Best Difficult Games on Steam (for Mac OS)
Steam currently has 7,428 Difficult games, but not all of them are able to be played on Mac. Explore our list of the best picks ranked by Player Score. Our Player Score rankings are calculated directly from reviews left on the Steam store and will be updated in real-time as more players leave their feedback. Difficult game rankings were last updated on 2/21/2025.
Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:
- Best difficult games on Steam
- Best difficult Steam Deck games
- Best difficult Linux games on Steam
- Free difficult games on Steam
- Free Steam games
- Most played Steam games
- Best rated Steam games
1. Hades
Defy the god of the dead as you hack and slash out of the Underworld in this rogue-like dungeon crawler from the creators of Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre.
Hades holds the #1 spot for "best Mac OS Difficult game on Steam" with a Player Score of 97. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 275,790 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 271,011 positive reviews and 4,779 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $24.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $24.99 |
| Release Date | 9/17/2020 |
| Franchise | Supergiant Games |
| Developer | Supergiant Games |
| Publisher | Supergiant Games |
| Steam App Id | 1145360 |
2. Balatro
The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos.
Balatro has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Mac OS Difficult games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 128,964 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 126,563 positive reviews and 2,401 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $12.74 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $12.74 |
| Release Date | 2/20/2024 |
| Franchise | Playstack |
| Developer | LocalThunk |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 2379780 |
3. Aseprite
Aseprite is a pixel-art tool to create 2D animations, sprites, and any kind of graphics for games.
Aseprite has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Mac OS Difficult games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 20,693 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 20,513 positive reviews and 180 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Aseprite on the Steam Deck.
| Steam Price | $19.99 |
| Release Date | 2/22/2016 |
| Developer | David Capello |
| Publisher | Igara Studio |
| Steam App Id | 431730 |
4. Slay the Spire
We fused card games and roguelikes together to make the best single player deckbuilder we could. Craft a unique deck, encounter bizarre creatures, discover relics of immense power, and Slay the Spire!
Slay the Spire has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Mac OS Difficult games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 175,373 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 171,544 positive reviews and 3,829 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $24.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $24.99 |
| Release Date | 1/23/2019 |
| Developers | |
| Publishers | |
| Steam App Id | 646570 |
5. Katana ZERO
Katana ZERO is a stylish neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat. Slash, dash, and manipulate time to unravel your past in a beautifully brutal acrobatic display.
Katana ZERO has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Mac OS Difficult games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 69,598 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 68,234 positive reviews and 1,364 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $14.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $14.99 |
| Release Date | 4/18/2019 |
| Developer | Askiisoft |
| Publisher | Devolver Digital |
| Steam App Id | 460950 |
6. Helltaker
Helltaker is a short game about sharply dressed demon girls.
Helltaker has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Mac OS Difficult games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 123,770 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 120,997 positive reviews and 2,773 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is completely free to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Helltaker on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
7. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is a randomly generated action RPG shooter with heavy Rogue-like elements. Following Isaac on his journey players will find bizarre treasures that change Isaac’s form giving him super human abilities and enabling him to fight off droves of mysterious creatures, discover secrets and fight his way to safety.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Mac OS Difficult games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 330,781 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 322,108 positive reviews and 8,673 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $14.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $14.99 |
| Release Date | 11/4/2014 |
| Developers | |
| Publisher | Nicalis, Inc. |
| Steam App Id | 250900 |
8. Bloons TD 6
The Bloons are back and better than ever! Get ready for a massive 3D tower defense game designed to give you hours and hours of the best strategy gaming available.
Bloons TD 6 has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Mac OS Difficult games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 345,551 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 336,172 positive reviews and 9,379 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $13.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Bloons TD 6 on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
| Steam Price | $13.99 |
| Release Date | 12/18/2018 |
| Franchise | Ninja Kiwi Games |
| Developer | Ninja Kiwi |
| Publisher | Ninja Kiwi |
| Steam App Id | 960090 |
9. Hollow Knight
Forge your own path in Hollow Knight! An epic action adventure through a vast ruined kingdom of insects and heroes. Explore twisting caverns, battle tainted creatures and befriend bizarre bugs, all in a classic, hand-drawn 2D style.
Hollow Knight has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Mac OS Difficult games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 397,754 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 386,053 positive reviews and 11,701 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $14.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
| Steam Price | $14.99 |
| Release Date | 2/24/2017 |
| Developer | Team Cherry |
| Publisher | Team Cherry |
| Steam App Id | 367520 |
10. tModLoader
Dig, Fight, and Build your way through the world of player-created mods on Terraria with tModLoader - this DLC makes modding Terraria a reality!
tModLoader has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Mac OS Difficult games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 297,746 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 289,183 positive reviews and 8,563 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is completely free to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play tModLoader on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
More Difficult Mac Games on Steam
Explore even more rankings for the 10 best Difficult games available on Steam.
| Image | Name | Actions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,261 | 9/17/2020 | 97 | $24.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 20,381 | 2/20/2024 | 97 | $12.74 | Steam Charts | |
| 5,071 | 2/22/2016 | 97 | $19.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 16,681 | 1/23/2019 | 97 | $24.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 89 | 4/18/2019 | 96 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 76 | 5/11/2020 | 96 | Free | Steam Charts | |
| 33,588 | 11/4/2014 | 96 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 10,278 | 12/18/2018 | 96 | $13.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 7,944 | 2/24/2017 | 96 | $14.99 | Steam Charts | |
| 37,476 | 5/16/2020 | 96 | Free | Steam Charts |
Soures & References
Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Reviews and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, February 21). Steam Store. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, February 21). Hades on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, February 20). Balatro on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, February 7). Aseprite on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, February 21). Slay the Spire on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, February 20). Katana ZERO on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, January 12). Helltaker on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, February 20). The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, February 21). Bloons TD 6 on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, February 19). Hollow Knight on Steam. Steam Store.
- Valve Corporation. (2025, February 20). tModLoader on Steam. Steam Store.