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Steam Client to Require macOS 12+ Starting October 15

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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.

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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.

Tag: Steam

Top Rated Comments

S
senttoschool
9 months ago
That's fair.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D
Donkey Man
9 months ago

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.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ImperialForces Avatar
ImperialForces
9 months ago
… at least Steam is updating the MacOS client.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sydnxt Avatar
Sydnxt
9 months ago

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.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
WarmWinterHat
9 months ago

The client is the easy bit; nothing to do with games themselves.
What's the client without games?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
baryon Avatar
baryon
9 months ago
I'll be able to look at my entirely unplayable Steam library of games that I bought when they were ported to Mac, then Apple dropped support for every single one a few years later...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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