Is Half-Life available on Mac?
Yes, playable on Mac. Half-Life has an official macOS build that runs on Apple Silicon Macs through Rosetta 2.
Half-Life Mac specs at a glance
| Mac compatibility | Yes, playable on Mac |
|---|---|
| How it runs | Rosetta 2 |
| Metacritic score | 96 / 100 |
| Time to beat | ~12 hours (main story) |
| Genre | Action |
| Publisher | Valve |
| Last verified | Aug 9, 2026 |
Compatibility verified against Steam and ProtonDB.
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Reports are re-verified against Steam and ProtonDB in the weekly sweep. If this page is wrong, it gets fixed.
What does this mean?
Rosetta 2 means the Mac version is an Intel build that Apple Silicon Macs run automatically through Rosetta 2 translation. Compatibility is verified against Steam and community sources. Learn how Mac game compatibility works →
Will Half-Life run on your Mac?
Yes, via Rosetta 2
Official Intel build; Apple Silicon Macs run it automatically through Rosetta 2.
See everything your Mac can run →Thanks — counted. If something did not run, use "Report an issue" instead.
Minimum Mac requirements for Half-Life
| OS | Leopard 10.5.8, Snow Leopard 10.6.3, or higher |
|---|---|
| Memory | 1 GB RAM |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce8 or higher, ATI X1600 or higher, Intel HD 3000 or higher |
Source: the minimum macOS specs listed on Steam. If your Mac meets or beats these, Half-Life should run.
How to play Half-Life on Mac
Half-Life has an official Mac version, but it's an Intel build. On Apple Silicon Macs (M1 or newer) macOS runs it automatically through Rosetta 2, a built-in translation layer, so it's nearly as simple as a native game.
- Get the game. Buy and download Half-Life on Steam.
- Install Rosetta 2 (one time). The first time you open an Intel app, macOS offers to install Rosetta 2. Click Install. You can also run "softwareupdate --install-rosetta" in Terminal beforehand.
- Launch and play. Rosetta translates the game invisibly in the background. For a game like this, performance is typically excellent, and you won't notice it's happening.
Common questions about Half-Life on Mac
Is Half-Life available on Mac?
Yes. Half-Life has an official macOS build that runs on Apple Silicon Macs through Rosetta 2.
How do I play Half-Life on Mac?
Half-Life has an official Mac version, but it's an Intel build. On Apple Silicon Macs (M1 or newer) macOS runs it automatically through Rosetta 2, a built-in translation layer, so it's nearly as simple as a native game.
How long does Half-Life take to beat?
Half-Life takes about 12 hours to beat (main story).
What is Half-Life's Metacritic score?
Half-Life has a Metacritic score of 96.
What are the minimum Mac requirements for Half-Life?
Half-Life lists a minimum of macOS Leopard 10.5.8, Snow Leopard 10.6.3, or higher, 1 GB RAM on Steam. If your Mac meets or beats those, it should run.
