Announcing the Transition of Apple silicon Unity Editor from Rosetta 2

[Unity_Hamed]

We are announcing that the Apple silicon Unity Editor will transition out of relying on Apple’s Rosetta 2 translation layer on macOS releases following macOS 27. This decision is necessary because macOS 27 is confirmed to be the final macOS version from Apple that will include support for Rosetta 2.

For those using Apple silicon (M-series) Macs, you are likely aware that Rosetta 2 has been a crucial compatibility layer, allowing applications built for Intel-based Macs to run on the new architecture. Currently, certain aspects of the Unity Editor and its underlying tools still utilize Rosetta 2 for seamless operation on Apple silicon.

What This Means for You

macOS 27 and Prior

If you are running macOS 27 or an earlier version, you can continue to use Unity with Rosetta 2 support as before. You might see a warning telling you Rosetta 2 will be deprecated, but this should not affect your current work.

macOS Releases After macOS 27

To continue using Unity on macOS releases after macOS 27, we will update the Unity Editor to be fully Apple silicon-native. We will be providing clear, timely guidance and updates on the specific Unity versions that will complete this native transition.

We encourage all macOS developers to monitor our official release notes and blog for future updates on this transition. Our goal is to ensure a smooth and high-performance experience for every developer building on the Unity platform, regardless of the underlying operating system.

Stay tuned for more details and thank you for being a part of the Unity community.

For any immediate questions, please feel free to ask them below.

[makaka-org]

@Unity_Hamed

certain aspects of the Unity Editor and its underlying tools still utilize Rosetta 2 for seamless operation on Apple silicon.

Which ones exactly?

[GuardingPearSoftware]

For projects that rely on native macOS plugins or Asset Store tools, will you provide a way to detect Intel-only binaries before upgrading to Unity versions that no longer rely on Rosetta 2? And starting with which Unity version will Rosetta 2 no longer be supported?

[Adrian]

If you’re running Apple Silicon Unity editor or builds, Intel-only plugins will already fail to load. Just making an Apple Silicon only (non-Universal) build and testing it should be enough to make sure you’re ready.

This is mostly about the editor being able to continue to run, not about builds. The only exception would be when you specifically rely on Intel-only builds running on Apple Silicon or have a specific setup where you run Intel binaries in separate processes.

It’s not Unity removing support for Rosetta, it’s Apple removing it in macOS 28. Unity needs to remove its reliance on Rosetta for a few remaining components to properly run on macOS 28. Whether Rosetta is supported depends on the macOS version, not the Unity version.

[GuardingPearSoftware]

@Adrian

If you’re running Apple Silicon Unity editor or builds, Intel-only plugins will already fail to load. Just making an Apple Silicon only (non-Universal) build and testing it should be enough to make sure you’re ready.

This is mostly about the editor being able to continue to run, not about builds. The only exception would be when you specifically rely on Intel-only builds running on Apple Silicon or have a specific setup where you run Intel binaries in separate processes.

It’s not Unity removing support for Rosetta, it’s Apple removing it in macOS 28. Unity needs to remove its reliance on Rosetta for a few remaining components to properly run on macOS 28. Whether Rosetta is supported depends on the macOS version, not the Unity version.

Ok nice thank you. Because I am switching to a MacBook and I was unsure.

[Tautvydas-Zilys]

@makaka-org

Which ones exactly?

It’s mostly the progressive CPU lightmapper. Progressive GPU lightmapper is not affected.

[cisdonkers]

Today I got this message:

Is there a fast way to find-out which component this is? Im using Unity 6.4.10f1 Silicon on a Mac Mini M4.
That pop-up leads to this site. I don’t want to do this for every component/asset in my project..

[Dragontech97]

On macOS Tahoe there is a simple way. Access System Information -> Software -> Rosetta Software.

Here you will see all processes macOS has flagged as not having a native binary. For me, the only Unity related one is under Unity Technologies SF -> Unity, with the primary process name being UnityPackageManager. You’ll see the location of the binary as well, which does show up as an Intel one in Finder.

You can also see in Activity Monitor -> CPU -> sort by Kind, any processes that are labeled either Intel or not Apple.

As I understand it, moving away from Rosetta is mostly referring to the Editor and its dependencies, you should still be able to build for Intel if that is one of your edge cases. Any 3rd-party Intel plugins you use will likely have to be updated in the future or you can stay on an older version/OS that still supports Intel components. We have some time thankfully.

For reference, I am using Unity 6000.0.73f1 with macOS 26.5.1 running on M1.

[Adrian]

@cisdonkers

Is there a fast way to find-out which component this is? […] I don’t want to do this for every component/asset in my project..

Did you read the first post of this thread? It explains that this is something Unity has to update in a future version of the editor, you can only wait at this point.

@Dragontech97

For me, the only Unity related one is under Unity Technologies SF -> Unity, with the primary process name being UnityPackageManager.

This is only for Unity 6.0, in later versions UnityPackageManager is already Apple Silicon native. The remaining components are more integrated into Unity and don’t show up in System Information. Just a few post above, @Tautvydas-Zilys said the holdout ist mostly the progressive CPU lightmapper.

@Dragontech97

As I understand it, moving away from Rosetta is mostly referring to the Editor and its dependencies, you should still be able to build for Intel if that is one of your edge cases.

Support for Intel-based Macs will be removed in Unity 6.8, including the player:

Unity to Deprecate Intel-based Mac Support Starting with Unity 6.6

Support for Intel-based Macs will be deprecated in Unity 6.6 and 6.7, and unavailable from Unity 6.8. Support for Apple silicon is not affected by this change. Due to Apple’s ongoing reduction of Intel-based Mac support, Unity decided to end support for Intel-based Macs after Unity 6.7 LTS. Unity 6.7 LTS will continue to support Intel Macs for 2 years after release, and 3 years for Enterprise and Industry licenses. The support will end across three components of the Engine: The Unity Editor …

[Dragontech97]

Gotcha, so Intel Mac support going away means transitioning to ARM only Mac builds. I assume build targets for other platforms are largely unaffected then? How about building for Intel Windows x86 on Mac ?

[davidro_unity]

That is correct. This announcement only pertains to our macOS editor and player support. Windows editor/player and all other platforms are unaffected by our plans regarding Apple’s deprecation and future removal of Rosetta in macOS.

[waldgeist]

Will there be an update for Unity 2022 LTS? We are developing an AR app and do not have any plans to upgrade to Unity 6 yet, since this involves a lot of changes (rendering pipeline etc.).