Is it possible to play Age of Wonders 4 on Mac?
Age of Wonders 4 is the latest 4X game published by Paradox Interactive. As Paradox is known for their outstanding 4X games – like Stellaris and Crusader Kings III – this game became an instant hit, and is currently the best-selling 4X game on Steam. Set in a fantasy world, Age of Wonders 4 allows you to create your own race by defining their looks, their beliefs, and their supernatural powers. Though this may not sound like much, the amount of choices you are given allow you to recreate pretty much any fantasy race you may heard of, or come up with your own. This already gives the game plenty of replayability, but to meet Paradox’s high standards, a game should stay interesting for thousands of hours, not mere hundreds. So, they added more… The game’s extremely deep tactical system provides you with a myriad of ways to destroy your opponents, and the game’s strategic layer allows you to never reach that point in the first place. Forge alliances, research arcane mysteries, search for ancient artifacts and transcend the mortal realm – or focus on developing your economy, because even that was made fun and challenging in this excellent 4X game. Unfortunately, Age of Wonders 4 is available only on Windows PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. As usual, Apple computers are ignored. But there are still several ways to play Age of Wonders 4 on Mac. Read our article if you want to learn more.
Play Age of Wonders 4 on Mac with Parallels
Age of Wonders 4 requires lots of PC resources, but if you have a powerful Mac computer (iMac, iMac Pro, or Mac Pro) Parallels Desktop can be a solution. This is an application that allows for Windows virtualization on Mac with the full support of DirectX and GPUs. In simpler terms, what this means is that it allows you to install Windows 10 on Mac with just a couple of clicks and switch between MacOS and Windows instantly. So you will be able to run Windows, install Steam (or Epic Games Store), and enjoy the Age of Wonders 4 game on Mac just like on a regular PC.
Please note that not all games are supported by Parallels. Several conditions must be met for the game to be playable. Your Mac must exceed minimum system requirements for the game; meeting them is not enough. Generally speaking, you will need an iMac Pro or a Mac Pro to run demanding games. Some MacBook Pro and iMac models are also suitable; they must have an Intel processor, a discrete graphics card and at least 16 GB of RAM. If your Mac has an Apple Silicon chip (such as M1, M2, M3), you may experience issues playing modern games. Games that require DirectX 12 are currently not supported by Parallels. AppsOnMac recommends using Parallels’ free trial feature to determine whether you can run the game or not if you’re uncertain.
Play Age of Wonders 4 on Mac with cloud gaming services
If you have an old Mac or it cannot satisfy the Age of Wonders 4 game system requirements, there is an easy solution. Cloud gaming services will be happy to provide you with sufficient computing power – though not for free, of course. All you need is a browser or a small client program and a good internet connection starting from 15 MBit/s. There are several great platforms that provide these services, among the best are Boosteroid, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and NVidia GeForce NOW. As Boosteroid has Age of Wonders 4 in its game library, it is an excellent choice for those seeking to try the game out.
Play Age of Wonders 4 on Mac with BootCamp
Note: Mac computers with new Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3 Pro, or M1, M2, M3 Max) currently do not support BootCamp. In this case, please, use the options above to run Age of Wonders 4 on Mac
This method is simple but time-consuming. If your Mac meets all the system requirements above, you can play Age of Wonders 4 on Mac by installing Windows. You need to set up a dual boot of Windows and Mac via BootCamp. This is an application that allows users to choose the system to work in on startup, however, you won’t be able to switch between systems like in Parallels. You will need to reboot your machine every time you want to switch from Mac to Windows and vice versa. Remember that Mac is just a computer, in the end. And while newer Macs have their own special Apple Silicon chips that cannot run Windows, older Macs are very much similar to computers that run Windows, they have Intel processors, compatible RAM, disks, and other components. So you can install Windows on an older Mac by allocating no less than 64 GB of disk space (to be able to run Windows and a couple of games) and following these steps:
For OS X El Capitan 10.11 and older
For MacOS versions prior to OS X El Capitan 10.11 you will need to create a bootable Windows USB.
- Download this Windows ISO file.
- Open Boot Camp Assistant (Go to Applications > Utilities).
- Define the Windows partition size and choose the Windows ISO file you’ve downloaded.
- Format the Windows partition and go through all Windows installation steps.
- When Windows boots for the first time follow on-screen instructions to install Boot Camp and Windows support software (drivers)