How to play Enshrouded on Mac

Game Overview

Enshrouded is an immersive action-adventure game that has captivated players with its rich storytelling and dynamic gameplay. Set in a meticulously crafted world filled with mystery and danger, it offers a seamless blend of exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving. Players are drawn into its deep narrative, where choices and actions have significant consequences, affecting the story’s outcome. The game features a vast open world teeming with hidden secrets and diverse environments that encourage players to roam and discover at their own pace. Combat is both strategic and fluid, with a variety of weapons and abilities that can be customized to suit different playstyles. Enshrouded’s popularity can be attributed to its stunning visuals, compelling story arcs, and the freedom it offers players to shape their own journey. The attention to detail in both the environment and character development creates an immersive experience that keeps players engaged for hours. Additionally, the game has a strong community presence, with developers actively engaging with fans and continuously updating content based on player feedback. While Enshrouded is primarily available on PC platforms, Mac users might face challenges running it natively due to compatibility issues. However, using third-party solutions like Boot Camp or virtualization software can potentially enable Mac users to enjoy the game, albeit with some performance compromises.

1. Play Enshrouded on cloud gaming services (GeForce Now and AirGPU)

Cloud gaming platforms stream games from remote servers, offering high performance without demanding hardware. Cloud gaming services are expanding the accessibility of gaming by eliminating many of the traditional barriers, such as the need for constant hardware upgrades and the initial cost of games. As internet speeds increase and technology advances, cloud gaming continues to grow as a popular alternative to traditional console and PC gaming.

GeForce Now

GeForce Now is a cloud gaming service developed by NVIDIA that allows users to stream video games to their devices, leveraging NVIDIA’s powerful cloud-based GPU servers. This service enables gamers to play their own games from popular digital libraries such as Steam, Epic Games Store, and Uplay on virtually any device, including PCs, Macs, Shield TVs, and mobile devices. GeForce Now differentiates itself by not requiring users to purchase games from a specific library, instead allowing them to play games they already own, provided those games are supported on the service. It offers various membership tiers, including a free option and a premium subscription that provides enhanced graphics with RTX technology, reduced waiting times, and extended session lengths.

1. Register for a GeForce Now account on their website. Choose between free or premium plans.
2. Install the GeForce Now app on your chosen device (PC, Mac, or mobile).
3. Use the search feature in the app to locate Enshrouded.
4. Click Play on Enshrouded within the app to begin streaming the game.

AirGPU

AirGPU is a cloud gaming service that offers users the ability to rent high-performance virtual gaming PCs on demand. This platform enables gamers to stream the latest and most demanding games directly to their devices without the need for high-end local hardware. AirGPU provides a flexible rental model, allowing users to pay by the hour for access to powerful gaming rigs equipped with top-tier graphics and processing capabilities. The service supports a variety of devices including desktops, laptops, and some tablets, ensuring that users can enjoy a premium gaming experience from virtually anywhere. AirGPU stands out by offering personalized settings and configurations, giving gamers the freedom to customize their virtual machines to meet specific gaming needs.

1. Sign up at AirGPU and rent a high-performance virtual PC.
2. Connect to your cloud PC, install Enshrouded from any digital platform.
3. Enjoy the game with high-quality graphics.

2. Use Boot Camp (for Intel-based Macs only)

Note: Boot Camp is not supported on Macs with M1/M2/M3 chips.

Boot Camp is a utility software included with macOS that allows users to install and run Windows on Macintosh computers in a dual-boot configuration. By partitioning the computer’s hard drive, Boot Camp enables a Mac to boot either into macOS or Windows, providing full system performance for Windows as it runs natively on the hardware. This solution is ideal for Mac users who need to run Windows applications that do not have macOS versions or who require the performance benefits of running certain programs directly on the hardware without virtualization overhead. Boot Camp simplifies the installation process, guiding users through the setup with step-by-step instructions and making it straightforward to switch between operating systems.

1. Get the Windows 10 ISO file (Windows 11 ISO file) from the Microsoft website. Choose the version that matches your license.
2. Find Boot Camp in the Utilities folder within your Applications. Open it to start the setup.
3. Use Boot Camp Assistant to allocate space on your hard drive for Windows. Follow the on-screen instructions to adjust the partition size.
4. Follow the prompts in Boot Camp Assistant to begin the Windows installation. Your Mac will reboot into the Windows setup.
5. During the Windows installation, choose the BOOTCAMP partition and format it.
6. Complete the installation by following the Windows setup instructions.
7. To switch between macOS and Windows, restart your Mac and hold the Option key to select the operating system you want to use.
8. Once Windows is installed, set up Enshrouded like on any PC.

Why Enshrouded is not running on Mac via CrossOver or Parallels?

Enshrouded, a highly anticipated game, has encountered compatibility issues when attempting to run on Mac through virtualization solutions like Crossover or Parallels. These platforms typically enable Mac users to run Windows applications by creating a virtual environment, but they are not flawless when it comes to supporting high-performance games. Enshrouded’s reliance on specific Windows architecture and direct hardware communication for graphics rendering poses significant challenges for these virtualization tools, which often struggle with advanced DirectX or GPU-intensive tasks. Additionally, the game may require native Windows APIs that aren’t fully supported or optimized within the virtual environment, leading to performance bottlenecks or crashes. Macs using Apple’s M1 or M2 chips further complicate matters, as these ARM-based processors necessitate additional layers of compatibility that Crossover and Parallels are still optimizing for. Consequently, until there’s a native Mac release or significant updates to these virtualization platforms, running Enshrouded on a Mac remains a formidable task.