Attention Mac users, especially those who love gaming! Big news is coming your way as Valve’s Steam, the renowned gaming marketplace and app, is set to drop support for macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) and 10.14 (Mojave) starting February 15, 2024. This move will significantly affect the gaming landscape on macOS, especially for fans of classic 32-bit games.
What Does This Mean for Your Mac?
Steam will no longer update its client on these operating systems from the set date, including security updates. This change won’t just affect new installations; it’ll impact existing ones as well. Valve has clarified that Steam Support won’t assist with issues related to these older macOS versions. Consequently, if you’re still using High Sierra or Mojave, your gaming experience could encounter several challenges as you progress.
Why is This a Big Deal for 32-Bit Games?
Here’s the catch: macOS Mojave is the last version that supported 32-bit games. So, with this change, a significant part of Mac’s gaming history might become inaccessible. Valve has stated that by the end of 2023, it will no longer consider games with only 32-bit macOS binaries compatible with Mac, as many 32-bit games on Steam have not been updated to 64-bit and might not work on newer macOS versions.
The Bigger Picture
Apple’s decision to drop 32-bit application support in macOS 10.15 (Catalina) was the first step in this direction. Now, with 98%+ of Mac Steam users on macOS 10.15 or newer, the impact might not be as large as it seems. However, for that small percentage of users on older versions, this marks the end of an era for certain games.
The Tech Behind the Scenes
This shift is part of a larger technological evolution. Apple has transitioned from PowerPC to Intel, from 32-bit to 64-bit on Intel Macs, and most recently, to Apple Silicon with its M1 chip. Each of these transitions has made it increasingly difficult to play older games. Though Rosetta 2 has preserved many 64-bit Intel Mac games on Apple Silicon, the same can’t be said for their 32-bit counterparts.
Conclusion
This is a significant moment for Mac gamers, marking the end of support for a range of classic games. While Steam expects its clients and games to continue running on older macOS versions for some time, the future of 32-bit gaming on Mac looks uncertain. Are you a Mac gamer affected by this change? How do you feel about the shift towards newer operating systems and the impact on classic games? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments. Let’s discuss the future of gaming on macOS!