GamingValorant

Can you play Valorant on Mac?

Lauren Bergin
Valorant Phoenix Jett Mac OS AppleRiot Games, Apple

Valorant is one of the most popular team-based FPS titles on the market, and you may be curious to know if the game is available to play on Mac devices. We’ve got the answer for you right here. 

One of the most frustrating things about being a Mac user is that your Apple OS denies access to a large number of great games, and Valorant is one of these. While Riot Games’ other iconic title League of Legends is available to players on Mac, their stylish first-person shooter, Valorant, is still out of reach.

We do know that the hit game will be coming to the console eventually – as revealed by Riot – however, Mac users still don’t know if they’ll ever be able to step onto the battlefield. However, there are a few workarounds using which you can play Valorant on your Mac.

Keep reading for a detailed rundown of one of those workarounds that are officially acknowledged by Apple.

Five Valorant Agents posing togetherRiot Games
Riot Games’ flagship FPS is available for Windows PC users only.

Can you play Valorant on Mac?

Valorant is not currently available for Mac users, and it looks as though this isn’t something that’s going to change anytime soon.

In early 2021, a post on Reddit cracked open the debate once more and received a response from RiotBrentmeister, Riot Games’ Senior Software Engineer who specializes in Client and server Performance for Valorant.

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there are no current plans for Valorant to support Mac OSX. For now, to play Valorant you’ll just have to bite the bullet and free up space for Bootcamp or build a Windows PC.”

They go on to clarify that “I do feel for you here though. I worked on porting LoL to Mac native all those years ago and have seen firsthand the development time it takes to port to / maintain Mac. As much as we’d like to reach every platform and player we have to look at where our development time is most effective for the entire player base.”

How to download and play Valorant

Valorant's in-built anti-cheat system.Riot Games
Valorant’s anti-cheat system has been blamed for Valorant’s Windows PC exclusivity.

So, the alternative, if you don’t want to build or buy a Windows PC or laptop is to use Bootcamp. This allows you to run the Windows operating system on your Mac. It’s also free to download, making it an exceptional tool for you to use and play Valorant on your Mac.

As one respondent points out, several players have claimed that Vanguard, Riot Games’ anti-cheat software, is the reason for the game being non-translatable to Mac.

To install Bootcamp on Mac, make sure you follow this checklist:

  • Check that your Mac has an Intel processor.
    • The following Mac models do: (MacBook from 2015 or later.
    • MacBook Air, iMac, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini from 2012 or later.
    • Mac Pro from 2013 or later.
    • iMac Pro.
  • Make sure that you’ve got 64GB or more free space, but 128GB is recommended for a much smoother experience.
  • An external USB drive that has a storage space of 16GB, unless you’re using one of the following Macs with the El Capitan OS X:
    • MacBook Air from 2017 or later.
    • MacBook, MacBook Pro, or iMac from 2015 or later.
    • iMac Pro.
    • Mac Pro from 2013 or later.
  • A 64- bit version (if this is your first time installing Windows onto your Mac, it will need to be a full version) of Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro.
  • Head over to the official download page for Bootcamp.
  • Follow the other steps listed in the link above, and you’ll be able to play Valorant on Mac in no time!

This way, you essentially turn your Mac into a Windows PC and can proceed to download Valorant as normal from the official website.

Whether we like it or not, it seems like a Mac version of Valorant is not on the development cards for the near future. However, as further information is announced regarding the status of an Apple OS Valorant, we’ll update you here with any further news.

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