- The latest Steam Beta is running naturally on Apple Silicon
- Apple is retiring Rosetta 2 -Compatibility layer
- Games need to run more smooth and more effectively
After WWDC 2025 we have had a flurry of Apple messages this week, including the news that MacOS Tahoe 26 will be the last version to support Intel Macs – and just off the queue, Steam has finally delivered a version of his client who runs naturally on Apple Silicon.
Check in on the release notes for the latest Steam Client Beta (via PC Gamer) and you will see the very important news that “Steam Client and Steam Helper apps are now running naturally on Apple Silicon” included in the update details.
Until now, Steam for MacOs has always been coded into the X86 Intel chipset, rather than arm chips developed by Apple Self-what has meant that the client on the M series has worked through the Rosetta 2 compatibility team Apple delivers.
In addition to dropping Intel Chipset support and leaving older Macs on MacOS 26, next year’s MacOS 27 will be the last version to support Rosetta 2, advertised Apple on WWDC 2025. That means developers will have to put arm-coded versions of their applications.
How to try it now
For those of us without an interest in chipset architecture or compatibility layer, it simply means that steam gaming on macos should run more efficiently and smoothly – think faster image speeds and better battery life in the big and whole.
You also need to find the Steam client launching faster and is more responsive when used on Macs. A large part of it is down to the chrome -based user interface that works naturally on the arm, rather than having to be translated.
If you want to try the beta version now, you can do -the usual warnings with beta software apply here, as you may notice more bugs than usual and some of your games may be sparkling, but any problems should be leveled over time.
From the Steam app on your Mac select Steam> Preferences> InterfaceThen click No beta selected Rolling menu to the right of Client Beta participation Heading: You will then be able to choose Steam Beta update to participate in the beta.
