E3 2012: Valve's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive comes to Mac Aug. 21

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will arrive on OS X as well as Windows, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade for $15, developer Valve announced on Monday. The new Counter-Strike will be made available for sale through Valve's Steam platform on both Mac and Windows.

The sequel to Counter-Strike features new maps, characters and weapons, and also delivers updated versions of classic Counter-Strike content like the map "de_dust." Global Offensive will also introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leaderboards and more.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was developed by Valve in cooperation with Seattle-based Hidden Path Entertainment. It is playable at this week's Electronics Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Calif.

Valve first announced last August that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive would debut on Apple's Mac platform alongside Windows. The original Counter-Strike and an updated version using Valve's "Source" engine remains one of the most popular online games nearly 13 years after it launched in 1999.

Games for Mac received a major shot in the arm in 2010, when Valve launched its Steam platform on OS X. Among the titles that came to the Mac on Steam was Counter-Strike: Source, as well as Team Fortress 2, Portal, and the Half-Life series.

Apple also hopes to improve the gaming experience on Mac with the launch of OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion this summer. With Mountain Lion, gamers will be able to play cross-platform titles online between Mac and iOS, thanks to the arrival of Game Center on Mac.

Apple's Game Center social networking service will also allow users to keep track of games played by themselves and their friends. Users will be able to compare achievements, and challenge others to an online matchup.