Weird West is a role-playing game that uses – obviously – Wild West aesthetic. But it is not your typical Western game, far from it. In a unique spin on the genre, Weird West combines its Western setting with a dark fantasy setting, of all things. You should expect your usual revolver-slinging cowboys, gold miners, and outlaws, sure; but the world they live in is also inhabited by strange, supernatural creatures most of whom are dangerous and deadly. The developers state that their game was inspired by Fallout 1 and 2, and have even involved Chris Avellone – a video game designer who worked on these two games – in the development process. The gameplay is split into chapters; during each, you control a different protagonist. You will, in total, guide five different bounty hunters on their journeys, interacting with the world and making irreversible decisions. Once you’ve completed a character’s story and have moved on to the next chapter, you will be able to visit them to see what impact your choices made on their lives. The game is only available on Windows, PS4, and Xbox One. However, it is also possible to play Weird West on Mac using third-party software. This guide will walk you through the process.
Play Weird West on Mac with Parallels
Weird West 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 Weird West 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 Weird West on Mac with cloud gaming services
If you have an old Mac or it cannot satisfy the Weird West 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 the image above shows, Boosteroid has Weird West in its game library; for this reason it is a good choice for people looking to play this specific game.
Play Weird West 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 Weird West on Mac
This method is simple but time-consuming. If your Mac meets all the system requirements above, you can play Weird West 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)