Valve's Shocking Decision To Kill Counter-Strike 2 On Macs, Explained

Valve ceased its support for Counter-Strike 2 on Apple Inc's AAPL Mac due to a combination of factors, including a low player base and technical limitations.

Counter-Strike 2 initially replaced Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for Mac users, but an update created compatibility issues, rendering both games unplayable on the Mac platform, Valve announced in a blog post on Steam.

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Valve explained Counter-Strike 2 represented a substantial technical leap forward for the Counter-Strike series, and to ensure future development, the company was focusing exclusively on 64-bit Windows and Linux support.

This meant older hardware, 32-bit operating systems and Mac would no longer receive support. Combined, these platforms accounted for less than 1% of active CS: GO players, Valve said.

As a consolation, Valve was providing a "legacy" version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive for Mac users who couldn't run Counter-Strike 2 on their current hardware.

Support for this legacy version ends on Jan. 1, 2024. Valve was also offering Prime Status Upgrade refunds to those affected, with refunds available until Dec. 1, 2023.

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Photo: Valve via Steam.