Steam Client to Require macOS 12+ Starting October 15

[MacRumors]

Steam will stop supporting macOS 11 Big Sur on October 15, 2025, according to Valve, requiring Mac users to upgrade to macOS Monterey or later to continue accessing the gaming platform.

The reason Steam will soon stop working on Big Sur is due to the client's reliance on an embedded version of Google Chrome, which no longer functions on older macOS versions. Future Steam updates will also require security features only available in macOS 12 and above.

Apple also discontinued security updates for Big Sur in 2023, and that's left legacy systems vulnerable to malware that could compromise Steam accounts and game performance. Valve is strongly recommending affected Mac users upgrade before the October deadline.

The announcement comes amid Steam's transition to a native Apple silicon client following Apple's stated plan to phase out Rosetta 2. Valve released the first native beta shortly after WWDC in June, signalling its dedication to continue to support Mac gaming. Testers have generally reported dramatically faster launch times and smoother navigation through the Store and Library.

Not that if you're still running Big Sur, you won't be able to launch Steam or any purchased games after the cutoff date.

Article Link: Steam Client to Require macOS 12+ Starting October 15

 

[senttoschool]

That's fair.

 

[thohnb]

So that mean , I don't need to install Rosetta anymore? That cool

 

[ImperialForces]

… at least Steam is updating the MacOS client.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I don't have a Steam account, so can't check, but I thought the majority of the games didn't make the 32-bit to 64-bit transition? Surprised they are updating the client.

 

[Donkey Man]

I don't have a Steam account, so can't check, but I thought the majority of the games didn't make the 32-bit to 64-bit transition? Surprised they are updating the client.

The client is the easy bit; nothing to do with games themselves.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

The client is the easy bit; nothing to do with games themselves.

What's the client without games?

 

[Sydnxt]

What's the client without games?

Essentially, any 32-bit macOS game that wasn't actively receiving new features or updates was not updated. Games released after 2018 are typically 64-bit and work properly. Additionally, some games are even native, such as Cyberpunk 2077 and Factorio.

 

[gpat]

Still no support for Team Fortress 2, right?

 

[Donkey Man]

What's the client without games?

The client is nothing without games; this is why such news is close to irrelevant, at least as far as the Mac is concerned, given the dearth of top games offered through Steam for that platform.

 

[ignatius345]

I had a little library of older games on Steam and they all stopped working back when 32 bit support was dropped from the OS. Very much of a bummer.

 

[bradman83]

I don't have a Steam account, so can't check, but I thought the majority of the games didn't make the 32-bit to 64-bit transition? Surprised they are updating the client.

There are plenty of games that were updated or released after the 64 bit cutoff. I suspect that losing Rosetta support next year will be a bigger pain point.

RIP Cities: Skylines v1. I will miss you!

 

[macfacts]

Chicken and egg problem for games on Mac, game devs see the Mac as low number of gamers so they aren't going to make games for Mac, you're only going to get casual/indie/iOS Games. What a waste of all that Mx power.

 

[iLilana]

now if only they would fix the valve games to work natively on apple silicon 64 bit. You know.. the games we already paid for and just need a minor fix. It is minor.

 

[tonester1984]

macOS Monterey was the last version of macOS I really liked. I hate the new vertical menu systems.

 

[kingrich3rd]

Still no support for Team Fortress 2, right?

Correct, this is because Valve didn't want to update TF2 on Mac from the 32 bit client. I ended up installing TF2 on my wife's PC just so I could still play 😀

 

[miguel cortez]

So that mean , I don't need to install Rosetta anymore? That cool

Well, you'll still need it to play many of the Mac games since not all are native.

 

[JosephAW]

Moved to codeweavers crossover for a larger playable library as a temporary stopgap until Apple removes Rosetta ii
Then we’re out-of-luck.

 

[bradman83]

Moved to codeweavers crossover for a larger playable library as a temporary stopgap until Apple removes Rosetta ii
Then we’re out-of-luck.

I’ve had okay luck with Windows on ARM in Parallels for some less graphics intensive or older games (Galactic Civilizations II and III, Megaman 11). Heck there's an old Sim-style game I used to play on Classic Mac OS in the mid-90s that I found the Windows/Steam version for and it runs like a champ in virtualization despite being 30 year old code. Microsoft has really been improving their x86 emulation now that they're pushing Snapdragon powered laptops.

I wouldn't trust Windows on ARM for anything heavy duty, mind you.

 

[sonic84]

please recompile Orange box for x64/arm. I miss CS:S and HL2...

 

[jayducharme]

I have a 32-bit game in Steam that still works fine (and unfortunately won’t be updated). So does the discontinuation of Rosetta 2 mean that the 32-bit game will no longer function? Or because it’s a game will it still be supported?

 

[Pow!]

3 weeks ago I wrote "Steam is based on Chrome. Whatever Google does with Chrome, Valve has to follow with Steam, which is why we just lost Mojave support for Steam on Feb. 15 2024. This means Ventura will likely soon be the cutoff for Steam on macOS."

I didn't expect the announcement to happen 3 weeks later. Fck Google.

 

[Plutonius]

I had a little library of older games on Steam and they all stopped working back when 32 bit support was dropped from the OS. Very much of a bummer.

I had a computer that I didn't upgrade past Mojave in order to play the older 32 bit games. Since then, Steam no longer supports Mojave so that's now not an option.

I now have an M2 and run the 32 bit games under Crossover.

 

[Plutonius]

I have a 32-bit game in Steam that still works fine (and unfortunately won’t be updated). So does the discontinuation of Rosetta 2 mean that the 32-bit game will no longer function? Or because it’s a game will it still be supported?

32-bit MacOS games stopped working post Mojave. Steam mislabeled a lot of MacOS games as 32 bit and, if you are currently running the game on MacOS Steam, it's not actually 32-bit and should continue to work if your MacOS version is supported by Steam.

 

[ignatius345]

I now have an M2 and run the 32 bit games under Crossover.

Oh cool! Does that work pretty well?