How To Run Steam Games On Mac

From yesterday a large number of Steam users reported that they were seeing a '[GAME] is not optimized for your Mac' alert. If you've seeing the same thing, you are likely running a game that is a 32-bit app on macOS 10.13.4.

Games you won’t find on Steam, but can run on your Mac include Blizzard titles like World of Warcraft, Starcraft II, and Diablo III. Games you won’t find on Steam and are also Windows-only include most of the EA stable, with Mass Effect 3, Mass Effect: Andromeda (likely), Mirror’s Edge, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Star Wars: The Old Republic. This is a major update for Mac gamers as Apple have dropped support for 32-bit applications and you will only be able to run 64-bit apps on Catalina. How does this affect me I hear you say? Well, up until this point games were designed to run on a 32-bit OS, these games cannot run in a 64-bit environment, they were not designed for it.

35 Steam Games from Aspyr Are Affected

Not all game developers have updated thier popular 32-bit apps to 64-bit to ensure future playability with macOS. Aspyr, an American video game developer and publisher, says that so far its remedy for this upadte is currently unknown. We understood the 32-bit to 64-bit transition does present unique development challenges, and it's not yet known if every Aspyr game will be upgraded. This update affects the following Steam games from Aspyr Media:

BioShock Infinite
Borderlands 2
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!
Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Civilization IV
Civilization IV: Colonization
Civilization V
Command & Conquer™: Generals Deluxe Edition
Company of Heroes Complete: Campaign Edition
Doom 3
Duke Nukem Forever
Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy Remastered
Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions
Homeworld Remastered Collection
Prey
Quake 4
RAGE
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum
SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition
SimCity: Complete Edition
Star Wars: Empire at War
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
The Sims 2: Castaway Stories
The Sims 2: Life Stories
The Sims 2: Pet Stories
The Sims 2: Super Collection
Tomb Raider II

Read Also: The Best Way To Transfer Music from iPhone to Mac >

Everything You Want To Know About This Alert

By cleaning up 32-bit Apps/Gamings from macOS, Apple hopes that this alert will help gamers and game developers to raise a concern about the modern design of Mac apps/games. According to Apple: 'To ensure that the apps you purchase are as advanced as the Mac you run them on, all future Mac software will eventually be required to be 64-bit.'

Q: Why am I seeing this '[GAME] is not optimized for your Mac' alert? A: Starting with macOS High Sierra 10.13.4, apps that have not been updated to use 64-bit processes produce a one-time alert when opened. This gives users advance notice that they are running 32-bit software/game, which will not be compatible with macOS in the future.
Q: Can I keep playing my 32-bit games on my Mac? A: Yes, you may continue to play 32-bit games with your Mac today as this is just a reminder alert. This has no adverse effect on your data or your computer.
Q: How do I check if my Steam game is 32-bit or 64-bit? A: On Apple menu > Choose About This Mac > Click the System Report button > Software > Applications. When you select an individual game, you will see a field titled '64-bit (Intel)'.

The Bottom Line

Please feel free to contact us if you have similar problems or concerns and we will update this thread as we have news or updates. Leave your message in comment box below to join the discussion with other steam gamers.

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