Amazon Luna offers an easy way for Mac users to play Windows PC or console only games on a Mac, so we tested it out to see how it performs.
There are now many ways to play games that are not available for Mac and Cloud based gaming platforms such as Amazon Luna are one of the easiest options.
Although popular games such as Fortnite, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and EA FC26 are not currently available for macOS, Amazon Luna provides an easy way to play it on any Mac.
The great thing about Amazon Luna is that it’s included with Amazon Prime accounts so if you’ve already got one, you’re good to go.
However, there are a few drawbacks to using Amazon Luna on a Mac as we found.
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Before You Start
There’s a few things to be aware of before using Amazon Luna on a Mac.
- We strongly recommend using a console controller to play Luna games on your Mac. Although Luna is designed for using an Amazon Luna controller, you can also use an Xbox or PlayStation controller with Luna. Playing games on Luna with a Mac keyboard and Trackpad isn’t a great experience. However, with certain games, Luna also allows you to scan a QR code and use your mobile as a controller too.
- On Macs, Amazon Luna only works in Google Chrome – it does not support any other browser including Safari or Firefox (although Amazon’s support page says that it works with Safari on iOS devices).
How Amazon Luna Works on a Mac
With this in mind, here’s how to play games on a Mac with Amazon Luna using Fortnite as an example.
- Firstly, make sure you have an active Amazon Prime subscription. You can also just use an Amazon Luna+ subscription if you don’t have Prime.
- Then go to the Amazon Luna Fortnite page in the Google Chrome browser on your Mac. Note that you cannot use Safari as Amazon Luna does not support it.
- Click on “Play now with Prime” button and accept the terms and conditions.
- You’ll then be taken back to the Luna Fortnite game page where you can then click on the big “Play now” button.
- You then need to link an Epic games account to Amazon Luna. If you don’t have one, click on “Create a free Epic games account” otherwise log in with your Epic account details.
- Once you’ve linked your Epic Games account, you’ll be taken back to the Fortnite Luna game page. At this stage, we’d recommend connecting a controller if you have one. One great thing about Amazon Luna is it will allow you to use your mobile phone as a controller by scanning a QR. Alternatively, you can use an Amazon Luna, Xbox or PlayStation controller with Luna simply by connecting it via Bluetooth to your Mac. Just place your controller into Bluetooth discovery mode (on an Xbox controller this requires pressing the discovery button on the front) so that your Mac can see it.
- Make sure that Bluetooth is activated on your Mac and simply connect the controller to it.
- Then simply go back to the Fortnite Game page in Luna and click “Play Game”. You’ll be prompted to turn-off Location Service on your Mac to help Luna run more smoothly. To do this go to the Apple logo in the top left of your Mac > System Settings > Privacy and deactivate Location Services.
- Fortnite will then prompt you whether you want to activate the microphone on your Mac for in game chat. This is where you really need an Amazon Luna controller if you intend to use voice chat. To connect your Luna controller to your Mac, make sure that your Mac’s Bluetooth is activated and then follow these instructions. If you have any problems doing this, you can find more support here.
- You can also get game control tips for playing Fortnite on your Mac using the Luna controller or by holiding down Shift+Tab to get tips on using keyboard controls.
- Fortnite will then launch on your Mac. You’ll be prompted again whether you want to use voice reporting if you’ve got Voice Recording activated.
- You can then start playing Fortnite in Amazon Luna on your Mac. In general, we found that the gameplay is pretty smooth although there is some occasional stuttering and lag. The game played at around 30 frames per second which isn’t as good as on a console but is more than playable.
- Unfortunately, we didn’t have access to a Luna Controller and it is very awkward trying to playing Fortnite using only the Mac keyboard and Trackpad. You can press “Shift+Tab” to get help with keyboard controls but we strongly recommend getting a Luna Controller to really enjoy the game.
Other Games on Amazon Luna
At the moment, Amazon Luna doesn’t have exclusive rights to many major AAA games. However, it does allow you to play other titles such as Lego Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, Ghost Recon, Batman, Sonic and more.
It does however allow you to play EA FC 26 on a Mac – in fact currently its the only effective way to play it on a Mac (see our video below). As with Fortnite, you’ll see that there is some stuttering which is probably due to latency on the internet connection.
You can also link your Amazon Luna account to an Ubisoft account to allow you to play games such as Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Assassins Creed and FarCry.
Extra Features on Amazon Luna
There are a few other neat touches in Amazon Luna including integration with Twitch if you want to stream your games online.
There’s also a feature called “Couch” which allows you to play with friends online even if they don’t have an Amazon Prime or Luna+ subscription.
You simply share a code with them and they get access to the game so that you can play together.
Conclusion
In our test, we found that Amazon Luna is an excellent platform for Cloud gaming on a Mac giving you access to games that normally you wouldn’t be able to play.
We tested under optimum conditions though with an M3 MacBook Pro and Fiber Internet connection so slower Macs and internet connections may not perform as well.
We also played when the Luna servers were relatively quiet and at peak times, we’ve heard that connections can be very laggy and slow.
From a financial perspective, if you’ve already got an Amazon Prime subscription, then Amazon Luna is a real bonus as you don’t need any other gaming subscription.
However, it’s definitely best enjoyed with an Amazon Luna controller which will currently set you back around $84.
Watch Fortnite on a Mac in Amazon Luna
You can watch us playing Fortnite on a Mac with Amazon Luna below. Note there’s no sound in the recording but there is when you play it in Luna.