Best Mac Games To Play With Xbox Controller

  • Jul 02, 2019  Once macOS starts back up, connect your Xbox One controller using a Micro-USB to Type A USB cable and you’ll see the controller’s Xbox light turn on if the driver installation was successful. To configure your Xbox One controller for use with your Mac, head to System Preferences.
  • Explore games with Xbox controller support on itch.io Find games with Xbox controller support like Project Kat, Scrap Story Teaser Demo, Terminus Dusk (Demo 0.1.1), Isabelle, Scrap Race on itch.io, the indie game hosting marketplace.

I cannot for the life of me get my Xbox One controller to work on Steam games I have a 2017 MacBook Pro running the latest version of Catalina. I have an Xbox One S controller connected through Bluetooth.

If you want to play Microsoft Xbox games on your Mac there are two easy ways to do so. One is by running Windows on your Mac using Parallels and the other is via an app called OneCast.

You May Also Like:

Here’s an overview of both ways so you can choose the best one for you.

1. Parallels

Parallels is our favorite way to run Windows on a Mac and the latest version of Parallels 15 supports Xbox Beta from the Windows store which allows you to play Xbox games in Windows 10.

You also need an Xbox pass but you can get one for an introductory offer of $1 for the first month and then $5 per month afterwards.

Even better, you can connect your Xbox controller via Bluetooth meaning you can enjoy the full Xbox experience on your Mac.

Installing Windows on your Mac also opens up a whole world of other advantages allowing you to install PC only apps and games on macOS.

2. OneCast

OneCast allows you to stream Xbox One games to macOS in 1080p and connect an Xbox controller to your Mac via Bluetooth or USB.

OneCast is extremely easy to setup, there’s almost no lag when playing and you can setup multiple profiles for multiple Xboxes.

You can try OneCast for free although after 14 days it costs $10 to buy a license key for the full version. It’s normally $20 but it’s currently 50% off until April 1st. You can also watch OneCast in action playing NBA Live on Mac here.

Before starting, make sure that your Mac and Xbox are connected to the same internet router at home. Then follow these instructions to start streaming Xbox games to your Mac for free:

  • Download the trial version of OneCast for free and open the DMG file downloaded.
  • Drag the OneCast app to your Applications folder.
  • Click on the OneCast icon in your dock to launch it.
  • OneCast will then automatically detect your Xbox on your home network (assuming it’s switched on) and allow you to connect to it. OneCast will prompt you to login into your Xbox with your Microsoft account details. Just use the same username and password that you use to log onto your Xbox One.
  • Finally you simply need to connect your Xbox One controller to your Mac which you can do by activating Bluetooth on your Mac via System Preferences. Alternatively you can also connect it via USB.

You can stream your Xbox on your Mac in either windowed mode or full screen mode. You can even connect your Mac to your Xbox away from home too although this requires a few simple manual network configuration changes which are explained in the OneCast user manual.

Controller

Although there is some lag at times, most games run pretty smoothly in 1080p using OneCast and it’s generally very impressive. If you find that lag becomes a problem, you can try changing the video quality when you launch OneCast from “Very High” to “High”, “Medium” or “Low”.

Xbox Game Streaming Mac

It is also a good idea to shut down all other applications while using OneCast as it’s quite GPU intensive and your Macs cooling vents will kick in pretty quickly if you’ve got lots of other applications open.

The Mac gaming scene is really hotting-up this year with NVIDIA GeForce Now already allowing Mac users to play Windows only Steam games on Mac.

Previously the only way to run Xbox games on Mac was to install Windows on Mac for free using Boot Camp but both Parallels and OneCast are definitely easier and more efficient.

Best Mac Games To Play With Xbox Controller Games

If you’re having any problems playing Xbox games on your Mac, let us know in the comments below.

There are a wide variety of games already on Apple Arcade — from simple 2D puzzle games to giant 3D open-world adventures. While all games are designed to work just fine without a controller, some games are just better with a controller in your hands.

A controller gives you a console-like feel and comfort when playing a game on your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Mac, and luckily there are a ton of great options for controllers that are compatible with Apple devices — including the PlayStation DualShock 4 and the Xbox One Wireless controllers.

Note: The links in this guide only trigger the App Store on iOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina.

How to tell if an Apple Arcade game has controller support on iPhone and iPad

If you're familiar with buying games from the App Store, you know the pain of trying to figure out with games have controller support and which don't. Usually, you have to go looking through the game's description to see if the developer has included support — Apple Arcade changes all that. Apple Arcade has clearly labeled each game that supports a controller in, not just one, but two places, so you don't miss it. 0

When you tap on a game in Apple Arcade, you'll be brought to the game page. At the top of the game page, right underneath the app icon, you'll notice a banner of important information, if a game supports controller, you'll see it in this banner (pictured above in the middle). You can also scroll down the page to the Support section, and if the game supports controllers, it will be clearly labeled here as well (pictured above on the right).

How to tell if an Apple Arcade game has controller support on Mac

The process for seeing what games have controller support on the Mac is very similar to checking on your iPhone or iPad. When you launch the App Store, you can click on the Arcade tab in the sidebar. This will bring you to the Apple Arcade screen and you can either search for or click on a game.

Just like in iOS and iPadOS, when you tap on a game in Apple Arcade, you'll be brought to the game page. At the top of the game page, right underneath the app icon, you'll notice a banner of important information, if a game supports controller, (pictured above on the left) you'll see the icon here. Additionally, if you scroll down the page to the Support section of the description, (pictured above on the right) you will also see a controller icon.

All Apple Arcade games with controller support

To throw a wrench into things, in our own personal testing, we've noticed that some games that aren't labeled with controller support in Apple Arcade, appear to work just fine with controllers. For the sake of clarity, the following list will be separated into games that have officially been labeled with controller support, and those that haven't.

Games officially labeled with controller support

This is a list of Apple Arcade games that have official controller support and are listed as such in the App Store.

Games

Games without controller support labels

These Apple Arcade games do not have the official controller support badge in the App Store, but as far as we can tell, they still function with a controller.

Yahoo Free Games To Play

Questions?

Want to know anything else about Apple Arcade and controller support? Let us know in the comments down below.

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

(PRODUCT)RED

Apple is now redirecting (PRODUCT)RED purchases to COVID‑19 relief fund

Xbox Play Anywhere Mac

Now through September 30, Apple is redirecting 100% of a portion of (PRODUCT)RED purchases to the Global Fund’s COVID‑19 Response.