Is it possible to play Company of Heroes 3 on Mac?
Company of Heroes 3 is a new and third installment of the whole military franchise taking its players through the realms of World War II in real-time strategy combat. The game features immersive and authentic gameplay with a new dynamic campaign system allowing all players to go through both historical and fictional war episodes from multiple perspectives. Having access to and control over a number of units, ranging from infantry to tanks and aircraft, players will be able to adapt the environment to fighting needs and build their own strategic pace and approach to outsmart the marching or defending opponents. On top of the solo-play campaign, Company of Heroes 3 also offers online co-op and PVP modes (e.g., “Domination”, “Capture the flag”, etc.) bringing a number of other players to compete against or alongside your back on the mutual battlefield. An interesting new feature made available in this third installment is the tactical pause system. Players can pause the game and issue commands to their units, giving them time to plan the next move. This system is especially good to practice prior to delving into multiplayer matches where quick thinking and strategic planning are essential elements in deciding one’s victory. The graphics in Company of Heroes 3 perfectly match the game’s genre and are far better compared to its predecessors. Highly detailed environments, realistic unit models, and impressive visual and sound effects will no doubt keep you engaged throughout the gameplay. Thus, Company of Heroes 3 can be said to place a deserved spot among players’ wishlists to try this immersive experience. At the moment, the game has been made officially playable only on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Windows. Despite this, there are some third-party methods to launch and play it on Mac as well. Scroll further down to learn what magic it is in our article below.
Play Company of Heroes 3 on Mac with Parallels
Company of Heroes 3 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 Company of Heroes 3 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 Company of Heroes 3 on Mac with cloud gaming services
If you have an old Mac or it cannot satisfy the Company of Heroes 3 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 Company of Heroes 3 in its game library, it is an excellent choice for those seeking to try the game out.
Play Company of Heroes 3 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 Company of Heroes 3 on Mac
This method is simple but time-consuming. If your Mac meets all the system requirements above, you can play Company of Heroes 3 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)