L4D multiplayer to work cross-platform

By Tom Bramwell Published 9 March, 2010

PC vs. Mac from next month.

Valve has said that Left 4 Dead owners on Windows and Mac will be able to join forces or go head to head cross-platform in multiplayer.

It's all thanks to the new Mac version of Steam, due out next month, which will be supported by the Mac-ification of the entire Valve catalogue, including both zombie shooters.

Thanks to Valve's "Steam Play" feature, Windows players who also have Macs don't have to worry about forking out for a separate version either. As the Left 4 Dead blog points out, "if you own Left 4 Dead 2 for Windows, then you already own it for the Mac."

"We'll be releasing the exact system requirements soon. The Mac versions will be updated in sync with the Windows versions, so the platform wars can continue uninterrupted."

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (16) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • matrim83 #1 2 years ago

    You Mactards are dead. Show them no mercy my bloated OS brethren.

  • Ryboy #2 2 years ago

    They won't be so clever with their one button mouses! DEATH TO THE ONE BUTTONZ!

    Edit: Epic spelling fail.
    Edited by 1 at 09/03/10 @ 09:28

  • bad09 #3 2 years ago

    Nice, lets 'ave the jeans wearing mac users! ;)

    I might get back on L4D tonight, not played in yonks and AvP has been hogging my MP action lately.

    Edit - someone was offended by this??? Some of you are funny! :)
    Edited by 1 at 09/03/10 @ 09:11

  • StooMonster #4 2 years ago

    Sad geek that I am, I'm wondering if running L4D2 in Windows or OS X makes a difference to FPS.

    /Pokes Digital Foundry

  • YoungPayters #5 2 years ago

    sounds pretty impressive. well done valve

  • LazyDan #6 2 years ago

    What's all this talk of raping?! I thought L4D was a co-operative based game you monsters! Let us love and hug and kill zombies together in an OS-independant post-apocalyptic paradise!

  • DoctorZoidberg #7 2 years ago

    Ryboy, mac's got rid of one button mouses agesss ago! In fact default mouses on mac have 5 buttons to a PC standard three buttons...

    @ StooMonster - iMac's are pretty powerful these days, and Mac Pro's as you probably know are absolute power houses. I can't see the graphics being any issue at all. It's only going to be people who don't really know macs that will be poking at the graphic / gaming capability of macs.

    I wonder if there is a way to tell whos on a mac and who's on a Pc during the game?

  • Fitzmogwai #8 2 years ago

    I wonder if there is a way to tell whos on a mac and who's on a Pc during the game?

    Any character in any game played on a mac will be wearing blue jeans, white trainers and a black polo neck sweater.

  • chrisola #9 2 years ago

    Valve will soon unveil the next Counter Strike, which will be on Xbox, PC and Mac with everyone being able to play against each other.

    They will then take over the world by announcing Left 4 Dead 3 which does the same trick.

    If the Dreamcast could do Q3 arena v PC players, and ShadowRun PC vs 360, it can't be long before Valve drops the hammer on FPS multiplayer gaming once and for all.

  • Retroid #10 2 years ago

    Francis: I hate birds.
    Zoey: Yeah, birds are dicks.

  • Gl3n #11 2 years ago

    Fantastic that purchases transfer over. They could have seen fit to charge.

  • ignatiusjreilly #12 2 years ago

    Counter Strike, which will be on Xbox, PC and Mac with everyone being able to play against each other.

    I'm all for cross-platform gaming, but Counter-Strike will never work until the Xbox allows mice or get some other peripheral that offers a similar speed and accuracy. Taking two seconds to turn around 180° is not gonna work in CS.

    Something like L4D would work much better.
    Edited by 1 at 09/03/10 @ 15:40

  • obscured021 #13 2 years ago

    'They won't be so clever with their one button mouses! DEATH TO THE ONE BUTTONZ! '

    mac's have 4 buttons on there mice (mighty mouse)

  • DoctorZoidberg #14 2 years ago

    Five obscured021, 5.

    The two obvious ones, the two on the sides and pressing of the ball thingy in the middle.

  • ignatiusjreilly #15 2 years ago

    obscured, Zoidberg = humour fail.

  • mkreku #16 2 years ago

    But can you get any GPU to go with your Mac? I have a friend who bought a 24" Imac and the best GPU he could upgrade to was the Radeon 4850. It's not a bad card at all, but it's not really top of the line either..