Best Difficult Games on Steam (for Mac OS)

Steam currently has 8,490 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 12/19/2025.

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 293,558 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 288,088 positive reviews and 5,470 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $7.49 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 $7.49
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 176,947 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 173,303 positive reviews and 3,644 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 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 24,075 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 23,840 positive reviews and 235 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
Developers
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!

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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 194,226 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 189,853 positive reviews and 4,373 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $6.24 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 $6.24
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 73,425 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 71,961 positive reviews and 1,464 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.

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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 126,228 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 123,351 positive reviews and 2,877 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 370,659 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 360,541 positive reviews and 10,118 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.

It is priced at $7.49 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 $7.49
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 374,046 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 363,688 positive reviews and 10,358 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. 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!

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tModLoader 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 344,279 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 334,396 positive reviews and 9,883 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

10. Celeste

Help Madeline survive her inner demons on her journey to the top of Celeste Mountain, in this super-tight platformer from the creators of TowerFall. Brave hundreds of hand-crafted challenges, uncover devious secrets, and piece together the mystery of the mountain.

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Celeste 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 132,568 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 129,159 positive reviews and 3,409 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. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.

Steam Price $19.99
Release Date 1/25/2018
Franchise EXOK Games
Developers
Publisher Maddy Makes Games Inc.
Steam App Id 504230

More Difficult Mac Games on Steam

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

ImageName
Actions
Hades steam charts
5,865
9/17/2020
97
$7.49
Steam Charts
Balatro steam charts
9,466
2/20/2024
97
$12.74
Steam Charts
Aseprite steam charts
5,000
2/22/2016
97
$19.99
Steam Charts
Slay the Spire steam charts
22,924
1/23/2019
97
$6.24
Steam Charts
Katana ZERO steam charts
209
4/18/2019
96
$14.99
Steam Charts
Helltaker steam charts
36
5/11/2020
96
Free
Steam Charts
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth steam charts
21,817
11/4/2014
96
$7.49
Steam Charts
Bloons TD 6 steam charts
9,357
12/18/2018
96
$13.99
Steam Charts
tModLoader steam charts
30,048
5/16/2020
96
Free
Steam Charts
Celeste steam charts
2,088
1/25/2018
96
$19.99
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, December 19). Steam Store. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, December 19). Hades on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, December 18). Balatro on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, December 12). Aseprite on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, December 7). Slay the Spire on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, December 10). Katana ZERO on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, December 15). Helltaker on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, December 19). The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, December 18). Bloons TD 6 on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, December 12). tModLoader on Steam. Steam Store.
  • Valve Corporation. (2025, December 5). Celeste on Steam. Steam Store.

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