Best Difficult Games on Steam (for Mac OS)

Steam currently has 7,557 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 3/21/2025.

Looking for more? Explore other lists such as:

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 banner

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 277,804 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 272,972 positive reviews and 4,832 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.

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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 140,425 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 137,711 positive reviews and 2,714 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 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 banner

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 21,158 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 20,974 positive reviews and 184 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 banner

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 178,241 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 174,354 positive reviews and 3,887 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.

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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 70,206 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 68,822 positive reviews and 1,384 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 banner

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 124,290 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 121,500 positive reviews and 2,790 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).

Release Date 5/11/2020
Developer vanripper
Publisher vanripper
Steam App Id 1289310

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 banner

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 336,564 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 327,647 positive reviews and 8,917 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.

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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 349,293 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 339,791 positive reviews and 9,502 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 banner

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 404,289 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 392,343 positive reviews and 11,946 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 banner

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 305,114 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 296,284 positive reviews and 8,830 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).

Release Date 5/16/2020
Developer TML Team
Publishers
Steam App Id 1281930

More Difficult Mac Games on Steam

Explore even more rankings for the 10 best Difficult games available on Steam.

ImageName
Actions
Hades steam charts
3,780
9/17/2020
97
$24.99
Steam Charts
Balatro steam charts
15,797
2/20/2024
97
$14.99
Steam Charts
Aseprite steam charts
5,072
2/22/2016
97
$19.99
Steam Charts
Slay the Spire steam charts
17,413
1/23/2019
97
$24.99
Steam Charts
Katana ZERO steam charts
80
4/18/2019
96
$14.99
Steam Charts
Helltaker steam charts
59
5/11/2020
96
Free
Steam Charts
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth steam charts
24,352
11/4/2014
96
$14.99
Steam Charts
Bloons TD 6 steam charts
7,450
12/18/2018
96
$13.99
Steam Charts
Hollow Knight steam charts
7,873
2/24/2017
96
$14.99
Steam Charts
tModLoader steam charts
37,790
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, March 21). Steam Store. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, March 21). Hades on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, March 31). Balatro on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, March 24). Aseprite on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, March 22). Slay the Spire on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, March 24). Katana ZERO on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, March 17). Helltaker on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, April 1). The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, March 31). Bloons TD 6 on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, March 27). Hollow Knight on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, April 1). tModLoader on Steam. Steam Store.

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