To say that Steam changed the way we view video games, and especially PC gaming, is an understatement. It’s easily one of the most important platforms and gaming services out there, and we often judge a game’s success by how well it’s doing on Steam. That goes double if it’s a multiplayer game that’s attempting to keep its fanbase over a long period of time. However, Valve itself would acknowledge that they’ve had some “ups and downs” over the years, and they’ve had to change and upgrade their services over time, and Steam Families is one such change that many will like.
You can have up to six people on one shared program, and everyone can access the other games at any time. The only exception is when people within that group want to do a multiplayer game together. If they wish to do so, the individuals will have to own their own copies so that they can play together.
Even with that caveat, everyone who plays on the shared platform will have their own saved data, which means that you won’t have to worry about another family member accidentally erasing your precious save file because they “pushed the wrong button.” Yeah, sure they did…
There are some other things you need to know. First off, once you make a “family,” it’s meant to stay together for quite a while. For example, if you leave a Steam Family, you can’t just jump into another one. Instead, as noted by Valve on the FAQ, you have to wait a year before getting another family or jumping into another one yourself.
Also, Valve made it clear that not every title will be available to use in this program:
“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 who have these concerns can reach out to us via the partner support page to get help with options and solutions.”
As for “parental controls,” they outlined that, too:
“Steam Families includes new parental controls that allow parents to set limits on what and when children play games on Steam. You can control which games your children have access to and monitor their activity. This information is available from wherever you access Steam, including your mobile device when you are away from home.
Members of a Steam Family can have one of two roles: adult or child. Any adult family member can manage invites and apply account restrictions. Children are subject to parental controls and do not have permissions to manage the family.”
