Years after Apple transitioned to Apple Silicon, Valve has finally released a beta version of the Steam client, ending a prolonged effort to adapt to Apple’s technology. With games for Apple Silicon already available on Steam, this marks a significant milestone—five years since Apple Silicon’s debut—by introducing a native client. The beta version, released late Thursday, has made both the Steam Client and Steam Helper Universal apps. Participating in the beta is straightforward and does not require special permissions.
Users can simply navigate to the Settings menu, select the Interface option, opt into beta updates, and restart the client to access the new version. Initial testing on an M1 Ultra Mac Studio indicates that the client performs as expected, with no notable user interface changes apart from its status as a Universal app. However, this development signals a looming shift for Intel Macs. Apple announced at the 2025 WWDC that macOS Tahoe will be the final version to fully support Intel-based Macs, although security updates will continue for some time.
For gamers, the future appears concerning. During the State of the Platform presentation, Apple revealed that Rosetta 2 support will conclude in the fall of 2027, with only reduced support for unmigrated games. The specifics of what “scaled back” support entails remain unclear, with Apple promising to maintain a subset of Rosetta functionality for older, unmaintained gaming titles reliant on Intel frameworks. More information regarding these changes is not expected until the 2026 WWDC, leaving many questions unanswered for gamers and developers alike.
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