Apple today issued a reminder to developers and users that future versions of macOS will no longer support Intel-based Mac computers, and support for applications in the Rosetta 2 compatibility layer will also end after macOS 27. macOS Tahoe will be the last macOS version to support Intel Macs, marking the countdown to Apple's plan to completely phase out Intel platforms.
Starting from macOS Tahoe 26.4, when users launch an application that requires the use of Rosetta 2, a warning window will pop up, indicating that the application will no longer be able to run after the end of Rosetta 2 support. This change affects a wide range of areas, especially the hundreds of Steam games that still use Intel binaries. Even if these games currently run well under Rosetta 2, these games will not be available in the future because the developers are unlikely to update.
However, Apple also stated that it will continue to provide Rosetta support for older, no longer maintained games and software running Intel binaries in Linux virtual machines until macOS 27. Additionally, security fixes may be available in the future.
Apple first announced its plan to stop supporting new versions of macOS for Intel Macs as early as June 2025 at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The company launched Mac computers equipped with M1 chips in 2020, starting the transition to self-developed chips, and completed the chip conversion of the entire product line with the release of the Apple Silicon version of Mac Pro three years ago. According to the plan, macOS 27 will be released in September 2026, which means that the end of Intel Mac support is approaching.