Steam’s Enhanced Family Sharing Available to All

Valve Introduces Steam Families Feature for Enhanced Gaming Experience

Valve’s new Steam Families feature is now available for everyone following a beta launch earlier this year. With Steam Families, parents are able to share games with their families, manage parental controls for their kids, and approve requests from their kids to buy Steam games.

Enhanced Gaming Experience with Steam Families

The big improvement with Steam Families over Valve’s previous Family Sharing setup is that multiple people can play games from a shared library at one time. So if I’m playing Balatro, and my partner, who is part of my Steam Family, wants to play Arranger, we can both play those games at the same time. However, if my partner wants to play Balatro while I’m already playing it, she’ll need to buy an additional copy. With Steam Families, you can play shared games offline, too.

Key Features of Steam Families

Valve says that Steam Families are “intended to contain your immediate family” and that they can include “up to 6 close family members.” Each member of a Steam Family will have their own save games and earn their own achievements. Adults can leave a Steam Family at any time, but if they do, they’ll have to wait a year before they can start or join a new Family. Children can only be removed by a Steam Family by an adult or with the help of Steam support.

Transition from Family Sharing to Steam Families

In a video, Valve says that the old Family Sharing feature will be retired “eventually,” so if you’ve been using that, you might want to set up Steam Families instead.

Installation and Updates

You can start using Steam Families by updating Steam. The newest Steam client update has a handful of other updates, too, including a redesigned screenshots manager.

FAQs

How many family members can be included in a Steam Family?

Valve states that a Steam Family can include up to 6 close family members.

Can shared games be played offline with Steam Families?

Yes, shared games can be played offline with Steam Families for an enhanced gaming experience.

Can children be removed from a Steam Family?

Children can only be removed from a Steam Family by an adult or with the help of Steam support.

What happens if an adult leaves a Steam Family?

If an adult leaves a Steam Family, they will have to wait a year before they can start or join a new Family.

Is there a limit to how many games can be shared within a Steam Family?

There is no limit to the number of games that can be shared within a Steam Family to ensure maximum enjoyment for all members.

Credit: www.theverge.com