Oct 4, 2010 08:41 GMT  ·  By

Left 4 Dead 2 will be released for Mac OS X on Tuesday, October 5th, via Steam, according to an official announcement by Valve. Those who own the game on a Windows PC will be able to download it for free, while the original Left 4 Dead port for Mac is being delayed.

“Left 4 Dead 2 will be released on the Mac Tuesday October 5th,” Valve said in a blog post. “If you already own it on the PC, then you own it on the Mac. All you need to do is install it on your Mac and start playing.”

For those who don’t own the game, “now is a great time to pick it up,” Valve suggests.

“Not only do you get Left 4 Dead 2 but Steam owners get all the previously released DLC for free! So you get the original 5 Campaigns and ‘The Passing’, ‘The Sacrifice’ and ‘No Mercy’.

“Best of all, there is already a thriving community and excellent community created campaigns waiting for you,” says Valve.

As for the original version of the game (L4D1), Valve says it is seeing an unexpected delay, but the developer hopes to have it shipped to Mac users by Halloween.

“Sorry Left 4 Dead owners, the Mac version is coming but we are running a little late. We hope to have it out in time to celebrate Halloween on the Mac,” Valve says.

“When released, L4D1 Mac players will receive the same great treatment. All the previous released updates and DLC for free and the ability to play an extensive library of community content. More information on the release date as it nears,” the company concludes its announcement.

Valve also announced that, once “The Sacrifice” is released this Tuesday, the Left 4 Dead team will celebrate by playing Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 all day.

“If you want to join us in a game, on the Xbox 360 look for L4D2 DEV 1, L4D2 DEV 2, L4D2 DEV 3, L4D2 DEV 4, or L4D2 DEV 5. On the PC L4D2_DEV_1, L4D2_DEV_2, L4D2_DEV_3, L4D2_DEV_4, or L4D2_DEV_5. Our friends lists are full but you can look for us playing ‘The Sacrifice’,” the studio said.