Lost Ark is a MMORPG game by Tripod Studio and Smilegate RPG. Similar to many other Korean MMORPGs, it is set in a fantasy world. The game mainly focuses on non-competitive gameplay: discovering locations, completing quests, and fighting computer-controlled enemies. The game was praised for its graphics and accessibility, and even won several awards at 2019 Korea Game Awards. Another widely-acclaimed part of the game is its combat, with many critics noting that it plays more like an Action RPG than a typical MMORPG in this regard. Lost Ark is also free-to-play, which can, admittedly, push some people away from the game in fear of aggressive monetization. Their fears, however, are unfounded. The game does, indeed, sell items that provide in-game benefits, but there are no paywalls – all content can be accessed by free players. Obviously, paying is still a competitive advantage, but that’s not very important considering that the competitive elements are a very minor and optional part of the gameplay.
Originally released in South Korea in 2019, the game recently became available to play in other regions as well, specifically in North America, South America, Europe, and Russia. However, it supports Microsoft Windows only. For those looking to play Lost Ark on Mac, that’s bad news. This is where our guide comes in. Even though there’s no Lost Ark version for Mac, you can still play it by reading the article below.
System Requirements
| Minimal | Recommended |
|---|---|
| OS: Windows 10 (64-bit only) | OS: Windows 10 (64-bit only) |
| Processor: Intel i3 or AMD Ryzen 3 | Processor: Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 |
| RAM: 8 GB | RAM: 16 GB |
| Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 / AMD HD6850 | Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 |
| DirectX: Version 9 | DirectX: Version 11 |
| Storage: 50 GB | Storage: 50 GB |
Play Lost Ark on Mac with Parallels
Lost Ark 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, and enjoy the Lost Ark game on Mac just like on a regular PC.
Note: Recommended devices to run resource-demanding games: MacBook Pro (models with an Intel processor, discrete graphics cards, and 16 GB of RAM or more), iMac (models with Intel processor, discrete graphics cards, and 16 GB of RAM or more), iMac Pro (all models are suitable), Mac Pro (all models are suitable). Parallels on Mac computers with M1 (M1 Pro, M1 Max) chips may not support recent games. Games that require DirectX 12 and later 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 Lost Ark on Mac with cloud gaming services
If you have an old Mac, or it cannot satisfy the Lost Ark 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. Boosteroid specifically should be important to the reader of the article as it has Lost Ark in its game library.
Play Lost Ark 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 Lost Ark on Mac
This method is simple but time-consuming. If your Mac meets all the system requirements above, you can play Lost Ark 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)