The Family Mode of Steam has always been one of the most interesting and problematic points of Valve’s client. On one hand, it allowed us to share our game library with friends and family. On the other hand, it didn’t let you play those games if the other person was connected and playing any title.
Well, Valve has decided to fully enter the 21st century with Steam Families, a new feature of Steam that encompasses the already existing Steam Family Sharing and Steam Family View, as well as some brand new family features.
The new feature allows Steam users to create a family of up to 6 members to share games and implement content controls. Something very interesting considering that Steam is the most used client in the world for playing video games.
What is the new Steam Families: pros and cons
Users can create a family and invite up to 5 additional members, who can be assigned as adults or children. All family members will have their games shared in a family library, which works similarly to the old Steam Family Sharing feature.
All family members will be able to play any game from the library, as long as it is not being played by someone else at that moment. If two people want to play the same game at the same time, then two family members must own a copy of the game.
And when playing shared games, each member will have their own saved games, unlock Steam achievements for their own account, and have access to workshop files.
If someone in your family is banned from a game while playing your version of the game, your account will also be banned, so be careful who you share with.
Steam Families also includes a parental control option, where adult family members can manage access to games, Steam community features, and monitor screen time for children’s accounts.
Children also have the option to request more playtime or games that would otherwise be restricted, and they can also request adult accounts to purchase new games for them by sending a cart directly to the adult account.
The new feature is currently in beta phase, and to access it, it is necessary for all family members to register in the beta version. Oh, before we go: the waiting time to switch families is one year.
