Installing Steam for Windows on MacOS

UPDATE: this doesn't seem to work anymore (2026-04-19), if this starts working again I'll update this page, but currently it can't be installed in Heroic

IMPORTANT: This guide is written on 2026-04-10, Steam working or not with Wine-Staging can change at any time if Steam gets an update and the only support that will be provided is to wait until a new version of Wine-Staging solves the compatibility.

IMPORTANT 2: This guide has instructions to install Steam for Windows on MacOS. The fact that Steam works does not mean that any game from Steam will work and, given that it can only be used with Wine-Staging, if a game does not work there's really not much that can be done to troubleshoot it.

IMPORTANT 3: If you own the commercial/paid Crossover, we recommend using that instead of Wine-Staging + DXMT

Requirements

• This will only work on Apple Silicon chips (M chips, NOT Intel -read below-) because Wine-Staging + DXMT only works on M chips
• The SteamSetup.exe installer from https://cdn.fastly.steamstatic.com/client/installer/SteamSetup.exe

Note that, technically, Steam also works with Wine-Staging with DXVK (without DXMT) and it means it will also work on Intel Macs using this, but DXVK is known to have rendering issues with many invisible elements (backgrounds, characters, UI, etc) and I haven't tested it on an Intel Mac to confirm. So it might only be usable for some games. There's no fix for invisible elements.

If you need, for any reason, DXVK for a game, we recommend installing Steam twice, once with DXVK and once with DXMT. DO NOT CHANGE the wine version to use DXVK/DXMT, this can break the prefix with the current implementation of Heroic (this can change in the future but it's not possible right now)

Steps

1. Click the "Add Game" button in Heroic's library
2. Enter "Steam" or "Steam for Windows" or any name that you want in the "Game/App Title" field (don't leave just "Title" there)
3. Click "Show Wine settings" and ensure Wine-Staging + DXMT is selected (if you don't have it, install Wine Staging from the Wine Manager in Heroic's sidebar)
4. Click "RUN INSTALLER FIRST", this will open a file picker
5. Pick the "SteamSetup.exe" and run it
6. The Steam installer should start (it might be behind other windows)
7. Finish the Steam installer installation and select to NOT launch Steam
8. Click the folder icon in the "Select Executable" field, this will open a file picker
9. Navigate to "drive_c/Program Files (x86)/Steam/" and choose the "steam.exe" file
10. Click the "FINISH" button in the "Add Game" dialog

Now you can run the Steam app from your library.

Extra notes:

• Games are installed inside the WinePrefix, so be aware of the size of this folder and that if you delete it you will lose all downloaded content.
• In order to install and run Steam games, you'll have to first launch the Steam launcher and install/launch games with it (if someone finds the right way to add the Steam games to the library, this guide can be updated)
• Because this is using Wine-Staging + DXMT, it means that only games that work with this Wine version and DX tool will work. DO NOT change the wine version (don't change to GPTK or Wine-Crossover or Whisky, none) or you might break your Steam installation.
• Heroic DOES NOT have a button to install Steam automatically, we had one before and it broke and it was a problem for a long time, for now we'll have this guide and if it proves stable enough maybe this can be automated in the future again in Heroic.
• When closing Steam, it shows an error message, no idea how to prevent that.

Alternatives

• As mentioned above, if you own Crossover (not to be confused with the free Wine-Crossover in Heroic), we recommend using that instead of Wine Staging + DXMT. Crossover will probably ensure that Steam works properly with it.
• Sikarugir is another free alternative that should run Steam just fine. Check their repo and their Discord for support.