Valve Cuts Mac And 32-bit System Support For Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2, the much-anticipated sequel to the iconic first-person shooter, had a strong start, but Valve has recently made some significant decisions that are making waves within the gaming community.

In an official statement, Valve declared, "Counter-Strike 2 represents the most significant technological advancement in CS history, and our objective is to nurture the Counter-Strike franchise for years to come. With the advancements in technology, we've faced the tough choice of discontinuing support for older hardware, which includes DirectX 9 and 32-bit operating systems. Furthermore, we will no longer provide support for macOS users."

Valve clarified that the decision was based on data showing that these unsupported systems collectively accounted for less than one percent of active CS:GO players. Additionally, Valve's decision coincided with Apple's release of the Game Porting Toolkit, a technology similar to Valve's Proton, enabling the seamless play of unaltered Windows games on macOS, which could potentially fill the void.

Moving forward, CS2 will exclusively support 64-bit Windows and Linux systems, a change made partly to ensure compatibility with Valve's Steam Deck. Players who can't run CS2 due to their hardware will be able to access a "legacy version" of CS:GO, with Valve committing to support it until January 1, 2024. Described by Valve as a "frozen build" of the game, the legacy version of CS:GO will retain all of CS:GO's features except for official matchmaking support.

Furthermore, those who purchased Prime status, unlocking special in-game features, between March 22, 2023, and September 27, 2023 (the CS2 launch window), can request a refund until December 1, 2023. Valve has forewarned that after they cease support for this version in January, certain functionalities such as inventory access "may degrade and/or fail."

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