The highly-anticipated Counter Strike 2 finally launched last month for PC gaming platforms. This latest version of the game replaces CS:GO, and brings with it a series of graphical and gameplay upgrades to its competitive player base. However, going forward, macOS users won’t be able to play the brand-new iteration of the Valve FPS.
It doesn’t take the best graphics card to play Counter Strike 2, however, the shiny new version of the beloved FPS series won’t be able to run on those using macOS based hardware going forward. This news comes directly from Steam, with Steam Support posting on the platform that it made the decision to discontinue support for older hardware, like DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems. Steam followed that up, iterating that “we will no longer support macOS” and that from now on, Counter Strike 2 will exclusively run on 64-bit Windows operating systems and Linux.
According to Steam, the decision was made as, the CS:GO user base on all the now-discontinued platforms, resulted in less than one percent of all active Counter Strike: Global Offensive players. To appease its now lost player base, Valve has set up a legacy version of CS:GO, which is a frozen build of the game and contains all the game’s features, apart from matchmaking. This version of CS:GO will receive official support up until January 1, 2024, where the game will still be available, but gameplay and quality may degrade over time.
macOS users may also be eligible for a Prime Status Upgrade refund if they played CS:GO between the announcement of Counter Strike 2 Limited Test on March 22, to the launch of Counter Strike 2 on September 27, and if most of that playtime was carried out on macOS. Refunds will be available until December 1, 2023, however, CD keys, gifts, and accounts with bans will not be eligible.
The full statement by Steam Support is currently available on Steam, along with the finer details of refund eligibility.
If this news has got you down, and you still want to be able to play Counter Strike 2, our best gaming PC guide is full to the brim with some of the best pre-built PCs. If you’re already sporting a high-powered PC, the Counter Strike 2 system requirements have everything you need to make sure you’re equipped to take on the newest iteration of the highly competitive first-person shooter.