Valve has updated its old Steam Family Sharing program and replaced it with Steam Families, a new and improved way to share games across multiple accounts that is available now.
Steam Families allows up to six users to essentially link their accounts into one, with each user gaining access to all of the games on each of the linked accounts. Whereas the old Steam Family Sharing system (first introduced in 2013) required the owner of a game to be offline in order for those sharing the account to play, that isn’t the case with Steam Families. Multiple users can access a family member’s game library and play different games at the same time.
Each user will have their own save files and Steam achievements. However, in order to play the same game together, multiple users on the Steam Family will need a copy. Once two copies of the same game are accessible via the shared accounts, any two members of the Steam Family will be able to play.
Those looking to create a Steam Family will want to put some thought into it. While it is possible to leave a Steam family once you’ve joined, doing so comes with a one-year wait time before you are able to join another Steam Family, as well as a one-year wait before that slot in the Steam Family you left can be filled. The owner of the Steam Family can also kick out unwanted family members. If someone playing a game on your account gets banned, the owner of the game will be banned as well, so make sure everyone in your Steam Family is playing nice.
The new and improved Steam Families also comes with a plethora of Parental Control features, allowing parents to block off access to specific games, restrict certain content, set playtime limits, approve or deny requests from child accounts, and easily approve game purchases requested by child members.
To set up a Steam Family, find your Account Details on Steam, then click on the Family Management section. From there you can “Create a Family,” invite members, and choose whether added members will be Adult or Child accounts. Invited users will then need to accept the Steam Family invitation to join.
Valve notes that not all games will support Family Sharing, as developers can opt out of the program. Some games, like those that require subscriptions, can’t be shared between accounts.
“We want as many games as possible to be accessible via Family Sharing, but we realize some games might have special cases where this feature isn’t feasible or doesn’t give users a good experience,” Valve writes in a blog post. “Developers who have these concerns can reach out to us via the partner support page to get help with options and solutions.”
