Real Reason Valve Won’t Release Counter-Strike 2 on Mac

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Real Reason Valve Won’t Release Counter-Strike 2 on Mac

Mac gaming has come a long way since the initial days of the PowerPC architecture. Modern Macs run on ARM-based custom chips and can leverage the power of translation (and emulation) to play Windows-based titles with varying levels of success.

While Counter-Strike 2 does run on modern Macs, it requires a fair bit of tinkering and is not an official port by any means. Valve’s refusal to release a native port of CS2 for Macs is quite strange, especially when Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) had a port before being discontinued in favor of CS2.

Counter-Strike 2 is not macOS compatible

Unfortunately, Counter-Strike 2 simply does not run on modern Macs. This is because Apple Silicon Macs are based on the ARM architecture and cannot run x86-based code natively.

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Almost all games are developed for x86-based systems first, and Counter-Strike 2 is no exception. Valve’s drop-in replacement for the ageing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) runs best on Windows and Linux machines, which are predominantly x86-based.

However, this does not mean that CS2 cannot run on ARM architectures; it’s just that it is not natively supported. To run CS2 on ARM-based systems, you will have to use a translation layer (box64 for Linux and Rosetta for macOS).

Translation layers come with their own quirks, and are not exactly perfect solutions. The biggest issue is compatibility, as most games just refuse to run. The performance degradation encountered while translating x86 code to ARM is also at times quite noticeable.

This can result in frame rate drops and strange behavior, such as graphical artifacts. In short, running games on these types of systems is like playing whack-a-mole, and issues are going to crop up sooner or later.

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This also does not consider that most anti-cheat solutions are incompatible with translation layers, making them effectively unplayable. Valve does use a rather basic anti-cheat with CS2, and has every right to terminate user accounts in the case of suspected tampering and cheating.

Playing the game on macOS could result in a false flagging of accounts, which could potentially lead to Valve taking action on these users.

Considering all of the above, it’s apparent that Valve officially does not support macOS. However, there are ways to play the game on Macs.

There exist ways to get the game up and running on Apple Silicon

To make things clear, this is an unofficial method of playing the game and is not supported or endorsed by Valve in any way. Keeping that in mind, there is a way to play CS2 on Macs.

To do this, you will require a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) and 16 GB of system RAM. 8 GB could technically work, but expect dips and performance issues as the system draws memory from swap.

To begin, download and install

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, then:

• Fire up Crossover. Search for Steam.
• Create and install the Steam bottle.
• Launch Steam from the bottle, and log in to it using your credentials.
• Head on over to your Library.
• Start downloading CS2. Once the download finishes, hit Play.

The game should now boot up and begin running. Try experimenting with the options available to customize your FPS and put on an optional stats overlay (Metal HUD). Crossover is paid software but comes with a two-week trial. You can also choose to use Whisky instead.

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