How to family share steam

What is Steam Family Sharing?

Steam Family Sharing is a feature developed by Valve that allows Steam users to share their game library with family members and friends. This innovative system lets you lend your games to others, enabling them to play your titles, earn achievements, and save their progress independently. It's a fantastic way to expand your gaming options without purchasing duplicate copies of games.

How Does Steam Family Sharing Work?

The core principle behind Steam Family Sharing is that you authorize specific accounts on your computer to access your library. When another user logs into your computer and accesses your shared games, they are essentially borrowing them. This borrowing can be done remotely as well, by authorizing accounts through Steam's online interface.

Setting Up Family Sharing

To set up Steam Family Sharing, you need to follow these steps:

1. Enable Steam Guard: Ensure you have Steam Guard security enabled in your Steam account settings. This is a mandatory requirement for using Family Sharing.
2. Authorize Computers: Log in to your Steam account on the computer you wish to share from. Navigate to Steam > Settings > Family.
3. Select Devices: In the 'Family' tab, you'll see an option to 'Authorize Library Sharing'. Check this box.
4. Choose Family Members: A list of accounts that have logged into that computer will appear. Select the accounts you wish to share your library with and click 'OK'.

Alternatively, you can authorize accounts remotely via the Steam client. Go to Steam > Settings > Family and under 'Manage Other Computers', you can select accounts to authorize.

Playing Shared Games

Once Family Sharing is set up, authorized family members can access your library. They will see your games listed in their own Steam library under the 'Library' section. When they click on a shared game, they can choose to 'Borrow' it.

It's important to note that when a game is being borrowed, the owner of the library still has priority. If the owner decides to play a game that a family member is currently borrowing, the borrower will have a grace period of a few minutes to purchase the game themselves or will be prompted to buy it if they wish to continue playing.

Limitations and Restrictions

While Steam Family Sharing is a generous feature, it comes with certain limitations:

• Account Limit: You can authorize your library to be shared with up to 10 accounts on a maximum of 5 devices at any given time.
• Simultaneous Play: Only one person can play a shared game at any given time. If you decide to play a game that a family member is currently borrowing, they will receive a notification and have a short window to exit the game.
• Game Availability: Not all games are eligible for sharing. Games that require an additional third-party key, account, or subscription (e.g., some MMOs, games with exclusive launchers) cannot be shared.
• DLCs and In-Game Items: Downloadable Content (DLCs) are generally tied to the owner's account and are not shareable. However, in some cases, DLCs might be playable by the borrower if the owner has them. In-game items or currency are usually not shareable.
• Regional Restrictions: Some games may have regional restrictions that prevent them from being shared across different countries.

Benefits of Steam Family Sharing

Steam Family Sharing offers several advantages:

• Cost Savings: It significantly reduces the cost of gaming by allowing multiple people to access a single game purchase.
• Wider Game Access: Users can try out a broader range of games without financial commitment.
• Shared Experience: It fosters a communal gaming experience among family and close friends.
• Achievement Hunting: Borrowers can earn their own achievements for games they play from a shared library.
• Independent Progress: Game progress is saved independently for each user, so playing a borrowed game doesn't affect the owner's save files.

In conclusion, Steam Family Sharing is a valuable tool for gamers looking to share their passion and expand their gaming horizons. By understanding its setup, usage, and limitations, you can effectively leverage this feature to enjoy more games with your loved ones.