How to Share Games on Steam With Friends and Family

Sharing games on Steam with friends and family is a great way to enjoy gaming together. To do this, you’ll need to use Steam’s Family Library Sharing feature, which allows you to share your game library with others on up to five separate Steam accounts. Here’s how you can get started:
1. Enable Steam Guard: To share your games, you must first have Steam Guard security enabled on your account. You can activate it by going into your Steam settings, clicking on the “Account” tab, and then managing your Steam Guard settings.
2. Authorize the Shared Computer: Log in to your Steam account on the computer you wish to share your games from. Open Settings, click on the ‘Family’ tab, and check the box that says ‘Authorize Library Sharing on this computer’.
3. Share with Family & Friends: Once you’ve authorized the computer, you can now share your games with family and friends who also use Steam. Ask them to log in to their own Steam account on the shared computer. Then you’ll need to log back into your account, navigate back to the ‘Family’ tab in Settings, and you should see a list of eligible accounts that have also logged in on that computer. Check the box next to their name(s) to authorize them.
4. Access Shared Games: Your friends and family can now access and download games from your library when you’re not playing them. They will have their own save files and game progress; however, certain games may not be available for sharing due to technical limitations or publisher restrictions.
5. Understand Limitations: Only five accounts can be authorized at any one time, and devices can be deauthorized as needed through the same menu. It’s also important to note that shared games are only playable if the owner’s account is not currently playing a game (shared or otherwise). If the owner decides to start a game while it’s being accessed by another user, the other user will be given a few minutes to either purchase the game or quit playing.
Remember that while most games are sharable through this feature, some may not support sharing if they require an additional third-party key or subscription.
Using Family Library Sharing is an excellent way for friends and family members to enjoy games without having multiple copies. Always make sure that all parties involved understand Steam’s policy regarding shared libraries and adhere strictly to avoid restrictions on any of the accounts involved.

