which puts players in control of the crew of a single aircraft. Charged with delivering vital information to allied forces, the ship must somehow find a way to survive the deadly, procedurally generated universe. There's an almost maddening amount of detail to worry about. Asteroids belts, hull breach-induced fires, hostile ships, lack of oxygen? All there. What makes FTL even more unnerving an experience is the fact that it runs on perma-death. Yup. Just think about that.

Gone Home

Gone Home is .. interesting. This first-person interactive story is focused around a girl called Kaitlin Greenbriar. Freshly home from a yearlong trip aboard, Kaitlin discovers the family manor completely barren of people. Which is, well, a bit of a spooky start. Things progress from there. Scattered letters from Kaitlin's sister Samantha offers a voyeuristic glimpse of what went down in Kaitlin's absence. By now, you probably already know everything there needs to be known about Gone Home. But, in the interest of maintaining some sort of mystery, I'm going to stop here for fear of spoilers. Gone Home is a lovely game albeit not quite a "game" in the traditional sense of the word. Either way, totally worth playing in my opinion.

Minecraft

Look, you've got to know Minecraft. At this point in time, it's impossible to evade mention of Minecraft. It's in our shops, our talk shows, our memes, our other video games. You can't escape Minecraft. Minecraft is omnipresent. Like McDonalds. The voxel-based sandbox that offers you a huge amount of creative joy. There are two modes, of course. One comes with enemies, the other unbridled amounts of freedom and no external threats. What you choose to play is, of course, up to your personal discretion. Like Don't Starve, Minecraft has benefited from a loving community. Mods are a-plenty on the Internet; a single search's more than sufficient to have you set for life. (Alliteration, oh how I love thee.)

Starcraft II

The sequel to Blizzard's best-selling real-time strategy game has received a mixed response from the community. Some have fully embraced the new changes that Blizzard implemented while others have evidenced longing for old-school, sci-fi war. But regardless of which camp you fall under, one thing's clear: Starcraft II is still a great game. The campaign's purportedly pretty okay, but it is the multiplayer component which truly shines. Additionally, this might actually be the perfect time to take Starcraft II for a test drive as Blizzard made the Arcade free for anyone to access.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! (Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a genuine, god-damned terror. Do not play it if you lack proper bladder control.)