Guide

How to play Windows-only Steam games on your Mac

Last updated: October 25, 2026

The Mac version of Steam lists every game you own, but it only lets you install the ones with a Mac version. Everything else is greyed out. If most of your library is Windows-only, the simplest fix is to run the Windows version of Steam on your Mac. You sign in with the same account and see the same library, and Windows games install and play from there. This guide shows how with PC Game Port.

Before you start

A Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) and macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
PC Game Port installed. It's free for 14 days with no card. See Install.
Room for your games. They install inside PC Game Port's Windows folder in your home folder (~/Games).

Install Windows Steam

Download the Windows installer. On Steam's download page, choose the Windows version. You get a file called SteamSetup.exe.
Add it to PC Game Port. Click + (Add Game) and pick SteamSetup.exe, or drag it onto the window. PC Game Port sees that it's an installer and runs it.
Finish the installer as on a PC, then close it. PC Game Port finds Steam and adds it to your library with its icon.
Press Play on Steam and sign in. Steam may update itself on the first start, which takes a minute.

Install and play a game

Install it from Windows Steam as usual. It downloads into Steam's folder inside PC Game Port.
Play it from Steam. Most Steam games need Steam running anyway, so launching from inside Steam is the safest way.
Or add it to your library. Click + and pick the game's .exe in Steam's steamapps/common folder. You then get its icon, play time and its own launch options in PC Game Port. Steam still starts in the background if the game needs it.

Tips

Text too small in Steam? In PC Game Port, open Settings → Windows → Text and menu size and pick 125% or 150%.
Saves: games that use Steam Cloud sync your saves with your PC, the same as on Windows.
Keep Mac Steam for Mac games. A game with a Mac version runs best through Mac Steam. Use Windows Steam for the rest.
Stop everything at once: Tools → Stop All Windows Programs closes Steam and anything it left running. Nothing keeps running after that.

Still have a Windows PC?

Steam Link, free on the Mac App Store, streams games from your own Windows PC to your Mac over your home network. The PC has to be switched on and nearby, and the game runs on the PC, so anti-cheat games work too. If you no longer have a PC, running Windows Steam on the Mac is the way.

What won't work

Games with kernel-level anti-cheat. Steam store pages show a notice for these. See anti-cheat on Mac.
Steam VR games. They need a Windows PC with a VR headset connected.
Games far above your Mac's power. Check the requirements first: can my Mac run it?

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