Play games on your Mac
It’s easy to play single-player or multiplayer games on your Mac. When you sign in with your Apple ID, a Game Center account is created for you (if it didn’t exist already).
You can browse the Mac App Store to get the newest or most popular games that support Game Center. If you’re using a Mac computer with Apple silicon, many iPhone and iPad games work on your Mac (as indicated by the Designed for iPhone or Designed for iPad label in the App Store). See Use iPhone and iPad apps on Mac with Apple silicon.
You can also subscribe to Apple Arcade to download and play a collection of groundbreaking games, and enjoy unlimited play on all your supported devices.
Note: The Game Center service and Apple Arcade aren’t available in all countries or regions.
Customize your Game Center account
On your Mac, choose Apple menu
Open Internet Accounts preferences for me
If you don’t see a Game Center account in the sidebar, you can add it. At the bottom of the pane, click the Add button
, click Add Other Account on the right, then scroll down and click “Game Center account” (you may need to sign in with your Apple ID).In your Game Center account, do any of the following:
Remove friends: Select one or more players in the list, then click the Remove button
. When you remove a player from your list, you’re also removed from their list. If you play them again, you’re added back to each other’s lists.
Change your Game Center nickname: Click Details, then enter a new nickname (it identifies you in games). To use a suggested nickname, click the Nickname field, then click a suggestion.
Change who can see your Game Center profile: Click Details, click the Profile Privacy pop-up menu, then choose who can see your profile in games (Everyone, Friends Only, or Only You).
Your profile shows which games you’ve been playing and your achievements. Your Game Center nickname and avatar are always visible to all players.
Allow nearby players to invite you to a multiplayer game: Click Details, then select Allow Nearby Multiplayer. If you don’t want to be found, deselect the checkbox.
Nearby players are those on the same Wi-Fi network as you, or within Bluetooth range.
Click Save, then click OK.
When you sign in with your Apple ID on all your Apple devices, your Game Center account is available on all the devices.
See your achievements
Most single-player and multiplayer games show achievements and leaderboards so you can track your scores and ranking. You can access your Game Center Profile in the App Store, to track your achievements and see which games your friends are playing.
Play multiplayer games
Let a game find other players: If the game provides Auto-match, click Play Now to let the game find other players for you.
Play nearby players: If the game detects nearby players who are on the same Wi-Fi network as you, or within Bluetooth range, it shows them. In the game, select a player.
Invite friends to play: In the game, click Invite Friends, then select people from your contacts, friends, or nearby players. Customize your invitation, if you want, then click Send. You can send your invitation as a message, or send it to a phone number using SMS.
Accept an invitation: In the notification or message, click Accept. The game opens (if you have it) so you can start playing. If you don’t have the game, the App Store opens so you can get the game.
You can remove friends from the list in your Game Center account in Internet Accounts.
Note: You may receive notifications that let you know you’re invited to join a game or that it’s your turn to play in a turn-based game. Use Notifications preferences to ensure you receive games notifications or to stop or pause them. See Receive, pause, or stop notifications.
The administrator of a Mac can prevent other users of the Mac from joining multiplayer games or adding friends. See Change Screen Time Content & Privacy preferences.