Valve’s Steam client will end support for macOS 11 Big Sur on Aug 10, 2025. This decision, while a blow to some gamers, is part of a pattern of ending support for older operating systems and follows Apple’s discontinuation of security and technical support for Big Sur in 2023.
A Steam support post said the client’s reliance on a heavily modified version of Google Chrome was the main reason for the change. This embedded browser is a core component of the Steam client, and future versions of Chrome will no longer function properly on older macOS versions. Valve also stated that future Steam updates will require security and feature enhancements that are only available in macOS 12 and newer.
Basically, Valve is making sure that the Steam client stays secure and functional by phasing out support for older operating systems. This means that if you use Big Sur and want to keep using Steam, you absolutely have to update your operating system to macOS 12 Monterey or a later version.
This isn’t the first time that Steam has ended support for older macOS versions. The company warned that an update would cut support for macOS 10.13 High Sierra and 10.14 Mojave, and Valvedid cut out those versions. However, this transition had a lot more to do with the need for modern security features and the discontinuation of support for 32-bit games.
While the news may be inconvenient for anyone who has not yet updated, it makes a lot of sense. Older operating systems, like Big Sur, are no longer receiving security patches from Apple. This leaves those systems vulnerable to new malware and other exploits. This could potentially compromise the user’s computer, and also affect their Steam account and personal information. While the two likely aren’t related, this could also be because Valve is giving more support through a beta release of a native Apple Silicon version of the Steam client.
MacOS Montereywas released in October 2021 and came with many new features and improvements over Big Sur. These improvements include Universal Control, which lets users seamlessly use a single keyboard and mouse across their Mac and iPad; the Shortcuts app, which brings powerful automation to the Mac; and SharePlay for sharing in FaceTime.
These features, along with other security and performance updates, make the upgrade a lot better for those who are hesitant to move over. The system requirements for macOS 12 Monterey are also not particularly demanding, with a minimum of 4 GB of RAM and sufficient storage space for the update being the main requirements. Many Macs that run Big Sur can also be updated to Monterey, but some older models like the 2013 and 2014 MacBook Pros are limited to Big Sur. Some of those Intel Macs might be able to use Windows 10 or 11 through Boot Camp, though the latter operating system willneed the compatibility checks removedbefore installing.
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