Valve Revamps Steam Family Sharing with New Family Groups
Steam has allowed gamers to share their games with others through its Family Library Sharing feature for many years. In March, the company decided to give it a facelift, and now, after six months of beta testing, "Steam Family Groups" has officially launched.
Family Groups function similarly to Family Library Sharing, allowing users to share their game libraries. The key difference? Now you can play simultaneously. To get started, create a "Family" group with up to six members.
Once part of a Family Group, you'll automatically gain access to eligible games from other members' libraries, and they'll gain access to yours. All your existing games remain yours, and any new games you purchase will be added to your collection as usual. Most importantly, when playing games from your Family Library, you'll maintain your own save files, earn Steam achievements, access Workshop content, and more.
This revamped Family Sharing allows you to play games from other members' libraries even when they're playing something else. Plus, if your Family Library has multiple copies of a game, several members can play simultaneously! For more details, check out the FAQ below.
Limitations and Considerations
There are some limitations. If one member receives a game ban, it will apply to the entire group. Additionally, after leaving a Family Group, you'll face a cooldown period before creating or joining a new one. This prevents people from switching groups too frequently.
While intended for close family, Valve understands that families evolve. Adults can leave a Family Group whenever they choose, but they can only join or create a new one a year after leaving their previous group. Due to infrequent family size reductions, vacated spots in Family Groups also have a one-year cooldown before they can be filled.
It's worth noting that even with the testing phase complete, Valve acknowledges potential adjustments to Family Group features, such as the maximum member count, based on user feedback. For the full announcement and answers to frequently asked questions, visit the official Steam page.
