64-bit version for macOS 10.15 Catalina?

[Thunderforge]

I'm interested in buying this game for my Mac (I have fond memories of playing Myst: Masterpiece Edition on the Mac I grew up with)! However, the Steam store page says that it won't run on macOS 10.15 Catalina because the game is 32-bit, but Catalina only runs 64-bit apps.

Is there any chance to have this game upgraded to 64-bit for Mac? As a Mac gamer, I really want to be able to relive my childhood memories in glorious 3D!

[Halloween Jack]

Steam's warnings about the Myst series games and their compatibility (or lack thereof) with 64-bit-only Catalina are not entirely up-to-date.

Cyan's games that are available for macOS that are 64-bit compliant:

Obduction
realMyst: Masterpiece Edition
Myst III: Exile
Riven: The Sequel to Myst
Myst: Masterpiece Edition

Cyan's games that available for macOS that are not currently 64-bit compliant:

URU: Complete Chronicles
Myst V: End of Ages
Myst IV: Revelation

Note: Cyan is working with Codeweavers, the developers who helped us update the games in 2018, to make them compliant with Apple's latest update requirements.
We don't have an estimate for when this will be complete.

[sbszine]

Can you set the 64-bit flag on the store page to make the warning go away?

[Halloween Jack]

Originally posted by sbszine:

Can you set the 64-bit flag on the store page to make the warning go away?

Only Steam can do that - it's Steam's store.

[Thunderforge]

Originally posted by Halloween Jack:

Originally posted by sbszine:

Can you set the 64-bit flag on the store page to make the warning go away?

Only Steam can do that - it's Steam's store.

According to the Steam developer documentation, developers have to check a box saying that it's 64-bit. Once they do that, the store warning will go away.

If your Mac application already supports 64-bit, please login to Steamworks and select the "macOS -> 64 Bit Binaries Included" checkbox in the "Supported Operating Systems" section for your application. This will ensure that your macOS app will appear as compatible for users who are running Steam on macOS 10.15.

[sojer]

Originally posted by Thunderforge:

I'm interested in buying this game for my Mac (I have fond memories of playing Myst: Masterpiece Edition on the Mac I grew up with)! However, the Steam store page says that it won't run on macOS 10.15 Catalina because the game is 32-bit, but Catalina only runs 64-bit apps.

In the meantime...

if you want to attempt it, you can create an APFS volume and install Mojave on it, which is the latest macOS to support 32-bit apps. Unlike a drive "partition", and APFS volume only occupies as much storage as it needs, and it grows or shrinks according to how big the files are, so you do not have to commit to a particular size.

This worked for me to play URU (plus a few other legacy apps) on my MacBook Pro, which came with Catalina installed.
See https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208891 for how to create the APFS volume
You will need an 8 GB (or maybe 14 GB minimum?) USB memory stick to create a "bootable installer" - see https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201372
And you get the OS from the App store. Then you run a Terminal command that takes that app (which should be in the "Applications" folder) and installs it on the USB stick.

One annoying thing is that it only works for the hardware that you plan to install it on, i.e, you cannot use, say, an iMac to create a bootable installer stick for a MacBook (even with the intention of installing it on the MacBook).

Once it's all done, restart while holding down the option key to be able to select which OS you want to boot. Then (I think, maybe not) it's as if you have a brand-new Mac and you go through all the personalization, passwords, account setups, etc. Then you can install Steam on that new volume and from there install the 32-bit games.

Be prepared to devote the whole evening to the process.