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Valve
PC gaming has traditionally been viewed as an activity for individuals, but the emergence of PC gaming handheld devices such as the Steam Deck has made sharing favorite titles significantly easier, albeit through unofficial means. Valve’s Steam platform, which previously lacked robust sharing capabilities, has acknowledged this shift in dynamics with the introduction of Steam Families.
Steam Families, currently in beta, serves as a replacement for both the more limited Steam Family Sharing and Steam Family View features. Users can now invite up to five family members to form a family group of six individuals, thus enabling the sharing of games amongst one another (subject to developers’ permissions). Family members can access their collective library of games in a dedicated section of their list, allowing each individual to play shared games while preserving their own save files and achievements.
Compared to Family Sharing, Steam Families appears to be more lenient. It allows players to access a shared game even if the owner is currently online and engaged in another title. Furthermore, multiple members of a Steam Family can simultaneously play the same game, provided the total number of players matches the total number of purchased copies within the household. Automatic sharing of all games amongst family members is facilitated, while parents retain the ability to impose restrictions through parental controls, regulating game access, playtime, and other related features.
Steam Families simplifies the process of a child requesting an adult within the same family to purchase a game on their behalf, eliminating the need for direct financial transactions or repeated gift card purchases. Moreover, any individual can mark a game as “private” to prevent sharing, which proves to be a valuable feature.
However, there are several caveats to consider, including:
- Designed for a household of “close family members,” with Steam monitoring usage and potentially adjusting rules over time.
- Requirement to wait one year after joining a previous family before joining a new one.
- Replacement of a family member “slot” is only possible after a year.
- Inability to share games that necessitate a third-party account or subscription.
- Cheating bans extend to the entire family, resulting in loss of access.
- Inability to share free DLC, free-to-play games with purchased DLC, region-restricted games, or any title already excluded from Family Sharing.
For more detailed information, particularly concerning DLC-related complications, users can refer to the Steam Families FAQ page. The configuration process for Steam Families initiation commences within the Steam client’s Interface section by selecting “Steam Family Beta” under the “Client Beta Participation” setting.
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