Soulcalibur VI is the most recent installment in the Soulcalibur fighting game series, and we’re happy to tell any fan of the genre that it’s a very decent one, one that has undoubtedly improved on its predecessors. The number of characters available to play as got expanded, of course – and for the first time, a guest character from another franchise, namely Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher series, was given a role to play in the plot. Soulcalibur VI retains most mechanics present in the previous games – a reasonable decision, considering the series’ highly successful and engaging gameplay loop – it’s hardly a good idea to reinvent the wheel every time you make a car, after all. But sticking too close to the formula can quickly make the series feel boring, make it stale and not exciting anymore… not to worry, however, Soulcalibur VI developers knew this, and built on top of what was there. Some of the mechanics were overhauled, and a whole new one was added – this new mechanic, called Reversal Edge, allows the players to fight more defensively, thus adding a twist on the balance of the game as a whole.
Overall, Soulcalibur VI is a solid game of its genre, with interesting mechanics and pleasing graphics, and, of course, is a must-play for any fan of the franchise. Yet, this game, and, indeed, all Soulcalibur games, are plagued with one issue that the developers have no interest in addressing, and that is the lack of Mac support. And while we should not blame the developers for not making what they see as a financially unsound investment, it’s hard to not feel disappointed. We feel you. Luckily, there are options that enable one to play Soulcalibur VI on Mac even though it has not received a port.
System Requirements
| Minimal | Recommended |
|---|---|
| OS: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 (64-bit) | OS: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 (64-bit) |
| Processor: Intel Core i3-4160 @ 3.60GHz or equivalent | Processor: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5 GHz or equivalent |
| RAM: 6 GB | RAM: 8 GB |
| Video card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 | Video card: GeForce GTX 1060 or equivalent |
| DirectX: Version 11 | DirectX: Version 11 |
| Disc space: 20 GB | Disc space: 20 GB |
Play Soulcalibur VI on Mac with Parallels
Soulcalibur VI 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 Soulcalibur VI 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 Soulcalibur VI on Mac with cloud gaming services
If you have an old Mac or it cannot satisfy the Soulcalibur VI 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 Soulcalibur VI 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 Soulcalibur VI 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 Soulcalibur VI on Mac 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 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 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)