Valve’s recent beta update finally brings a native Apple Silicon version of Steam to macOS – just go to Steam > Preferences > Interface to try it. The good news is this means no more relying on Rosetta 2 for the client or helper apps promising smoother performance and better efficiency on M‑series Macs.
However, while this is long overdue, the fact remains: there are still barely any games that support Apple Silicon natively on Steam.
To play the games they really want ti play, most Mac users still have no choice but to run or emulate Windows on a Mac to play games in the Windows version of Steam.
So is this update really a big deal?
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What Valve Actually Delivered
- Speed and responsiveness: Steam’s interface now feels snappier—faster tab switching and smoother scrolling—thanks to the ARM-native Chromium embedded framework.
- Mac architecture shift: This update arrives just before Apple sunsets Rosetta 2 with the forthcoming macOS Tahoe (Apple Silicon support only officially remains for legacy games).
Where Are The Apple Silicon Compatible Games?
- Client ≠ library: Steam itself is now Apple-native—but it doesn’t change much in terms of what Mac users can play. I mean, even CS2 still doesn’t exist natively on Steam for Apple Silicon Macs.
- Just a trickle: There’s only around 35 games that offer native Apple Silicon builds out of Steam’s massive library (see a selection of some of the biggest ones below). That’s a drop in the ocean considering the thousands of games on Steam.
- Blue-chip ports missing: Major titles and AAA franchises remain absent or stuck in Intel/Rosetta or emulation form – there’s no Cyberpunk 2077 on Steam yet for example, despite its impending Mac App Store port.
Which Games Work Natively on Apple Silicon Macs in Steam?
This is not a definitive list but the following games are officially natively compatible with Apple Silicon ARM chips:
- Baldur’s Gate 3 – Fully optimized for Apple Silicon, delivering top-tier strategy/RPG performance
- Factorio – Smooth, factory-building gameplay with excellent ARM support
- World of Warcraft – Blizzard’s MMO has Apple Silicon compatibility and Metal enhancements
- Stray – Popular cyberpunk adventure game running natively only on Apple Silicon Macs
- Lies of P – Dark Souls–style game fully optimized for M-series chips
- Valheim – Viking survival hit with native ARM support
- Victoria 3 – Deep grand strategy game with native Apple Silicon support
- The Long Dark – Atmospheric survival classic, ARM-optimized
- Firewatch – Narrative walking sim with native support for Apple Silicon
- Everspace 2 – Stellar space shooter/looter with M-series compatibility
- Disco Elysium – Critically acclaimed RPG running natively on M-series chips
- Alien: Isolation – Horror-survival classic now ARM-optimized
A Step In The Right Direction But…
Of course, the biggest reason that games studios don’t develop Mac versions of their games are:
- The market for Mac gaming is a lot smaller and nowhere near as profitable as Windows and consoles.
- Apple doesn’t make it easier for developers to port games to macOS with the Metal framework (among other things) despite its recent introduction of the Apple Game Porting Toolkit.
Steam’s release of a native client at least gives developers slightly more incentive to port their games.
However, the fact is most studios didn’t recompile for ARM before, and many still won’t until there’s better demand and clear return.
The Bottom Line For Mac Users
For now, Mac gaming remains limited. The Steam Apple Silicon update brings a performance boost to the client—but it’s unlikely developers will embrace it anytime soon and you’ll still be running most games via Rosetta or running the Windows version of Steam on your Mac.