The Mac has plenty of games, but it'll always get the short end of the stick compared to Windows. If you want to play the latest games on your Mac, you have no choice but to install Windows ... or do you?

There are a few ways you can play Windows games on your Mac without having to dedicate a partition to Boot Camp or giving away vast amounts of hard drive space to a virtual machine app like VMWare Fusion or Parallels Desktop. Here are a few other options for playing Windows games on your Mac without the hassle or expense of having to install Windows.

GeForce Now

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PC gaming on Mac? Yes you can, thanks to Nvidia's GeForce Now. The service allows users to play PC games from Steam or Battle.net on macOS devices. Better still, the graphic power of these games resides on Nvidia's servers. The biggest drawback: the service remains in beta, and there's been no announcement when the first full release is coming or what a monthly subscription will cost.

For now, at least, the service is free to try and enjoy. All supported GeForce NOW titles work on Macs, and yes, there are plenty of them already available!

The Wine Project

The Mac isn't the only computer whose users have wanted to run software designed for Windows. More than 20 years ago, a project was started to enable Windows software to work on POSIX-compliant operating systems like Linux. It's called The Wine Project, and the effort continues to this day. OS X is POSIX-compliant, too (it's Unix underneath all of Apple's gleam, after all), so Wine will run on the Mac also.

Mac Script Editor

Wine is a recursive acronym that stands for Wine Is Not an Emulator. It's been around the Unix world for a very long time, and because OS X is a Unix-based operating system, it works on the Mac too.

As the name suggests, Wine isn't an emulator. The easiest way to think about it is as a compatibility layer that translates Windows Application Programming Interface (API) calls into something that the Mac can understand. So when a game says 'draw a square on the screen,' the Mac does what it's told.

You can use straight-up Wine if you're technically minded. It isn't for the faint of heart, although there are instructions online, and some kind souls have set up tutorials, which you can find using Google. Wine doesn't work with all games, so your best bet is for you to start searching for which games you'd like to play and whether anyone has instructions to get it working on the Mac using Wine.

Note: At the time of this writing, The Wine Project does not support macOS 10.15 Catalina.

CrossOver Mac

CodeWeavers took some of the sting out of Wine by making a Wine-derived app called CrossOver Mac. CrossOver Mac is Wine with specialized Mac support. Like Wine, it's a Windows compatibility layer for the Mac that enables some games to run.

CodeWeavers has modified the source code to Wine, made some improvements to configuration to make it easier, and provided support for their product, so you shouldn't be out in the cold if you have trouble getting things to run.

Change Game Scripts Macbook Pro

My experience with CrossOver — like Wine — is somewhat hit or miss. Its list of actual supported games is pretty small. Many other unsupported games do, in fact work — the CrossOver community has many notes about what to do or how to get them to work, which are referenced by the installation program. Still, if you're more comfortable with an app that's supported by a company, CrossOver may be worth a try. What's more, a free trial is available for download, so you won't be on the hook to pay anything to give it a shot.

Boxer

If you're an old-school gamer and have a hankering to play DOS-based PC games on your Mac, you may have good luck with Boxer. Boxer is a straight-up emulator designed especially for the Mac, which makes it possible to run DOS games without having to do any configuring, installing extra software, or messing around in the Mac Terminal app.

With Boxer, you can drag and drop CD-ROMs (or disk images) from the DOS games you'd like to play. It also wraps them into self-contained 'game boxes' to make them easy to play in the future and gives you a clean interface to find the games you have installed.

Boxer is built using DOSBox, a DOS emulation project that gets a lot of use over at GOG.com, a commercial game download service that houses hundreds of older PC games that work with the Mac. So if you've ever downloaded a GOG.com game that works using DOSBox, you'll have a basic idea of what to expect.

Some final thoughts

In the end, programs like the ones listed above aren't the most reliable way to play Windows games on your Mac, but they do give you an option.

Of course, another option is to run Windows on your Mac, via BootCamp or a virtual machine, which takes a little know-how and a lot of memory space on your Mac's hard drive.

How do you play your Windows games on Mac?

Let us know in the comment below!

Updated October 2019: Updated with the best options.

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Comments

• Hello.
  Make sure that you have ticked the 'script mods on' button in game options.

  
  http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
  http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
  My Gallery Page https://tinyurl.com/Roseymow
  My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
• 0
• Since the last patches, there have been a number of mods that have conflicted with the game. Perhaps go back to where you downloaded the mods from, and check that you have the latest updated version of the mods that has been released since the patches.
  This is a link to a thread that contains a list of some mods that no longer work or have been updated
  http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/822737/updated-mods-that-arent-working-mar-26-patch
  Also, if you are using sub folders, you need to have edited the resource.cfg file to allow the game to see the cc/mods.
  http://www.modthesims.info/showthread.php?t=531644

  
  http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
  http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
  My Gallery Page https://tinyurl.com/Roseymow
  My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
• not all mods work after certain game updates
  like no weight/muscles change mod
• Script mods don't work in my game either, however , they show up in the list of mods. I do have script mods enabled and have checked for updates and updated mods.
  Help!

• Script mods don't work in my game either, however , they show up in the list of mods. I do have script mods enabled and have checked for updates and updated mods.
  Help!

  
  Hello @phoebe.ox . Perhaps go back to the sites where you downloaded them and check to see if other simmers are having problems with the same mods.
  Also, make sure that script mods is enabled , because sometimes simmers find that after a patch update, it becomes unticked and they need to tick it again.

  
  http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
  http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
  My Gallery Page https://tinyurl.com/Roseymow
  My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
• I have just been doing that actually, but there doesn't seem to be anyone I can find with the same issue :(
  Script mods are defiantly enabled. I have just reset my game and made sure it was ticked.

• I have just been doing that actually, but there doesn't seem to be anyone I can find with the same issue
  Script mods are defiantly enabled. I have just reset my game and made sure it was ticked.

  
  Here's a guide see if this helps any http://simswiki.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:TS4_CC_Basics good luck
• Thanks, but I'm not too sure what to do. Should I extract the archive files?

• Thanks, but I'm not too sure what to do. Should I extract the archive files?
  

  
  sorry not sure what you mean by archived files? typically archived mods are only for those that have not updated their games. the key thing for script mods is the following, taken from the link i posted:
  

  Installing Game Mods (.pyo/.py)
  Script and Core mods modify game files by custom python scripts. These do NOT get unzipped!
  Cut and paste the ZIP or RAR into your Mods folder:
  Windows XP: Documents and Settings(Current User Account)My DocumentsElectronic ArtsThe Sims 4Mods
  Windows Vista/7/8/8.1: Users(Current User Account)DocumentsElectronic ArtsThe Sims 4Mods

  
  if your files arent unzipped and still are not working i do recall mac users posting issues before with some mods you can check out the mac section for more help. but again for most the issue is that they have unzipped when they shouldn't. creators notes are typically good about reminding users to keep unzipped. HTH
• I'm having a problem too, I have downloaded a bunch of mods and put them in my sims 4 mods folder (in the correct place) and enabled mods and script mods. When I open the game it shows me the mods, script mods and custom content I've added, but when I play the game, my custom content is all there, but my script mods are no where to be seen. Can someone help me?
• edited January 2016

  I'm having a problem too, I have downloaded a bunch of mods and put them in my sims 4 mods folder (in the correct place) and enabled mods and script mods. When I open the game it shows me the mods, script mods and custom content I've added, but when I play the game, my custom content is all there, but my script mods are no where to be seen. Can someone help me?

  
  Hello,
  There has been many mods that have been conflicting with the game since the latest patches.
  This is a link to a thread that lists some of the broken/updated mods . Check to see if you have mods that are on that list
  http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/863545/broken-updated-mods-dec-15
  Try also resetting your sims 4 folder and see if that helps. To do that, move your sims 4 folder ( that is in Documents -Electronic Arts - then the sims 4 folder is there ) to the desktop. Then start the game, and a new sims 4 folder will be generated. Exit the game and then add back the 'options.ini' file and the 'saves' , 'screenshots' 'tray' 'custom music ' folders from the desktop sims 4 folder to the new sims 4 folder, replacing the new generated file/ folders with the old file/folders.
  Don't add back the mods folder. Instead add the cc/mods to the newly generated mods folder then test to see if the mods are able to be used in the game,
  

  
  http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
  http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
  My Gallery Page https://tinyurl.com/Roseymow
  My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
• I've been having the same problem, I've downloaded the mods, put them in the mods folder, and started the game. They show up in my custom content list, but they aren't working in game. I haven't tried uninstalling the game or Origin, although maybe that would be an option to consider. If anyone has any ideas or has had the same issue and solved it, please help! I'm playing on a 2011 MacBook Pro....
• edited February 2016

  I've been having the same problem, I've downloaded the mods, put them in the mods folder, and started the game. They show up in my custom content list, but they aren't working in game. I haven't tried uninstalling the game or Origin, although maybe that would be an option to consider. If anyone has any ideas or has had the same issue and solved it, please help! I'm playing on a 2011 MacBook Pro....

  
  Hello @Raelin_Ocean .
  Make sure that the ' enable custom content and mods' and the enable script mods option is ticked in game options.
  Try going back to where you downloaded the mods from and see if there are updated versions of the mods. The mods may be conflicting with the game and/or not working after the recent patches. Also see if other simmers are having the same issues as you are.
  If you still have issues after that, move your mods folder to the desktop. Start the game , and a new mods folder will be generated. Exit the game. Then put your mods/CC back into the newly generated mods folder and see if they work then.
  Also, if you continue to have issues, you may like to post about the issue in the Mac section of the forums too
  http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/categories/the-sims-4-on-mac-discussions

  
  http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
  http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
  My Gallery Page https://tinyurl.com/Roseymow
  My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase
• @rosemow I have all of the custom content enabled...the problem is I don't remember what mods I have and where they're downloaded from...it's only the script mods that aren't working and most of them are just numbers...thank you though!
• edited February 2016

  @rosemow I have all of the custom content enabled...the problem is I don't remember what mods I have and where they're downloaded from...it's only the script mods that aren't working and most of them are just numbers...thank you though!

  
  Hello @Raelin_Ocean
  Do the mods not do what you expected them to do in the game? How are they not working in your game? Do you know the names of the mods?
  Edit : Look at the names of the mods when they are listed in the menu at the start menu, then go back to the mod sites and make sure that you have installed them the way the creator has posted to install them. Often script mods need to be kept in their zip file.
  If you don't know the sites where you downloaded them from, try googling the name of the mod to find the download site.

  
  http://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/817478/hello-come-and-introduce-yourself
  http://tinyurl.com/OneRoomOneWeek
  My Gallery Page https://tinyurl.com/Roseymow
  My Showcase thread https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/948861/rosemow-s-rooms-showcase