Best games
Best Mac games of 1997
The 12 best Mac games released in 1997, ranked from 3,689 critic and player ratings.
The best Mac game of 1997 is Theme Hospital, with a critic score of 90/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1997.
- 12 games are listed on this page, carrying 3,689 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 12
01
Theme Hospital
Theme Hospital is a business simulation game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1997, in which the player designs and operates a hospital. Like most of Bullfrog's games, Theme Hospital is permeated by an eccentric sense of humour. The game is the thematic successor to Theme Park, a game also produced by Bullfrog. The game was a massive commercial success, selling over 4 million copies worldwide.
90
/100
02
Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game
The Vault Dweller is tasked with exploring post-nuclear California in order to retrieve a water chip to replace the broken chip of Vault 13, their home, which they are the first person to ever leave. The player will engage in Western RPG character building and turn-based tactical combat while getting to know settlements and factions of people, mutants and ghouls through branching dialogue trees.
86
/100
03
The Curse of Monkey Island
The Curse of Monkey Island is the third installment in the Monkey Island adventure game series. Players control Guybrush Threepwood, a aspiring pirate, as he navigates the Caribbean to save his love Elaine from a curse that turned her into a golden statue. The game features hand-drawn cartoon graphics, voice acting, and the series' trademark humor and puzzle-solving gameplay. Guybrush must outwit a cast of colorful characters, including the ghostly pirate LeChuck, while exploring various islands and engaging in pirate-themed challenges. The point-and-click interface allows players to interact with the environment, collect items, and solve puzzles to progress through the story. With its blend of comedy, swashbuckling adventure, and clever puzzles, The Curse of Monkey Island continues the series' tradition of witty, engaging storytelling in a pirate-themed setting.
84
/100
Theme Hospital
Theme Hospital is a business simulation game developed by Bullfrog Productions and published by Electronic Arts in 1997, in which the player designs and operates a hospital. Like most of Bullfrog's games, Theme Hospital is permeated by an eccentric sense of humour. The game is the thematic successor to Theme Park, a game also produced by Bullfrog. The game was a massive commercial success, selling over 4 million copies worldwide.
90
/100
02
Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game
The Vault Dweller is tasked with exploring post-nuclear California in order to retrieve a water chip to replace the broken chip of Vault 13, their home, which they are the first person to ever leave. The player will engage in Western RPG character building and turn-based tactical combat while getting to know settlements and factions of people, mutants and ghouls through branching dialogue trees.
86
/100
03
The Curse of Monkey Island
The Curse of Monkey Island is the third installment in the Monkey Island adventure game series. Players control Guybrush Threepwood, a aspiring pirate, as he navigates the Caribbean to save his love Elaine from a curse that turned her into a golden statue. The game features hand-drawn cartoon graphics, voice acting, and the series' trademark humor and puzzle-solving gameplay. Guybrush must outwit a cast of colorful characters, including the ghostly pirate LeChuck, while exploring various islands and engaging in pirate-themed challenges. The point-and-click interface allows players to interact with the environment, collect items, and solve puzzles to progress through the story. With its blend of comedy, swashbuckling adventure, and clever puzzles, The Curse of Monkey Island continues the series' tradition of witty, engaging storytelling in a pirate-themed setting.
84
/100
04
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
Riven: The Sequel to Myst is a graphic adventure puzzle game developed by Cyan and released in 1997. It continues the story of Myst, following the player’s journey to rescue Atrus’s wife, Catherine, from a decaying world. The game features pre-rendered environments with complex, interconnected puzzles and minimal direct guidance. Its visuals, sound design, and world-building were praised for their depth and realism. Riven expanded on Myst’s narrative and gameplay scale, becoming one of the most acclaimed adventure games of its time.
83
/100
05
Age of Empires
Age of Empires (AoE) is a history-based real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. The game uses the Genie, a 2D sprite-based game engine. The game allows the user to act as the leader of an ancient civilization by advancing it through four ages (the Stone, Tool, Bronze, and Iron Ages), gaining access to new and improved units with each advance.
83
/100
06
Quake II
Quake II is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. It is not a direct sequel to Quake, id decided to revert to an existing trademark when they were unable to agree on a new name that did not violate another company's trademark.
83
/100
07
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider II is the second game of the Tomb Raider games series. It is an action game with platforming and puzzle-solving elements, similar in concept and gameplay to its predecessor. Most of the gameplay consists of traversing hazardous 3D levels utilizing Lara's athletic skills and solving environmental puzzles. The sequel puts more emphasis on fighting enemies, adding many human foes to the mix. Additional weapons include a harpoon gun, a grenade launcher, and an M16 rifle. Automatic pistols replace the magnums from the first game.
80
/100
08
Carmageddon
Take the wheel as Max Damage as you plow scores of vehicles unlucky enough to be in your way in Carmageddon, an action racing game. Your soundtrack will be the sound of crunching metal, the splatter of motor oil on the windshield, and the screams of skidding tires. With a white-knuckled grip on the wheel, you'll have the choice of 23 crash mobiles (from a terrifying monster truck to a high octane Dragster) and 30+ levels of hellish fury and motorized terror.
80
/100
09
MDK
The game tells the story of Kurt Hectic, a janitor who reluctantly must attempt to save Earth from an alien invasion of gigantic strip mining city-size vehicles named "Minecrawlers". These Minecrawlers are not only removing all of earth's natural resources, but are also crushing any people and cities that get in their way. Aided by his boss, the (possibly) insane inventor/scientist Dr. Fluke Hawkins, and a genetically engineered robotic two-legged/four-armed dog named Bones (although he prefers Max), Kurt must infiltrate each Minecrawler, and fight his way to the pilot, whom he must then kill before returning to Hawkins' in-orbit space station, the Jim Dandy.
77
/100
10
Shadow Warrior
Shadow Warrior is a first-person shooter video game developed by 3D Realms and released on May 13, 1997 by GT Interactive. Shadow Warrior was developed using Ken Silverman's Build engine and improved on 3D Realms' previous Build engine game, Duke Nukem 3D. Mark Adams ported Shadow Warrior to Mac OS in August 1997. The game's improvements included introduction of true room-over-room situations, the use of 3D voxels instead of 2D sprites for weapons and usable inventory items, transparent water, climbable ladders, and assorted vehicles to drive (some armed with weapons). Although ultra-violent, the game emphasized tongue-in-cheek humor and contained some sexual themes (although less blatantly than in Duke Nukem 3D). A combination of Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior was published by GT Interactive in March 1998, titled East Meets West.
73
/100
11
POSTAL
56
/100
12
Dungeon Keeper
10
/100
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
Riven: The Sequel to Myst is a graphic adventure puzzle game developed by Cyan and released in 1997. It continues the story of Myst, following the player’s journey to rescue Atrus’s wife, Catherine, from a decaying world. The game features pre-rendered environments with complex, interconnected puzzles and minimal direct guidance. Its visuals, sound design, and world-building were praised for their depth and realism. Riven expanded on Myst’s narrative and gameplay scale, becoming one of the most acclaimed adventure games of its time.
83
/100
05
Age of Empires
Age of Empires (AoE) is a history-based real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft. The game uses the Genie, a 2D sprite-based game engine. The game allows the user to act as the leader of an ancient civilization by advancing it through four ages (the Stone, Tool, Bronze, and Iron Ages), gaining access to new and improved units with each advance.
83
/100
06
Quake II
Quake II is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. It is not a direct sequel to Quake, id decided to revert to an existing trademark when they were unable to agree on a new name that did not violate another company's trademark.
83
/100
07
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider II is the second game of the Tomb Raider games series. It is an action game with platforming and puzzle-solving elements, similar in concept and gameplay to its predecessor. Most of the gameplay consists of traversing hazardous 3D levels utilizing Lara's athletic skills and solving environmental puzzles. The sequel puts more emphasis on fighting enemies, adding many human foes to the mix. Additional weapons include a harpoon gun, a grenade launcher, and an M16 rifle. Automatic pistols replace the magnums from the first game.
80
/100
08
Carmageddon
Take the wheel as Max Damage as you plow scores of vehicles unlucky enough to be in your way in Carmageddon, an action racing game. Your soundtrack will be the sound of crunching metal, the splatter of motor oil on the windshield, and the screams of skidding tires. With a white-knuckled grip on the wheel, you'll have the choice of 23 crash mobiles (from a terrifying monster truck to a high octane Dragster) and 30+ levels of hellish fury and motorized terror.
80
/100
09
MDK
The game tells the story of Kurt Hectic, a janitor who reluctantly must attempt to save Earth from an alien invasion of gigantic strip mining city-size vehicles named "Minecrawlers". These Minecrawlers are not only removing all of earth's natural resources, but are also crushing any people and cities that get in their way. Aided by his boss, the (possibly) insane inventor/scientist Dr. Fluke Hawkins, and a genetically engineered robotic two-legged/four-armed dog named Bones (although he prefers Max), Kurt must infiltrate each Minecrawler, and fight his way to the pilot, whom he must then kill before returning to Hawkins' in-orbit space station, the Jim Dandy.
77
/100
10
Shadow Warrior
Shadow Warrior is a first-person shooter video game developed by 3D Realms and released on May 13, 1997 by GT Interactive. Shadow Warrior was developed using Ken Silverman's Build engine and improved on 3D Realms' previous Build engine game, Duke Nukem 3D. Mark Adams ported Shadow Warrior to Mac OS in August 1997. The game's improvements included introduction of true room-over-room situations, the use of 3D voxels instead of 2D sprites for weapons and usable inventory items, transparent water, climbable ladders, and assorted vehicles to drive (some armed with weapons). Although ultra-violent, the game emphasized tongue-in-cheek humor and contained some sexual themes (although less blatantly than in Duke Nukem 3D). A combination of Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior was published by GT Interactive in March 1998, titled East Meets West.
73
/100
11
POSTAL
56
/100
12
Dungeon Keeper
10
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Mac game of 1997?
Theme Hospital currently tops the ranking with a score of 90/100 across 219 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.