Launch steam client requires rosetta installation

[onizukah85]

I just bought m2 MacBook, then I downloaded steam client and installed.
When I launched steam client, it said "to open steam, you need to install rosetta"
I clearly download steam client for Mac with .dmg file. I cannot understand why it requires rosetta.

I checked steam icon > mouse right click > get info > Kind : application (intel)
it says "intel", not "apple silicon"... is it correct??

Please help me to start steam client..

[Lugee]

Hello,

yup, it's right. Steam application is still "Intel only", so the application needs "translation".

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211861

If you want to read more about this - especially opinions ;-)
have a look here:

https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/2/4417479689916000468/

[v8oholic]

I have Rosetta 2 installed already, but the installation still doesn't work for me (Ventura 13.2.1 M2 MacBook Air). I drag Steam into the applications folder from within the downloaded steam.dmg file, then double click it but nothing happens (except the first time, when it says it's a file downloaded from the Internet). So the installation never completes. There is nothing in any console log, and no clue what is happening. It's a brand new machine which has never previously had Steam installed. I'm beginning to think it simply doesn't work anymore.

[Zardoz]

trash it and redownload. It still works, cause I'm using it now. You may want to delete the support files under ~/Library/Application Support/Steam since something might be corrupted.

[v8oholic]

I have already tried that. Did you install it when already running 13.2.1? Or before with an earlier version. The installer doesn't appear to work right now.

[Lugee]

Hi again,

not sure this helps but curious what happens:

Copy and paste the following line of code into the Terminal app, and hit Return.
softwareupdate --install-rosetta

Source: https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-rosetta-2-mac/

[v8oholic]

It's already installed, things like VLC require and are using it. The command line install just says "Install of Rosetta 2 finished successfully", but it makes no difference. Nothing at all happens when running the Steam app copied out of the installer download image. No error messages, nothing.

[Lugee]

Messages in console app?

[v8oholic]

There are no messages in the console app.

[Lugee]

So next attempt: try the hints of this article which you didn't go thru already:

https://macreports.com/steam-wont-open-on-mac-fix/

Pretty interested especially about the result of starting Steam via Terminal.

In my case I have to start steam_osx = Unix Executable File
If I double-click it goes like

/Applications/Steam.app/Contents/MacOS/steam_osx ; exit;
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] Startup - updater built Jul 28 2021 17:53:07
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] Startup - updater built Mar 24 2023 10:10:36
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] Startup - Steam Client launched with: '/Users/thomas/Library/Application Support/Steam/Steam.AppBundle/Steam/Contents/MacOS/steam_osx'
found breakpad via in process memory: '/Users/thomas/Library/Application Support/Steam/Steam.AppBundle/Steam/Contents/MacOS/Frameworks/Breakpad.framework/Versions/A/Resources'
Installing breakpad crash handler
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] Loading cached metrics from disk (/Users/thomas/Library/Application Support/Steam/Steam.AppBundle/Steam/Contents/MacOS/package/steam_client_metrics.bin)
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] Using the following download hosts for Public, Realm steamglobal
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] 1. https://client-update.akamai.steamstatic.com, /, Realm 'steamglobal', weight was 1000, source = 'update_hosts_cached.vdf'
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] 2. https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com, /client/, Realm 'steamglobal', weight was 1, source = 'update_hosts_cached.vdf'
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] 3. http://media.steampowered.com, /client/, Realm 'steamglobal', weight was 1, source = 'baked in'
SteamID: 0, universe Public
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] Verifying installation...
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] Verification complete
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] Not updating bootstrapper: No update necessary: current version 4.0, package version 4.0
[2023-04-18 20:46:01] Shutdown
logout

Saving session...
...copying shared history...
...saving history...truncating history files...
...completed.
Deleting expired sessions...9 completed.

[v8oholic]

xxx@Macbook-Air ~ % /Applications/Steam.app/Contents/MacOS/steam_osx
src/steamexe/steamglobalinstance.cpp (389) : m_NamedPipe >= 0
src/steamexe/steamglobalinstance.cpp (389) : m_NamedPipe >= 0
[2023-04-19 09:35:53] Startup - updater built Mar 15 2022 17:15:24
exec failed: 'Bad CPU type in executable'

xxx@Macbook-Air ~ % file /Applications/Steam.app/Contents/MacOS/steam_osx: Mach-O 64-bit executable x86_64

Finder says steam_osx is Kind: Unix Executable File, size: 4,319,568 bytes, modified 23 March 2022.

It's also possible that it's not steam_osx that's the problem, I guess. It could be trying to load another executable or library.

[v8oholic]

More information: confirmation that Rosetta is installed:

xxxxx@MacBook-Air MacOS % lsbom -f /Library/Apple/System/Library/Receipts/com.apple.pkg.RosettaUpdateAuto.bom
./Library/Apple/usr/lib/libRosettaAot.dylib 100755 0/0 320960 2065013787
./Library/Apple/usr/libexec/oah/RosettaLinux/rosetta 100755 0/0 540360 1520249700
./Library/Apple/usr/libexec/oah/libRosettaRuntime 100755 0/0 381680 1322711071
./Library/Apple/usr/share/rosetta/rosetta 100644 0/0 64 1875722922

xxx@MacBook-Air MacOS % /usr/bin/pgrep -q oahd && echo Installed || echo Not installed
Installed

So the question is perhaps, why is that X86 executable not being processed by Rosetta.

[Lugee]

Check out for this: exec failed: 'Bad CPU type in executable'

Sounds pretty wrong IMHO.

https://www.technewstoday.com/bad-cpu-type-in-executable/
sounds like Steam or some components are still for 32-bit??

[v8oholic]

I don’t hold out much hope but I raised a support ticket 6 hours ago. As yet, no response.

[Lugee]

Yeah, why not. Good luck!

[v8oholic]

OK, I have had some success, I have the client running at least.

The problem appeared to be the existence of some legacy x86 libraries in User/<acct>/Library/Application Support/Steam which was a surprise to me, as I haven't had Steam installed for 6 years and never on this Mac (or the previous one either) but they were still there. They must have been migrated by Migration Assistant each time I got a new Mac. I actually thought I had checked for that, but it seems I wasn't thorough enough.

Anyway, once I removed them (being careful to leave the SteamApps folder and its contents) the installer ran OK, proceeding with its downloads etc, and the client is now installed and running. I haven't tried running any games yet. One definitely won't work as it's 32 bit, and a couple of others are downloading huge updates. But it's looking promising.

Incidentally, they did say that M series Macs are not officially supported.