VALORANT has become one of the fastest-growing multiplayer titles and first-person shooters in the past few years, but that’s all without an official playable Mac version. There is a path for players on Mac to compete, but they need to meet certain requirements and jump through several hoops.
There are several obstacles facing Mac players who still want to play VALORANT, namely in the form of the game’s aggressive Vanguard anti-cheat system that won’t allow several conventional workaround methods to work. But for some of you, there is a path forward.
Can I run VALORANT on my Mac?
To run VALORANT on a Mac, you will need to have an Intel-based Mac, and you’ll have to use a Boot Camp partition where you’ll install Windows, which will allow VALORANT.
Simply put, an Intel-based Mac is a Mac that uses an Intel processor. If you don’t have one already, it’s going to be hard to get one as the versions of both MacBook Pro notebook computers and Mac Mini desktop computers that used Intel processors have been discontinued.
Older and refurbished Intel-based Macs can be bought online still though, even from the official Apple page on Amazon.
Even with an Intel-based Mac, you won’t be able to install and play VALORANT on commonly used tools that enable Windows programs like CrossOver or Parallels Desktop as the Vanguard Anti-Cheat will detect them and block you. Macs with Apple silicon, the newest version of processors, do not support Boot Camp, meaning you can’t play VALORANT on them.
How to play VALORANT on your Mac
If you have an Intel-based Mac, you can install VALORANT via a Windows partition via Boot Camp. Before you even install Boot Camp, you’ll want to make sure your Mac can handle it.
In addition to your Mac, you will need:
- A 16GB external USB drive
- At least 64GB of free space
- A 64-bit version of Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro, or Windows 11
If you’ve got all of that, you shouldn’t run into any problems setting up Windows via the Boot Camp Assistant on your Mac:
- Make sure your default Secure Boot setting is “Full Security.”
- Head to your “Utilities folder” in “Applications” and open “Boot Camp Assistant.”
- Click on it and go through the steps presented.
- When asked where to install Windows, select the BOOTCAMP partitions and flick Format.
- Follow the Windows installation instructions.
- Once completed, restart your device.
Your device will restart and then it’s time to install the game just as you would on Windows.
Will VALORANT come to Mac?
There’s currently no positive information circulating regarding VALORANT’s arrival on Mac. The devs have been working on VALORANT mobile for quite some time. So, there’s always hope that the next step in the process leads to Mac laptops and computers.
But, for the time being, there are no plans to officially bring VALORANT to Mac. Riot’s senior software engineer Brent Meister posted in a 2021 Reddit thread that Macs weren’t on the agenda. But, as it’s been two years since that bombshell dropped, things can change and we might be fortunate enough to play VALORANT on Mac in our lifetime.
Until the day comes that the game officially launches on Mac, you can always use this guide to figure out how to play VALORANT on Mac.
