Ready to play World of Warships on your shiny new MacBook? We’ve got good news and bad news. Bad news first: Wargaming doesn’t officially support WoWs on Mac anymore. But don’t worry, the community has found some nifty workarounds.
There are a few ways to do it: dual-boot Windows, use a virtualization layer, or stream the game with GeForce Now. If one sounds too complicated, no sweat – just skip to the next option. Down below, we’ll break down how to play World of Warships on Mac in simple terms.
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Quick breakdown of methods
If you’re unsure of which method to go with, here’s a quick reference table that compares the three solutions by technical difficulty, performance, and cost:
| Technique | Difficulty | How it Works | Performance | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GeForce NOW | Easy | Runs the game on NVIDIA machines and streams the game to your Mac. | Depends on your internet connection | ~$9.99/month |
| Bootcamp | Hard | Lets you install Windows 10 on your Mac, so you can run WoWs natively. | Very good performance but doesn’t work with M-series chips* | Cost of Windows license ($100–200 depending on the version) |
| Parallels | Hard | Windows virtualization, simulating Windows from within macOS. | Mediocre and inconsistent framerates | $99.99 for the Standard Edition plus cost of Windows license |
1. Stream WoWs with GeForce NOW
Streaming with GeForce Now is currently the preferred method to play World of Warships on Apple computers and laptops. It’s also the easiest to set up!
- Go to the GeForce NOW website and download the Mac client of GeForce NOW.
- Install and run the GeForce NOW client.
- Search for World of Warships in the GeForce NOW client.
- Click on the Get button to add the game to your library, or click the Play button to launch the game.
Depending on your location, there might be a free GeForce NOW plan that allows 1-hour gaming sessions. However, constantly quitting and logging back in can be frustrating, especially when trying to play with friends or grind lines.
When you upgrade to a premium account, you get improved stream quality, ray tracing support, and unlimited play time. You’ll essentially be spending money to enjoy a free-to-play game, so it’s up to you to decide if the perks are worth it.
One thing to keep in mind is that your internet connection plays a big role in the quality of your gaming experience with GeForce NOW since it’s a streaming service. If your connection is unstable or slow, you may not be able to fully enjoy the experience.
2. Dual-boot Windows with Bootcamp (non-M-series chips)
A major downside of cloud gaming services is the inevitable delay that comes with streaming. Unfortunately, it’s unavoidable because data needs to be compressed, sent, and decompressed, and each stage adds a few microseconds to the process. Just a few hundred milliseconds of delay can make something like firing torpedoes an absolutely nightmare.
Bootcamp Assistant software lets you install Windows on your Macbook, turning it into a Windows PC. This allows you to natively install and play Windows games, giving you the best performance possible.
NOTE: Bootcamp does not support M-series chips. If your device was released sometime in 2020 or later, then this method won’t work for you.
To install Windows on your Mac with Bootcamp, follow the official step-by-step guide provided by Apple:
- Make sure your Secure Boot setting is set to Full Security.
- Run Boot Camp Assistant (look in your Applications folder in the Utilities folder). Follow the on-screen instructions.
- Create a partition for Windows and format it. This is usually automatic.
- Unplug any external devices that you aren’t using, then click Next and install Windows.
- Your Mac should restart and go into Windows. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.
After finishing, you can choose which operating system to use every time you boot up. Your files are still safe in your macOS partition, so don’t worry about losing them! To go back to macOS, simply select it when starting up your computer.
3. Run WoWs with Parallels on Mac
- Download the latest version of Parallels on your Mac.
- Run the Parallels Desktop software.
- Click New… and select Get Windows 11 from Microsoft. Then click Install Windows.
Unlike Bootcamp, which installs Windows to a separate partition, Parallels is a hardware virtualization solution. Basically, this means Parallels simulates having a Windows computer from within macOS, so you don’t have to restart every time you want to run World of Warships.
The drawback to Paralllels is that, since it’s a virtualization solution, it doesn’t perform as well as Bootcamp. In fact, of the three solutions here, Parallels offers the most consistently poor performance. While still playable, you’ll find World of Warships via Parallels gives you poor and inconsistent framerates.
Even though Wargaming doesn’t provide official Mac support for World of Warships, there are still plenty of options available for commanders who want to play on their Mac devices. We’ve covered some of the most popular ones above.
Personally, we prefer GeForce NOW, especially if you have great internet infrastructure. The stream quality is fantastic, the price is reasonable, and while there is some input delay, it’s not enough to ruin the gaming experience.
If your internet connection just doesn’t have the bandwidth or stability needed for gaming on the cloud, then Bootcamp would be our second choice. Again, this option isn’t available to you if you’re on a newer Macbook with an M-series chip (from 2020 onwards).