Windows Steam on an Apple Silicon Mac

Mac Steam vs Windows Steam

Steam for macOS is a native app, and it's the right choice for any game that has a Mac build. But it only shows install buttons for those games; Windows-only titles are greyed out.

The Windows Steam client doesn't care what's underneath it. Run it through Wine and it sees a Windows PC, so it offers the Windows versions of everything you own. Your purchases, friends list and achievements come with your account, so there's nothing to transfer.

Which app to run it in

• CrossOver has a ready-made Steam install and includes D3DMetal for DirectX 12. Paid, with a 14-day trial. Its 26.x updates keep adding launcher fixes (26.3 fixed Epic and GOG Galaxy issues).
• Grapple (ours): sets up Steam in one click and applies the black-window fix for you, on the Free plan too — and sets up GOG Galaxy and the Epic Games Launcher the same way. Free runs one game of yours, forever; Pro plays your whole library. DirectX 9 to 12 is covered out of the box — Apple's D3DMetal comes with the app, with DXMT as the DirectX 10/11 fallback.
• Sikarugir: free; you create a wrapper and run the Steam installer in it. More manual, very flexible.
• Whisky is archived and no longer updated, so Steam client updates can break it at any time. See Whisky alternatives.

Heroic Games Launcher (Epic, GOG, Amazon) and Mythic (Epic) focus on other stores rather than Steam. For the bigger picture, see every way to play Windows games on a Mac.

Step by step

The same steps apply whichever app you use; only the buttons differ.

1. Pick a Wine-based app. Install a Wine-based app that runs on Apple Silicon, such as CrossOver, Sikarugir or Grapple. They all need Rosetta 2; macOS offers to install it the first time it's needed.
2. Create a 64-bit Windows environment for Steam. Make a new Windows environment (a Wine prefix, which most of these apps call a bottle or wrapper) set to Windows 10. Keep Steam in its own environment so a broken game can't take your launcher down with it.
3. Run Valve's Windows installer. Download SteamSetup.exe from Valve's website and run it inside that environment. Some apps, including CrossOver and Grapple, do this step for you.
4. Fix the black window if you see one. If Steam opens as a black or empty window, its built-in web view needs to run CPU-rendered in a single process. Apply your app's Steam fix or launch option before troubleshooting anything else.
5. Sign in and install a game. Sign in with your Steam account (Steam Guard works as usual), then install a Windows game from your library like you would on a PC.
6. Choose the graphics layer and play. For DirectX 10/11 games use DXMT or D3DMetal; for DirectX 12 you need D3DMetal. Launch the game from Steam and give it a minute on first start while shaders are built.

The black window, explained

Steam draws its whole interface — store, library, sign-in — with an embedded copy of Chromium, running as steamwebhelper.exe. Chromium normally splits work across several processes and renders with the GPU. Under Wine on macOS that combination often fails, and you get a black or blank Steam window even though Steam itself is running fine.

The fix is to make the web helper render on the CPU in a single process. Steam has launch options that point in that direction, but they aren't always passed through to the helper. Grapple swaps steamwebhelper.exe for a tiny wrapper that starts Valve's real helper with --disable-gpu --single-process, and re-checks it every time Steam starts, because Steam updates put the original back. Other tools apply their own workarounds; if you're on one of them and still see black, look for a Steam-specific setting or launch option in its documentation.

CPU rendering only affects Steam's interface, not your games — they still render through DXMT or D3DMetal on the GPU.

Once Steam is running

• Graphics. Most DirectX 10/11 games want DXMT or D3DMetal; DirectX 12 needs D3DMetal. The DirectX guide explains the difference.
• Anti-cheat. Some multiplayer games won't start at all. See anti-cheat games on a Mac before buying.
• Steam overlay. Steam's in-game overlay can hang games running on DXMT. If a game freezes on launch, try turning the overlay off (Grapple disables it by default).
• Disk space. Games install inside that Windows environment, so it grows to the size of your library. Keep an eye on free space.
• Refunds. Valve's standard refund policy still applies if a new purchase doesn't run, but check its terms rather than relying on it.

FAQ