Steam is a prominent video game digital distribution service by which you can play, review, and design games. It is owned by Valve and you can buy it from the Steam store through a debit credit card anytime. However, besides it being extremely profound in providing awesome games, you can also share games with your friends and family.
If you are wondering how then let us tell you this complete process can be done by the new feature of steam called Family Library sharing. Let’s discuss the process in brief.
What is the Family Library Sharing Feature?
The Family Library Sharing feature of Seam is an excellent feature by which you and your family members or friends can share games with each other.
By this feature, the family members or friends can play games and get Steam achievements for themselves accordingly. You can provide access to the games on the computer system that is shared.
This is a great way by which you can share your Steam games with close ones and therefore it is pretty famous as well. Through this feature, you can share the Steam library to about 10 computers and 5 accounts.
What makes it more remarkable is that the continued games of a particular user will not get affected and the other player can resume or play their game accordingly.
Now the entire process of sharing games with friends and family is very simple. All you have to do is implement all of the steps given below one by one
Step 1: Enable the Steam Guard Security Software
Before moving on to launching the Family Library Sharing feature, it is necessary to enable the Steam Guard Security first. Thus, make sure to check whether the Steam Guard Security is enabled or not by following the steps provided below.
- First of all, log into your Steam account and then find the Steam option present at the upper left corner. After that, click on it.
- After that, click on Settings>Account. Again, click on the “Manage Steam Guard Account Security” option.
- Select from either “Get Steam Guard codes from the Steam app on my phone” or “Get Steam Guard codes by email” options. If you want you can choose both as well.
- On implementing these steps, the Steam Guard Security should be enabled successfully. Now we will be moving further to the Family Library sharing.
As mentioned earlier, you can simply share your steam games with friends and family without any difficulty. To know the exact steps for it, follow the steps given below orderly.
- At first, you need to log in with your Steam account on the other person’s computer.
- After that, click on the Steam option situated at the left corner at the upper side of the screen. Click on Settings.
- Go to “Family” and checkmark the box stating “Authorize this computer” and click on Ok.
- Once done, you need to log out from the Steam account. This marks the end of this step.
- By performing this step, the other person should be able to play the shared game easily by logging in with their Steam account.
On the other hand, if you want you can also send game requests to them by double-clicking on the corresponding game.
Let’s take an example. Suppose you want to play PUBG but with your Friend’s account, all you have to do is log in on your friend’s system with your Steam account details. Then select the Pubg game by double-clicking it and then click on the request access.
Also, you won’t be interrupted while sharing the games library. Throughout the game, any achievements earned will be particularly saved for the user or the account that is logged in.
It should also be noted that the games which are shared are accessible to one account at a time. Thus, if you want to play a game that is already being played by some other player, then he or she will have to close the game. They might also get prompted to buy the game.
What are the Benefits and Limitations of Steam Family Sharing?
Steam Family Sharing is an exceptional feature that helps to unite friends and family with a game. Here are some of its benefits.
- You can provide them their favorite games and you won’t even have to buy them.
- The games can be shared with up to 10 users and thus you can share it with a lot of people.
Now coming to its limitations, there is some of it as well. To be more precise, take a look into some of them listed below.
- Only up to 5 computers can be logged in with Steam Family sharing.
- Also, as mentioned earlier, if a player is already playing the game then the other needs to close it. As the shared game can be played by one player at a time.
- The owner will have more priority when it comes to playing shared games.
If you feel that the user you are sharing your game should be unauthorized from the favor then you can do so easily. To do so, just follow the steps given below.
- First of all, Launch the Steam app and then go to Steam Settings.
- Select the Family tab and then click on “Manage another computer”
- Now, you will be able to disclaim computers or users from sharing games according to your preference.
How Can I Improve the Steam Gaming Experience?
For an extra kick to your gaming life, let’s take a quick look into some tips that can help you enhance your gaming experience.
Technique 1: Update the Graphics Card Driver
Try to update the graphics card driver to its current version in order to enjoy a better gaming experience.
- Go to Start and then Device Manager.
- Click on Display adapter to expand it.
- Choose your graphic card and press the update driver button.
- Now, select “Search automatically for updated driver software” option. If you see any available drivers for an update, the device manager will download and install it.
Technique 2: Install the Newest Patch Available
Also, to encounter an outstanding gaming experience, you should keep installing the latest available patch of the games. The patch is released frequently by the game developers and it is recommended to install them promptly.
Technique 3: Keep Your Steam Software Updated
It is extremely important for the Steam software to be updated to its current version for an exceptional gaming experience. Thus, keep checking for any new available update of the software.
