How to play Poppy Playtime on Mac

Poppy Playtime is a well-received survival horror game developed by MOB Games. The game’s explosive popularity might be explained by its monetization model; it is entirely free to download, though the players are required to pay to progress past the first chapter. As of 2022, only two chapters have been released, but more are expected to come.
The story of the game is mainly set in a defunct toy factory. You, an employee of the company who owns the factory, receive a strange message, originating from the factory’s worker who disappeared ten years ago. Intrigued, you travel there, but – to no one’s surprise – the whole thing was a trap. The toys came alive and seek to end your life. Now you must escape this deadly maze.
To do so, you are given several different tools; the most important one is your GrabPack. It is equipped with long-reaching (but retractable) hands, allowing you to manipulate objects from afar. You can also use these hands to alter electrical connections present throughout the factory. It is not an exaggeration to say that you will not be able to complete the game without mastering this device.
To play Poppy Playtime on Mac, however, you will have to resort to some tricks, as the game is officially only available on Windows, Android, and iOS. Still, it is possible; the guide below will explain the details.

System Requirements

Play Poppy Playtime on Mac with Parallels

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 Poppy Playtime game on Mac just like on a regular PC.

Note: Recommended devices to run resource-demanding games: MacBook Pro (models with 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 versions 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.

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 Poppy Playtime on Mac with cloud gaming services

If you have an old Mac or it cannot satisfy the Poppy Playtime 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 Poppy Playtime in its game library, it is an easy way of checking the game out.
Try Boosteroid

Play Poppy Playtime on Mac using Bluestacks

Note: Playing Poppy Playtime on Mac via Bluestacks will allow you to use a keyboard and mouse, however, according to the latest updates, this won’t give you an advantage, as the game uses special separate servers for gamers playing with emulators.

Among the variety of Android emulators, Bluestacks is the most advanced one. Firstly, it is available for both Windows and Mac with full functionality. Secondly, it allows effortless automatic transition to PC game controls, convenient hot-keys, that you are used to from any regular PC game. It provides high performance and graphics in any mobile game even on a relatively weak PC or Mac, as computer processors are usually more powerful than smartphone ones. To run Poppy Playtime on Mac you need to perform these easy steps:

1. Download latest version of Bluestacks for MacOS.
2. Open Play Store and sign-in with your Google account.
3. Download Poppy Playtime from the catalog and run it.
4. Bluestacks may offer you to run better engine for this game.
5. Install the game and start playing!

Play Poppy Playtime on PC or Mac using Tenorshare Phone Mirror

Tenorshare Phone Mirror is an application that allows you to control your smartphone from a PC or Mac. You will see your phone’s screen on the computer, and will be able to issue commands with keyboard and mouse. With advanced keyboard mapping abilities, similar to what is offered by Android emulators, you will be able to play Poppy Playtime on PC easily, all while enjoying the precision of PC controls.
This method has an obvious disadvantage – it requires you to have a phone capable of running Poppy Playtime. However, there are several advantages as well. Because the game doesn’t actually run on your computer, the specifications of your PC don’t matter. What’s more, it is unlikely that you will be banned in any game for using this tool – something that might happen while using emulators.
Tenorshare Phone Mirror can be used to control both iOS and Android devices, so unless you have a weak smartphone, this app will be useful to you.
Download Phone Mirror

1. Download and install Tenorshare Phone Mirror on your PC or Mac computer.
2. Launch it and pair your smartphone with your computer by following the program’s instructions.
3. Install Poppy Playtime and start playing!

Play Poppy Playtime on M1 (M2, M3) Mac

Note: According to our research, playing Poppy Playtime on an M1 (M2, M3) Mac may cause a temporary or permanent account ban in the game, that is why it is recommended to play with the secondary account or as a guest.

As you may already know, M Macs (latest Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, Mac Mini, iMac) are able to run many iOS apps and games on MacOS. If for apps it can be useful because many iPad and iPhone apps are very advanced and suitable for desktop usage, in gaming this is just magic. M chips (especially M Pro, M Max, M Ultra) are much more powerful than iPhone and iPad chips, in many types of games (shooters, racing) keyboard and mouse (trackpad) controls are much more useful than touch.

To download and play Poppy Playtime on M1 (M2, M3) Mac do the following:

1. On your Mac go to Mac App Store and click on your profile in the bottom left corner.
2. Under account click iPhone‌ & ‌iPad‌ Apps.
3. Download Poppy Playtime on your Mac device and start playing!

Note: not all iOS games and programs support this feature. If you can’t find the game in Mac App Store, it is likely that the game’s developers have decided not to support it.

Play Poppy Playtime 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 Poppy Playtime on Mac

This method is simple but time-consuming. If your Mac meets all the system requirements above, you can play Poppy Playtime 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)