How to Share Games on Steam

If you are a gaming nerd, the chances are that your siblings and friends will request authorization to play the game. The Steam Family Library Sharing feature provides your friends access to your Steam library, allowing them to play any available games. Follow the guidelines below to share your Steam games with your family easily.

Activate Steam Guard Security

If you plan to share games with others through your account, you need to protect your account. The Steam guard is a built-in security feature that you activate within the account to keep everything secure. Therefore, it’s crucial to turn the guard on before sharing your Steam library or logging into your account on other devices. Here’s how;

1. Log into your Steam account on the PC app
2. Click on the username
3. Select “Account Details.”
4. Click “Manage Steam Guard.”

You’ll be prompted to a two-step verification to secure your account.

5. Choose whether to receive alerts through email or phone.

Set Up Family Sharing for Steam

Once you have activated the Steam Guard, the next step is to allow family accounts for game sharing. Note that you’ll need to memorize your username and password for easy login through the family member’s PC. Follow these steps to set up Steam sharing.

1. Open “Steam” and log in
2. Click “Steam.”
3. Select “Settings.”
4. Choose “Family.”
5. Ensure you check the “Authorize Library Sharing” tab.

Log out and let the other members log in to their Steam accounts and share your library.

This way, you can authorize up to 10 different devices for Library Sharing and incorporate up to five Steam accounts. The authorized users can also download the games onto their PC.

Request Steam Game Sharing

To request game sharing, log into your Steam account and confirm that the Steam Guard is activated. A list of shared games should appear in your library if the authorization process works.

1. Choose from the list and select “Play.”

A pop-up window will appear asking you to either “Buy the Game” or “Request Access.”

2. You will also need to confirm the PC name you are requesting from.
3. Confirm the name and Choose “Request Access.”

By clicking “Send Request,” you send an email to the sharing Steam account asking for permission to share games. The sharer has to accept the offer through emails to complete the sharing process.

Top Tips for Sharing Steam Games

Whenever you’re using Library Sharing for Steam games, you need to keep the following things in mind to limit issues and ensure sharing works smoothly.

1. Ensure your devices are connected to the internet to access the shared games
2. Most games requiring third-party accounts and subscriptions may be unavailable for sharing.
3. A game is only available for play by one user at a time. If two users are attempting to play the same game, Steam will give priority to the primary account that owns that game. The second player will have to buy the game or wait till the player is done.
4. If you decide to share your library, you can’t specify the games to share.
5. The family member playing the shared game has access to DLC, but they can’t own DLC unless they buy the game.

Library Sharing for Steam games is a terrific way to allow friends and family to enjoy your game collection. If you adhere to all the guidelines stipulated above, you should get the game going in no time. Game sharing eliminates the hassle of a whole family or group having to make multiple purchases for a similar game.