Valve is introducing native support for Apple Silicon Macs in the latest Steam client beta. This update allows the Steam Client and Steam Helper apps to run directly on Macs with M-series chips, eliminating the need for Rosetta 2 emulation.
Rosetta 2 currently enables Intel-based applications to operate on Apple Silicon’s ARM architecture, but native support is expected to enhance Steam’s performance and efficiency on these devices.
This change aligns with Apple’s decision to discontinue major updates for Intel-based Macs after macOS Tahoe and limit Rosetta 2 availability to macOS 27. Apple will maintain some Rosetta functionality to support older gaming titles dependent on Intel frameworks.
Mac users can join the Steam beta by going to Steam > Settings > Interface, selecting “Client Beta Participation,” and choosing “Steam Beta Update.” Steam will then restart to apply the update.