How to play Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop on Mac

Is it possible to play Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop on Mac?

Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop is a top-down shooter game developed by Reactive Drop Team. However, it is worth noting that Reactive Drop is merely an expansion pack for Alien Swarm. The base game, meanwhile, was developed by no one other than Valve themselves. This, combined with the fact that both the game and the expansion are completely free on Steam, have earned the game its “overwhelmingly positive” rating. The main focus of Alien Swarm is its co-op mode, where four players form a tactical squad to fight against alien bug-like creatures. But Reactive Drop adds other game modes as well. Several PvP modes were added, such as your usual deathmatch, team deathmatch and instagib. A singleplayer mode is available as well. Although you have to act as a part of a squad in this game, there’s plenty of room for individuality as well. The players have four different character classes available to them, and can choose their gear and weapons. The game’s already extensive arsenal has grown even larger with Reactive Drop; players have many to choose from. Unfortunately, this is a Windows-only game. Don’t be disappointed, though; it is still possible to play Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop on Mac. How? Read the guide below and find out.

System Requirements

Play Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop on Mac with Parallels

Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop is not a demanding game, so 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, and enjoy the Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop 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.

Install Windows 10 on Parallels (Step 1)

Install Windows 10 on Parallels (Step 2)

Install Windows 10 on Parallels (Step 3)

Install Windows 10 on Parallels (Step 4)

Play Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop on Mac with cloud gaming services

If you have an old Mac or it cannot satisfy the Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop 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 Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop in its game library, it is an excellent choice for those seeking to try the game out.

Play Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop 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 Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop on Mac

This method is simple but time-consuming. If your Mac meets all the system requirements above, you can play Alien Swarm: Reactive Drop 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.

1. Download this Windows ISO file.
2. Open Boot Camp Assistant (Go to Applications > Utilities).
3. Define the Windows partition size and choose the Windows ISO file you’ve downloaded.
4. Format the Windows partition and go through all Windows installation steps.
5. When Windows boots for the first time follow on-screen instructions to install Boot Camp and Windows support software (drivers)