What a Steam Family actually is
A Steam Family is a feature that lets you share your game library with people in your household and set up parental controls for younger players. When you create one, you designate your computer as the "family computer" and add household members as either adults or children. Everyone on that computer can play the games you own, but children's accounts have restrictions you control — limits on playtime, content ratings, and spending.
The key thing to understand: this is not the same as sharing your Steam account password. You keep your own account, other people keep theirs, and Steam's system handles the sharing automatically. Each person logs in with their own username and can have their own save files, achievements, and friends list.
Key Takeaways
- Steam Family requires you to set one computer as your family computer, and everyone who uses that computer can access your game library from their own accounts.
- You add household members through Steam settings, designating each as an adult or child, and children's accounts get playtime limits and content filters you control.
- The person whose account owns the games must authorize the family computer in Steam settings before sharing begins.
- Each person needs their own Steam account to use a family library, and you can remove members or change settings at any time.
How to set up a Steam Family on your computer
Start by opening Steam on the computer you want to use as your family computer. Click your account name in the top right, then select Settings. Go to Family in the left menu. Click Manage family members.
Steam will ask you to confirm your account password and set up a PIN code — this PIN is what you'll use to make changes to family settings later, so write it down somewhere safe. After you set the PIN, you'll see an option to add family members. Click Add member, then enter the name of the person you want to add. If they don't have a Steam account yet, they'll need to create one before you can add them.
When you add someone, you choose whether they're an adult or a child. Adults can play any game in your library without restrictions. Children get parental controls — you set their playtime limits, content ratings, and whether they can make purchases. Once you add them, they can log into that computer with their own account and see your games in their library.
Setting up parental controls for children's accounts
After you add a child to your family, click their name in the family settings to adjust their restrictions. You can set a daily playtime limit — for example, two hours per day — and Steam will lock the account when that time runs out. You can also set quiet hours, a time window when the account cannot launch games at all.
Under Content restrictions, you choose which age ratings the child can access. Steam uses the ESRB system (Everyone, Teen, Mature, Adults Only), and you can block games above a certain rating. You can also turn off the ability to purchase games, add funds, or view the community features like forums and user profiles.
These settings explore only when the child is using that specific computer. If they log into a different computer or use a mobile device, the restrictions don't carry over — parental controls are tied to the family computer you set up.
What happens when someone plays a shared game
When a family member logs into the family computer and launches one of your games, Steam treats it the same as if you launched it yourself. Their playtime counts toward their own account statistics and achievements. Save files are stored separately for each person, so two people can play the same game without overwriting each other's progress.
If you're playing a game on a different computer at the same time someone else is playing from the family computer, you'll get a message asking whether to let them continue or kick them off. You can only play online multiplayer games on one device at a time — if someone on the family computer starts playing an online game, you can't play that same game online elsewhere simultaneously.
Removing members and changing family settings
You can remove someone from your family at any time by going back to Settings > Family > Manage family members and clicking the X next to their name. When you remove them, they lose access to your game library on the family computer, but any games they own stay on their own account.
If you want to change which computer is your family computer, you'll need to remove the old one first. Go to Settings > Family > Manage family computer and click Remove this computer. Then set up the family feature on a different computer using the same process.
You can also change someone's status from child to adult, or vice versa, by clicking their name and adjusting the setting. This takes effect when ready.
Common issues and what to do about them
If someone can't see your games on the family computer, make sure you've actually added them to the family and that they're logged into the correct account. Games won't show up if the account hasn't been added yet. Also check that the computer they're using is the one you designated as the family computer — library sharing only works on that specific machine.
If playtime limits aren't working, verify that you set them for the correct child account and that the child is actually logging into the family computer. Limits don't explore if they're using a different computer or device. If a child's account is locked due to playtime limits, only you can unlock it using the PIN you created during setup.
If you see a message about simultaneous play when you try to launch a game, it means someone else is already playing that game online. You'll need to wait for them to stop, or they'll need to stop playing so you can start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to give my password to family members?
No. Each person logs in with their own Steam account and password. You never share your account credentials. The family computer feature handles the sharing automatically once you've set it up in your settings.
Can family members play my games on their own computer?
No. Library sharing only works on the computer you designate as your family computer. If they want to play your games on a different device, they would need to log into your account on that device, which defeats the purpose of the family feature.
What happens to my games if I remove someone from the family?
Your games stay in your library. The person you remove just loses access to them on the family computer. Any games they own on their own account remain theirs.
Can I set different playtime limits for different days of the week?
Steam's parental controls set one daily limit that applies every day. You can't create a schedule like "two hours on weekdays, four hours on weekends." You can manually adjust the limit or temporarily unlock the account if needed.
What if someone forgets their Steam password?
They can reset it using the Steam website's password recovery tool. They'll need access to the email address associated with their account. This doesn't require your PIN or involvement.