Is it possible to play Space Engineers on Mac
Merged in the lab of Keen Software House, Space Engineers is a videogame about construction and survival in space full of unexplored resources. In this game, players are given unlimited options to build their spaceships and other equipment to explore the limitless universe. Space Engineers is largely based on realistic mechanisms inspired by physics and modern spacecraft. It is what a future would look like with tons of new technologies and building techniques no one can bear in mind. You can participate in this whole adventure with up to 16 friends or fully alone. Both cooperative and competitive modes allow players to go in line with others or compete apart to fight off and survive. It is a truly interesting and ambient videogame giving a chance to show all of the creativity one has. Unfortunately, it is only available for Windows and Xbox platforms. There is no chance you can play it on Mac unless you read our guide. This is where we explain how to play it on macOS right below.
System Requirements
| Minimal | Recommended |
|---|---|
| OS: Microsoft Windows 10 (latest SP) 64-bit | OS: Microsoft Windows 10 (latest SP) 64-bit |
| Processor: Intel i5 @ 3.0 GHz or higher (or AMD equivalent) | Processor: Intel Quad Core i7 @ 4.5 GHz or higher (or AMD equivalent) |
| RAM: 8 GB | RAM: 16 GB |
| Video card: Geforce 750/Radeon R9 270X or higher | Video card: Geforce 1070 GTX / Radeon RX Vega 56 or higher |
| DirectX: Version 11 | DirectX: Version 11 |
| Storage: 35 GB | Storage: 35 GB |
Play Space Engineers on Mac with Parallels
Space Engineers 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 Space Engineers 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.
Play Space Engineers on Mac with cloud gaming services
If you have an old Mac or it cannot satisfy the Space Engineers 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, AirGPU, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Nvidia GeForce Now.
Play Space Engineers 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 Space Engineers on Mac
This method is simple but time-consuming. If your Mac meets all the system requirements above, you can play Space Engineers 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 or later
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)