Valve has introduced Steam Families, an upgraded version of its old Steam Family Sharing program.
Now, with Steam Families, up to six people can link their accounts and access each other’s games. Unlike the older system from 2013, where the game owner had to be offline for others to play, this new setup lets multiple users play different games simultaneously from the same library.
Every user gets their own save files and Steam achievements. But if two people want to play the same game together, they’ll need separate copies. Once there are two copies, any two members can join in and play that game.
Fans, this sounds like a great improvement!
When setting up a Steam Family, think carefully. Leaving a family means waiting a whole year before joining another, and the slot you leave behind also stays empty for a year. The family owner can kick out members, and if someone gets banned, the game owner gets banned too. So, everyone has to play fair.
Steam Families also brings lots of Parental Controls. Parents can block games, set time limits, approve or deny child account requests, and handle game purchases easily.
To set up, go to Account Details on Steam, then Family Management. You can create a family, invite members, and choose if they are Adult or Child accounts. Invited members must accept to join.
Not all games support Family Sharing, as developers can opt out. Games needing subscriptions can’t be shared.
Valve said, “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.” Developers with concerns can contact Valve for help.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/593110?emclan=103582791457287600&emgid=4605582245626919823
