Need for Speed 2015 for Mac release date rumours: Is Need for Speed 2015 coming out for Mac
Need for Speed 2015 is expected to arrive on 5 November 2015 (3 November in North America) and is due for release on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, but when is it coming to the Mac We take a look at the Need for Speed 2015 for Mac release date rumours to find out whether it will ever come to Mac OS X.
Need for Speed 2015 for Mac release date rumours
Need for Speed 2015 is set to be released in Europe on 5 November 2015 for consoles and PC, but Mac support appears to be non-existent (officially) as it wasn't announced alongside the other platforms.
The new game is simply called "Need for Speed" and looks to be a full reboot of the NFS series. The new Need for Speed introduces 'five ways to play' which are speed, style, build, crew and outlaw and is set in an open-world environment. It combines fans' favourite elements of all Need for Speed games into a single game, which, theoretically, should create the best Need for Speed game in the series. For more information about Need for Speed 2015 including gameplay, editions, pricing and videos, head over to our sister site PC Advisor here: Need for Speed 2015 release date, price, platforms, editions and official trailer: Racing reboot offers 'five ways to play'
The Need for Speed series has been running since 1997 with a yearly release cycle which wasn't broken until last year, when the developers decided that they needed a year out to re-evaluate the Need for Speed experience. However even with yearly releases, there's only been one single Need for Speed game that made it to Mac to date - Need for Speed: Carbon, which was released back in 2006.
Let's look at the publisher - EA games. How many EA games offer Mac support Only a handful, including The Sims and SimCity. Even with The Sims, Mac compatibility wasn't available for its initial 2 September 2014 launch, and was released around five months later, on 17 February 2015. It's the same story with the Mac version of SimCity - the game launched on 5 March 2013, but the Mac variant wasn't made available until five months later, in August 2013. Apart from The Sims and SimCity, the last EA franchise to make an appearance on Mac was FIFA 13, back in 2012, so it's not looking good for Mac gamers.
With this being said, a Mac launch for Need for Speed 2015 isn't looking hopeful, especially as when Need for Speed: Carbon was announced, it was announced with Mac support - an announcement which hasn't been made for the new Need for Speed. Of course, there's always a possibility that EA want to keep the Mac support a secret until nearer to its launch, however we're not holding our breath.
If we had to coin a possible release date for Need for Speed 2015's Mac compatibility, we guess it'd follow the habits of previous EA releases with a five-month delay, which would put the Mac release date somewhere around May 2016. Again, this is just our speculation and there is no confirmation of this - yet.
We've contacted both EA and Ghost Games via Twitter and we will include their reply if they get back to us.
How to play Need for Speed 2015 on Mac
Even if our predictions are wrong and Need for Speed 2015 is never released for Mac OS X, it doesn't mean that you won't be able to play it on your Mac. It's relatively easy to run PC games on a Mac, and as we discussed above, Need for Speed 2015 is due to be released on PC on 5 November 2015.
If you want to run the PC version of Need for Speed 2015 on your Mac, take a look at our article on how to install Windows on a Mac, which will enable you to run Windows-compatible software on your Mac, including PC exclusive games: How to run Windows on Mac
If running Windows on your Mac isn't an option, there are some great alternatives to Need for Speed available on Mac right now. Asphalt 6: Adrenaline is one of the highest rated driving games available on the Mac App Store, with an average rating of 4 and a half stars at the time of writing. It may not offer the same level of graphics as Need for Speed can offer, but it's a very enjoyable driving game with many elements that racing fans enjoy - including a variety of cars including a Bugatti Veyron. It's also a fraction of the price of Need for Speed at only £4.99.
However, if you're looking for a driving game on a similar level to Need for Speed in terms of graphics, we recommend DiRT 3 complete edition, available on Steam for £22.99. Though it doesn't feature city racing or nitrous like Need for Speed, it offers a more realistic driving experience than Asphalt 6, concentrating heavily on off-road driving and drifting. It also boasts a multi-platform multiplayer experience, allowing Mac gamers to play with their PC counterparts.
We're pretty disappointed that Need for Speed 2015 probably isn't coming to Mac, but we'll keep you updated with any news we hear, whether good or bad. Bookmark this page for updated news on Need for Speed 2015's Mac launch date.
For now though, you should find a new game that takes your fancy in our roundup of the best games for Mac.