macOS – Missing shader files error on startup (files present but not recognized)

Bug Reports
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1

  • Game Version: 5.4.10 (Steam macOS build)

  • Platform: Mac Steam

  • Mods: Never Used

  • Hardware Specifications & Operating System (OS version, CPU, GPU, RAM, storage…):

    • MacBook Air (2022)

    • Apple M2 chip (8-core CPU, 10-core GPU)

    • 16 GB RAM

    • 512 GB SSD (437 GB free)

    • macOS Sequoia 15.5

  • Issue Date: August 22, 2025

  • Error Message (optional): “Missing game files required to initialize the global shader library.”

    Path mentioned:

    inZOI.app/Contents/UE/BlueClient/Content/

  • Details (Providing reproduction steps helps us):

  • After installing via Steam on macOS and attempting to launch, the game immediately shows the error above and does not start.

    Steps Already Tried:

    • Verified integrity of game files in Steam (multiple times).

    • Deleted and reinstalled the game.

    • Moved installation to a new Steam Library folder.

    • Restarted Steam and macOS.

    • Reinstalled Steam on MacOS

    • Ensured Steam has Full Disk Access in macOS Privacy & Security.

    • Confirmed that .metallib shader files exist in the specified folder, but the game still does not recognize them.

    • Installed another Unreal Engine-based game (Spirit City: Lofi Sessions), and it produced the same error.

    • Installed and tested a non–Unreal Engine game via Steam on macOS, which worked without issues.

2 Likes
2

Have you figured out a way to fix this? I have the same problem

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3

Hey there, welcome to the inZOI forum!

Have either of you looked into this thread? We’ve just gotten a solution for a different issue, but maybe it’s connect to yours. Would you kindly check whether this solves your bug or not and report back?

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4

In my case, the cause of this error on macOS with inZOI was the macOS account name.

If you see:

“Game files required to initialize the global shader library are missing from: /users/username…”

Check whether your macOS account short name ends with a period (.), like:

/Users/username.

Unreal Engine builds shader paths using the $HOME directory. When the username ends with a trailing dot, some internal path handling can misinterpret or normalize the path incorrectly. This can produce malformed paths such as:

/users/usernamelibrary/application support/…

When that happens, the game cannot locate the global shader library even though the files are actually installed correctly.

:wrench: Fix:

Create a new macOS user account without a trailing dot (or special characters) in the username. Log into the new account, reinstall Steam and the game, and launch from there.

Reinstalling the game alone did not fix it — the issue was the macOS username itself.

Hope this helps someone else.

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