If your Mac is still on macOS 11 Big Sur, Steam support is ending soon. Valve cites Chrome compatibility and security risks, so here’s what you need to do before October 15.
Steam Is Ending Support for macOS 11 Big Sur in October and Users Wil Have to Upgrade to Continue Playing
The change comes due to Chromium-based compatibility issues, affecting the core features that power the Steam platform.
“This change is required as core features in Steam rely on an embedded version of Google Chrome, which no longer functions on older versions of macOS. In addition, future versions of Steam will require macOS feature and security updates only present in macOS 12 and above,” Valve explained.
Why Steam Is Ending macOS 11 Support
The Steam app for macOS depends on embedded Chromium features that no longer work on macOS 11. In addition, Valve is rolling out performance upgrades and Apple Silicon optimizations, which require newer macOS features found only in macOS 12 Monterey and later.
Valve also raised security concerns:
“Apple ended support for macOS 11 in 2023. This leaves systems running Big Sur vulnerable to malware and exploits, which could lead to poor performance or even compromised Steam accounts.”
Google had also announced to end support for Chrome on macOS Big Sur with version 138 being the last version of its browser that would run on macOS 11.
What Mac Users Should Do
If you’re still using a Mac on macOS Big Sur, you’ll need to upgrade to at least macOS 12 Monterey to continue using Steam and playing your games.
Here’s a quick checklist:
- Check your Mac’s compatibility with macOS 12+
- Back up your data before updating
- Update through System Settings > Software Update
If your Mac is not compatible with newer versions, you may lose access to the Steam Client and your library after October 15.
Steam’s Future on Mac
This move is part of Valve’s transition to a native Apple Silicon Steam Client, which will run more efficiently on M1 and M2 Macs without Rosetta 2. The native beta was launched following WWDC25 and signals a long-term commitment to modern macOS systems.
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