Steam Families lets you control how your children play video games

It’s now easier than ever to access Steam’s game-sharing and parental control features following a big update to the digital store for PC games.

The platform, which is owned by Valve, the company behind tactical shooter Counter-Strike and the popular Steam Deck handheld, has launched Steam Families.

Here is how it works.

Designed for households with multiple gamers, the new setting lets up to six people share each other’s games. Plus, each person can create their own save files and collect their own achievements for games.

The standout feature is that multiple people within the group can now play different games from their shared library at the same time, whereas previously you’d have to take turns. And, if you own multiple copies of a game, you can play it simultaneously. 

It’s important to note that not all games will work with Steam family sharing, though the current list of supported titles is pretty extensive. According to Vale, this includes titles that require an additional third-party key, account, or subscription in order to play. Developers can also opt their games out of the feature for technical reasons.

Steam Families also has new parental controls that let you set limits on which games children can play and how long they can play for. You can also view their play time and approve or deny requests from kids for additional gaming hours, which should be ideal for the school holidays.

Steam Families also makes it easier to purchase games for kids. Given Steam’s vast library, with thousands of games added annually, it's likely the kids will be pestering you for new titles. Since child accounts can’t make purchases themselves, previously, you would either have to gift the games on Steam or reluctantly hand over your credit card. 

With Steam Families, you can now approve and pay for games in your child’s shopping cart via mobile or email. Once you give them the all clear, the games will be added to the child’s account (and your Steam family library, by default).

In essence, Steam Families replaces Steam Family Sharing and Steam Family View, combining some of those existing features alongside updates. 

However, it does have some caveats. For instance, adults can freely leave a family group, but they must wait a year before joining or creating a new one. Additionally, all Steam accounts within a family group must be registered in the same country.

Steam Families is going live now following a beta test earlier this year. Once you create a family, your new 'family library' will appear in the left column as a subsection of your games list.