Will CS2 become available on Mac? Valve speaks out

CSGO was a popular pick for Mac gamers as one of the few esports titles available on the platform, but will that still be the case for CS2?

One of the strangest parts of Global Offensive was Valve’s push to get it on as many platforms as possible. While the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are just historical curiosities, the developer also pushed for CSGO to be on Mac. It was one of the very few competitive titles available on Apple’s ecosystem with perfect crossplay. However, the release of CS2 left out many older features, including availability on other operating systems. Valve has finally issued a statement on CS2 for Mac, and the news isn’t good.

In the reveal of the legacy version of CSGO, Valve hosted a self-led interview about the game’s shuttered status. One of the biggest was related to Mac availability. Valve had this to say on the subject. 

“As technology advances, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue support for older hardware, including DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems. Similarly, we will no longer support macOS. Combined, these represented less than one percent of active CSGO players.”

Based on these statements, it is unlikely that Valve will ever release support for CS2 on Mac. It’s possible for Apple users to play the legacy version of CS2 in the meantime, but support for that build will end at the start of 2024.

Mac players can get a refund for Prime in CS2

While a very disappointing decision, would-be Mac CS2 players can take some reprieve by getting a Prime refund.

Valve is offering players a chance to refund their Prime status under a few key conditions. Eligible players must have opened CSGO between the first CS2 announcement and the official release of the game. In addition, the majority of their gameplay hours must have been on a Mac system. It doesn’t matter when they purchased Prime, so having it for several years shouldn’t affect your refund.

The refund process will be the same as any game on Steam. Visit the official Steam Support page, select Counter-Strike 2, and go through the process of claiming your refund. Prime status currently costs $15, so you can use that to pick up another game to play instead. As for all your fancy skins, you’ll have to go through that process on your own.