Valve has officially rolled out its new Steam Families game-sharing feature, unifying the older Steam Family Sharing and Steam Family View tools into a single, comprehensive system. The feature allows users to share their game libraries with up to five others in the family group. The key aspect is that this feature grants access to games from other members’ libraries, even when they’re online. However, sharing the same game simultaneously requires multiple copies in the shared libraries.
One Family Per Year
The Steam Families update includes several notable limitations and features. One important detail is that once you leave a family, you cannot join another one for an entire year. Valve emphasizes that this cooldown applies both to users who leave the family and to replacing a member within the family.
Users need to be cautious when selecting their family members, as they are liable for one another’s actions. If a member cheats and gets banned in an online game, the entire family may face penalties.
Additionally, developers have the option to exclude their games from the sharing feature for technical reasons. While this feature enhances flexibility, users need to weigh the risks before joining or creating a family, as the consequences can be significant.
