Gaming is always a hot topic, no matter the user’s age. Multiple options are available to play, such as Play Station, Xbox, Nintendo, Steam, etc. However, steam makes it something different by its ability to play multiple games on platforms like PCs, Deck, Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.
One good thing about Steam is that you can purchase games from the Steam store at the best price, especially during sales which happens all the time. Also, you can add your already purchased games to the Steam account. However, Steam has one issue: you can’t play Steam on multiple devices simultaneously.
You could log in and use Steam on multiple devices, but once you log in to a new device while already playing on another device, it will automatically log out of the previously logged-in device.
Steam Family Sharing
Since you cannot log in to more than one device at a time, you might face issues playing the same or different games on multiple computers simultaneously. So here comes the Family Sharing option, which will help you play Steam games on multiple devices simultaneously.
Another good thing about the Steam family sharing is that you can share your already purchased games with others. They dont have to purchase the same game. The single purchase helps to download and play games on multiple accounts.
How to enable Family Sharing on Steam?
Steam family sharing helps you play free and purchased games on multiple PCs or accounts simultaneously. Each account will have its progress and gameplay so that it won’t affect the other user in any way.
The family sharing setup on Steam is tricky as it needs login and approval on the new machine. This article will show how to enable and activate Family Sharing on Steam.
Steps to Enable Family Sharing on Steam
To make the steps to enable family sharing in Steam, we are taking an example with two pc/computers and two Steam accounts. To avoid confusion, we are naming each one with unique names. So consider the main Steam account where you already have the game purchases named “Account1”. The steam account “Account1” is logged in on the computer and say “Computer1”.
Now, we have to share the games and library with another Steam user account, “Account2” with a computer, “Computer2”.
In short, we have two computers, “Computer1” and “Computer2”, and two steam accounts, “Account1” and “Account2”. So from now onwards, we will use the given names for the example.
Here game library of “Account1” needs to be shared with “Account2” so that “Account2” can play the games on the “Computer2” device. To do so, follow the below steps.
Step 1: First, “Account2” needs to log out from the Steam app on “Computer2”.
Step 2: Now, “Account1” needs to log in to the Steam app on machine “Computer2”.
Step 3: Then go to the setting on the Steam app, then go to the Family Sharing option.
Step 4: Now, enable Family sharing by checking the option “Authorize Family Sharing on this computer”.
Step 5: Now, “Account1” can log out from device “Computer2”.
Step 6: Now goto the devices “Computer1” and “Account1” can log in to the steam account.
Step 7: Then, on device “Computer1”, from the Steam app, go to the settings, then go to the Family Section.
Step 8: Under the family sharing section, you can see account “Account2”. Click on the check box to activate the library sharing with “Account2”.
Done; now the game library of “Account1” is shared with “Account2”.
Step 9: Now, “Account2” can log in to the steam account on device “Computer2”, there all the eligible libraries of “Account1” will be listed.
Now the library of “Account1” is shared with “Account2”, and both “Account1” and “Account2” can play independently on “Computer1” and “Computer2” simultaneously. If you wish to share the library of “Account2” with “Account1”, you can do the same steps in the same way.
