Valve’s Steam platform introduced a new feature called “Steam Families” back in March for Beta users, and it has now been officially released for all Steam users. This feature is aimed at gamers who share their accounts within a family and combines two pre-existing features: Family Sharing, which allows game lending, and Family View, now called Parental Controls, which helps restrict access to certain content.
With Steam Families, a new feature is introduced that lets restricted members request purchases for approval from the family head.
A significant update in Steam Families is the ability for up to six people to play games from the same shared game library at the same time. However, this simultaneous play comes with a limitation: if multiple family members want to play the same game simultaneously, each person will need their own copy of that game.
Additionally, games can still be played offline as long as they support Family Sharing. However, not every game on Steam allows for sharing, as developers have the option to opt-out on a game-by-game basis.
Steam Families Expands Game Sharing with Parental Controls and Simultaneous Play for Up to Six Members
To access these features, users must either create or join a Steam Family. Once a family is set up, up to five others can be invited, allowing for shared access to games while each person keeps their own save files, achievements, and Workshop subscriptions. This personalized experience ensures that each family member has an individual gaming experience while accessing the shared library.
While anyone can currently join a Steam Family, Valve recommends that only close family members within a household make use of this feature. Although there are no strict limitations yet, Valve may impose restrictions in the future if they observe misuse. The intent behind this is to ensure that the feature is used as designed — to benefit families sharing games rather than circumventing game ownership policies.
Users should be cautious when sharing their library, as cheating bans applied to one family member will affect the entire shared library. If a shared game user gets banned for cheating, the original owner will also face a ban for that game. Therefore, Valve recommends that Steam Families be limited to trusted family members to avoid potential consequences from actions outside the game owner’s control.
