Is it possible to play Valorant on Mac?
Developed by Riot Games, Valorant is a multiplayer game that has made a good impression on people involved in first-person tactical shooters. It is a dynamic and futuristic 5v5 videogame with lots of unique abilities assigned to each character. Choose whether you want to support your team or tank through the cascade of bullets to contest the enemies spawned on the other side of the map. The game represents over 10 characters embracing their own backgrounds and skills allowing users to build up a roster of cross-cultural and unstoppable forces. Users are having a list of 3 modes (Competitive, Spike Rush, and DeathMatch) to play, so do not hesitate to join the battling stage and eliminate your enemies to become victorious. Valorant is based on Unreal Engine 4, which enabled developers to embody a mix of solid graphics and optimization. Unfortunately, despite the game being new and available only for Windows, developers do not have plans to deliver their projects into Mac systems. This is why we are here to help you launch it on Mac despite circumstances.
System Requirements
| Minimal | Recommended |
|---|---|
| OS: Windows 7 or later (64-Bit) | OS: Windows 7 or later (64-Bit) |
| Processor: Intel i3-370M | Processor: Core i5-4460 |
| RAM: 4 GB | RAM: 4 GB |
| Video card: Intel HD 3000 | Video card: GTX 1050 Ti |
| DirectX: from 9 version | DirectX: from 9 version |
| Disc space: 100 GB | Disc space: 100 GB |
Play Valorant on Mac with Parallels
Valorant does not require lots of PC resources, and you can play the game if you have a decent Mac computer (iMac, iMac Pro, or Mac Pro), and Parallels Desktop can be a solution. This is software for Windows virtualization on Mac with the full support of DirectX and GPUs. It allows you to install Windows 10 on Mac with a couple of clicks and switch between MacOS and Windows instantly. You can run Windows just like on a regular PC, install Steam and enjoy the Valorant game on Mac.
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 versions 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 currently not supported by Parallels.
Play Valorant with cloud gaming services
Update: Nvidia GeForce Now and AirGPU does not support Valorant to the date, but they can add it anytime and you can play Valorant on Mac on full settings! Register and explore cloud gaming now!
If you have an old Mac or it cannot satisfy Valorant game system requirements, there is an easy solution. Cloud gaming provides you with sufficient cloud resources for a fixed fee. All you need is a small client program and a good internet connection starting from 15 Mbits/s. There are several great services, that provide such an opportunity, among the best are AirGPU and Nvidia GeForce Now. Nvidia GeForce Now already has Valorant in their game catalog soon, and you can play on any Mac computer (starting from MacOS 10.10) and even Android!
Play Valorant 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 Valorant on Mac
This method is simple but time-consuming. If your Mac meets all the system requirements above, this is probably the best way to play Valorant for now. You need to set up a dual boot of Windows and Mac via BootCamp. BootCamp 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 switch from Mac to Windows and vice versa. Remember that Mac is just a computer, that uses common processors, RAM, disks, and other components. So you can install Windows on Mac by allocating disc space of a minimum of 64 Gb (to be able to run Windows and a couple of games). To set up Windows via BootCamp, please, do the following:
For OS X El Capitan 10.11 or later
Mention, that for MacOS versions prior to OS X El Capitan 10.11 you will need to create bootable Windows USB.
- Download Windows ISO file
- Open Boot Camp Assistant (Go to Applications > Utilities)
- Define the Windows partition size, choose downloaded Windows ISO file
- Format 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)
Looks like you can’t play on a m1 silicon Mac because they can’t run boot camp. You have to use an Intel-based Mac.