Macworld At a glance Pros Creepy setting and storyline Enjoyable and varied combat system Runs on M1 or later Cons Shooter action might require a game controller No support for Intel Macs Annoying auto-save system Our Verdict The auto-save system can be irksome, but Control is a great action game with an atmospheric inter-dimensional setting and an enjoyable combination of shoot-‘em-up action and psychic super powers. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today We all know that most A-List games are never released on the Mac at all, and even if there is a Mac version then it will often take many months to arrive, long after the release of the PC version. However, there aren’t many games that take quite as long to reach the Mac as Control, which was first released back in 2019. It’s definitely better late than never, though, especially as Control really is one of a kind – a super-powered shoot-‘em-up action game with some seriously weird X-Files vibes. And, hopefully, the developers at Remedy Games will now think about bringing some of their other weirdly wonderful games to the Mac as well, such as the acclaimed Alan Wake series. The X-Files comparisons are inevitable, as the game opens with Jesse Faden arriving at the headquarters of the Federal Bureau Of Control, a government agency that investigates paranormal Altered World Events – known as AWEs. Jesse’s younger brother vanished during an AWE, and since then she has been guided by a mysterious voice in her head that leads her to the headquarters of the FBC. Known as the Oldest House, the FBC office is strangely silent when Jesse arrives, with only a mysterious – and rather creepy – janitor to give her directions to the office of the FBC’s Director. This opening section acts as a tutorial that gives you some time to get the hang of the main controls, but also provides background to the story as Jesse conducts a helpful dialogue with her inner voice as she wanders the halls of the FBC. When she finds the Director’s office it turns out that he is already dead, having apparently killed himself, with his hand gun lying on the floor beside him. This is no ordinary gun though. Known as the Service Weapon, it proceeds to whisper instructions to Jesse, effectively recruiting her into the FBC and assigning missions that she must complete. Jesse’s first mission reveals that the Oldest House is somehow linked to another dimension, where she encounters some shambling alien figures and gets her first taste of combat. It turns out that the Service Weapon has some other tricks up its sleeve too, as it can magically reload whenever Jesse gets low on ammo. That comes in handy as I’ve never been very good at shoot-‘em-up games, and most of my shots miss by miles. However, Jesse also discovers that she has some magic powers of her own, beginning with a kind of psychokinetic punch that allows her to knock back enemies that get too close. This helps to make up for my lousy shooting skills, as I find that I can let the creepy creatures get quite close and then knock them down before pumping bullets into them at close range. Foundry Jesse can further enhance her psychokinetic powers as the game progresses, learning how to hurl objects at enemies, and also upgrading the Service Weapon and other weapons that she finds along the way. The game does have some rough edges – most notably an irritating auto-save feature that only saves the game at specific points. This means that getting killed by a particularly tough enemy often forces you to go back and replay the previous section a few times, retracing your steps through the Oldest House repeatedly as you try yet again to defeat that enemy. That’s one of the few annoying features, though, and the game’s combination of shooter action and psychic powers ensures that the combat is fun and varied, even for someone with my limited shooting skills. The way that the action keeps switching locations between the FBC and the astral plane also keeps things interesting as you try to unravel the mysteries of the Oldest House. Foundry The age of the game also means that you don’t need a powerful Mac to run it properly. The notes on the App Store say that Control requires an M1 processor or later running Sonoma (although there’s no support for Intel Macs, unfortunately). I played the game on a MacBook Pro with an M2 Pro and was able to get a playable 34 frames per second when running at 2560×1440 resolution with Medium graphics settings, so you should be able to get decent performance even with an M1 if you don’t mind lowering the resolution and graphics settings a little. It’s a shame, though, that there’s no demo version available so that you can check it out first. And, yet again, the Mac version of Control is only available on the Mac App Store, so people who already own the PC version on Epic or Steam will have to buy the Mac version separately. Remedy did tell us that they were hoping to make the Mac version available on Steam at some point, but weren’t able to provide a definite release date at the time of this review. Control is a little more expensive than we expected for a game that is a few years old, costing $39.99/£34.99 on the Mac App Store. But that is similar to the price of the PC version, and this Ultimate Edition includes two expansion packs with additional missions and stories for you to uncover. Should you buy Control? The emphasis on shoot-‘em-up action may not appeal to everyone, but the additional psychic powers that Jesse can learn during the game does help to keep things varied and interesting. And, of course, the conspiracies and mysteries of the Federal Bureau Of Control will appeal to fans of the X-Files as well, making it a good option for anyone who enjoys challenging and atmospheric action games. Want to play some games on the Mac? We’ve tried out loads and our favorites can be found here: Best Games for Mac: A-list Mac games to play.

A former Rockstar Games developer that has previously worked on Grand Theft Auto 4 has said that the studio should work on a remaster of the game. Responding to social media X users asking him a question about rumours surrounding a GTA 4 remaster, former technical director at the studio Obbe Vermeij said that it should happen, considering other successful remasters in recent times. “I hadn’t heard those rumours,” posted Vermeij on X. “I think GTA IV should be remastered. It’s a great game and there have been a number of successful remasters recently.” Vermeij also wrote about wanting to see GTA 4 protagonist Niko Bellic return in some form, saying that he is still the best protagonist of the franchise in his opinion. “I would like to see it updated,” Vermiej responded to a post asking his thoughts. “Niko is still the best protagonist in any GTA game I think.” Rumours about a remastered release of Grand Theft Auto 4 first started making the rounds all the way back in November 2021. The rumours came in light of the at-the-time recent release of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – Definitive Edition. At the time, the rumours indicated that the remaster would be released in 2023 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, and that it would include the Episodes from Liberty City expansions as a bundle. However, 2023 is a long time ago when it comes to video game releases, and Rockstar Games has still been quiet on the matter. While smaller rumours kept popping up here and there, they started coming back in earnest this year. A more recent rumour, courtesy of known Rockstar Games insider Tez2, indicated that a port for modern platforms is still in the works. Taking to the GTA Forums, Tez2 said that Grand Theft Auto 4 is being ported to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and that work on the ports had been going on for more than a year. While the post didn’t reveal too many details, it did indicate that Rockstar might be looking to tide fans of GTA 6 over in light of its recent delay to May 26, 2026 by releasing the GTA 4 port later this year. The insider also said that the GTA 4 port would be part of a larger plan by Rockstar to also release a remaster of Max Payne 3 down the line. The latter would be released in time with Remedy’s current work on remaking the original Max Payne games. “Someone at R* hinted at the [GTA] IV port, and by now it should’ve gone up a year in development.+,” he wrote. “We may end up seeing it drop later this year. And it’s one more reason, in addition to existing reasons, the LCPP mod was taken down. If they still follow their plan laid out from the pandemic days, they’ll do an MP3 port after IV. So that is an opportunity to do a bundle or a Definitive Edition. Max Payne 1 & 2 remakes, and a Max Payne 3 port.” Grand Theft Auto 4 was originally released back in 2008 on Xbox 360 and PS3. It has since also been released on PC, where it can still be played on modern systems alongside its Episodes from Liberty City story expansions. I hadn't heard those rumours. I think gtaIV should be remastered. It's a great game and there have been a number of successful remasters recently.— Obbe Vermeij (@ObbeVermeij) May 12, 2025 I would like to see it updated. Niko is still the best protagonist in any gta game I think.— Obbe Vermeij (@ObbeVermeij) May 13, 2025