The original Deus Ex game came out 16 years ago back in 2000 and since that time it has spawned four sequels including the upcoming Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, which launched on consoles and PC on 23 August 2016. But what about those of us on Mac? Will we have to wait for a Mac port? We can show you how to play the game on your Mac regardless.
It should be noted that Feral Interactive announced that the game will be coming to both Linux and Mac later this year. So, expect a fully playable Mac version in 2016 – until then, feel free to use our tips below to play it right away.
Disclaimer: We haven’t personally tested these methods of playing Deus Ex: Mankind Divided on a Mac – depending on the specification of your Mac, you may need to run the game at the lowest possible graphics settings and in a small number of cases, it may not be powerful enough to run the game at all.
Read next: How to run Windows on a Mac | macOS Sierra vs Windows 10 comparison | macOS Sierra preview | Windows 10 review
How to play Deus Ex Mankind Divided on Mac: Boot Camp
Boot Camp is a favourite amongst Mac fans, as the Boot Camp Assistant app is baked directly into macOS/Mac OS X and provides users with a free way to install additional operating systems on the Mac without wiping OS X. It’s worth noting that users that want to install Windows via Boot Camp may still need to buy a copy of Windows 10, although those with an old PC may be able to extract an existing Windows Product Key, negating the need to pay – our colleagues over at PC Advisor explain how to do this: How to extract a Windows Product Key.
However while Boot Camp is a great option for Mac users, it isn’t without its flaws. Although with that being said, Boot Camp’s biggest flaw can also be seen as a bonus depending on how you intend to use the setup. Essentially you need to reboot your Mac every time you want to boot up in Windows, which makes switching between the operating systems quite a hassle.
However, while it may be a hassle for those that want to work between two different operating systems (those that do should opt for virtualisation software like Parallels 12), it also has one big benefit – extra power. As the Mac is only running Windows or Mac OS X at any given time, it can focus all its computing power into running the operating system whereas virtualization software requires the Mac to power both Mac OS X and Windows at the same time, which could result in reduced performance.
Once you’ve installed Windows 10 via Boot Camp Assistant, it’s simply a case of downloading Deus Ex: Mankind Evolved from an online retailer like Steam once it’s out on 23 August 2016, and playing it as you usually would. Due to the high graphical demand of the game, users may need to adjust the graphics settings in game for improved performance.
How to play Deus Ex Mankind Divided on Mac: Parallels 12
Another option for those that want to play Deus Ex: Mankind Divided on Mac is to use the newly released Parallels 12 which is compatible with Windows 10 and the upcoming macOS Sierra. The benefit to using virtualisation software like Parallels 12 is that you can run Windows from within Mac OS X like a standard windowed app, opposed to having to reboot the Mac every time you wanted to switch.
However while it is easier to use, it isn’t a free service – in fact, Parallels will set prospective buyers back £64.99 for Student/Home use. You’ll also have to purchase a copy of Windows 10 as you would if you were using Boot Camp, which can be an additional £99 if you can’t find an existing Windows Product Key to use.
The down side to virtualisation software like Parallels 12 is that your Mac has to power both Mac OS X and Windows 10 at the same time, which could reduce the performance of the virtual Windows machine and ultimately the performance of the game. Considering that Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is quite graphically demanding, we’re not sure how well the game will run in Parallels and recommend that gamers tweak the game’s graphic settings for better performance.
As with Boot Camp, once Windows is running on your Mac simply head to Steam on August 23 2016 and download Deus Ex: Mankind Divided as you usually would.
How to play Deus Ex Mankind Divided on Mac: Recommended specs
While it’s fairly easy to install Windows 10 on a Mac, the only issue can be with the recommended specs for any given game. With regards to Deus Ex: Mankind Evolved, the games requirements are higher than those for games like No Man’s Sky and Overwatch, which might be an issue for Mac users. Apple famously doesn’t include the latest AMD/Nvidia graphics cards in its Macs and as such, the Mac can’t compete with its PC brethren with regards to gaming.
This means that older Macs especially may not be able to run Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. You can find the recommended minimum spec below:
- Windows 7 or above
- Intel Core i3-2100 processor
- 8GB RAM
- AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2GB) or Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 (2GB)
- 45GB of storage
Will your Mac run Deus Ex: Mankind Divided? It’s best to compare the specs of your Mac to the specs of the game before parting with your hard earned cash.
Author: Lewis Painter, Senior Staff Writer
Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You'll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.