10 Classic Free Games for Mac

Haha Billy Mitchell, the classic arcade gamer (see the movie ‘The King of Kong‘ for more on Billy). Sure you can grab something like MacMAME to play exact copies of retro arcade classics, what about playing some of these classic retro and arcade games natively in OS X? You know the games, the games you grew up playing. Pac-Man, Minesweeper, Asteroids, Tetris. They’re all classics in the computer gaming world and we want them on our Mac.

But when you look for the free games that came with your Mac, (as they do on Windows) you’re only going to find Chess. Sure, Chess is great, but sometimes you just need to play the classics to feel at home on a Mac.

While I can’t provide you with the original classics, there are some really good clones of those classic games out for the Mac. So, ready to get your game on? Here are 10 classic (and free!) games you can start playing right now.

Chess
OS X’s only game

The only game to ship with Mac OS X is Chess. Technically, it’s more classy than any of the other games here, so I figured I’d mention it. Apple makes a fine virtual version of a real-life game, but I admit I’ve only opened up this game once or twice. It’s not exactly the most popular app that comes with your Mac.

Pac the Man X
Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man clone

Probably one of the best clones of a classic game, Pac the Man X gives the classic Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man games a retro, and yet new feel at the same time. Somehow, this game brings back memories that I’m too young to have, memories of playing this game in an arcade when I was 8. It’s that good.

Mine Swept
Minesweeper clone

Mine Swept is an almost perfect Minesweeper clone. It plays just like the original game, although it brings the addition of sound effects and a slightly enhanced interface. Still, Minesweeper is probably the most boring “classic” game so there’s not much really going on here. For something a little bit more interesting, be sure to check out Minesweeper: The Movie.

Solitaire XL
Solitaire clone

Solitaire XL brings Solitaire to the Mac with style and an integrated Mac look. The cards don’t appear in a window, but instead float above your desktop. But beware, you’ll have a hard time seeing the cards clearly if you have any other open windows behind it. For more, see Gerald’s post on Solitaire XL.

Maelstrom
Asteroids clone

Maelstrom plays just like the original Asteroids - only in color. The gameplay feels exactly the same as the original, though; from the cringe you feel when your ship slides off screen, to the satisfaction when you blow up the aliens. The only downside is that it’s not a Universal Binary, so it won’t be running at its best on Intel Macs.

LBreakout 2
Breakout clone

Simple ‘n basic breakout game. Use your keyboard or your mouse. The game plays as you would expect, but the graphics could use some tweaking. They’re a little overdone, and not incredibly eye-pleasing. This is a solid game, nonetheless. Not a Universal Binary.

Quinn
Tetris clone

There was no way I could leave this one out. Quinn is well known as the best Tetris clone for the Mac. It integrates extremely well with OS X, it’s graphics are beautiful, and the game is addicting. It’s the best take on Tetris I’ve played. For more, see Henry’s previous post.

Otis
SameGame clone

Otis is a modern take on the original “SameGame.” In it, the player clicks on groups of same-colored blocks or circles, therefore vaporizing them to make room for the others. The objective is to end up with zero blocks, having successfully grouped each color together long enough to vaporize them.

Alien Abduction
Defender clone

Alien Abduction is a loose clone of the classic Defender side-scrolling game, which I guess is retro Arcade game, but here it is anyways. It’s been duplicated many times but Alien Abduction paces out everything very well so that you never get too bored or overwhelmed. Also not a Universal Binary.

Shooter in the Abstract
Oddly addictive game

Alright, this one isn’t a classic, but it’s up there with Pac-Man and Tetris in fun-ness. The premise is simple: Your mouse controls a triangle that periodically shoots out towards the floating baddies around you. The only thing is, you can’t crash into the baddies. Fun power-ups and solid pacing make up for the lackluster graphics.

That wraps up my list of 10 classic games for the Mac. I purposefully stuck to freeware for this post because I really don’t expect for people to pay money for such small games. But they’re still solid, fun games that are always a great time to play. Do you know of any others that I left out? What are they?