What Steam Family Sharing does

Steam Family Sharing lets you share your game library with up to five other people on the same computer or on different computers. When you set it up, those people can read and play almost any game you own without buying it themselves. You keep your account and your games — they just get access to play them.

The catch is timing: only one person can play a game from your library at a time. If you're playing a game you own, nobody else in your family group can play any of your games until you stop. If someone else is playing one of your games, you can't play any of them either. Games you've bought stay yours; you're just lending access.

This works across different computers. You can share your library with someone in another house, on another computer entirely. Steam doesn't care where the other person is — it only cares that you're not both trying to play at the same time.

Key Takeaways

  • Steam Family Sharing lets up to five other people play games from your library on their own computers, but only one person can play at a time.
  • You set it up through Steam settings by authorizing a computer and creating a family group, which takes about five minutes.
  • The other person doesn't need to own the games or pay for them — they just need a Steam account and access to a computer you've authorized.
  • Some games block sharing entirely, and online multiplayer games usually won't let you play together even if you're in the same family group.
  • If someone else is playing your game, you can't play any of your games until they stop, so timing matters for households with multiple players.

How to set up Family Sharing on your computer

Start by opening Steam on the computer where your games are installed. Go to Settings (the gear icon in the top right), then select Family from the left menu. Click Manage other computers. Steam will show you the computer you're on — click Authorize this computer. This tells Steam that this computer is allowed to share your library.

Next, go back to Settings and select Family again. This time click Manage family members. You'll see a list of Steam accounts that have logged into this computer. Select the person you want to share with and toggle the switch next to their name to turn on sharing. That's it — they now have access to your library on that computer.

If you want to share with someone on a different computer, have them log into Steam on their computer using their own account. Then go to Settings > Family > Manage other computers on your computer and authorize theirs the same way. Once you've authorized their computer, add them to your family group, and they can read your games on their machine.

Who can play at the same time

Only one person can play a game from your shared library at any moment. If you're playing Baldur's Gate 3 from your library, nobody else in your family group can play Baldur's Gate 3 — or any other game from your library — until you close it. This applies even if you're all on different computers.

However, if someone owns a game separately (they bought it themselves), they can play it at the same time as someone else is playing it from your shared library. And if you own multiple copies of the same game, each copy counts as a separate game for sharing purposes.

The person using your library can play online multiplayer games, but you usually can't play together in the same match. Most multiplayer games require each player to own the game, so if they're playing your copy, you can't join their game even if you own it. Single-player games have no such restriction.

Which games can and cannot be shared

Most games on Steam can be shared, but some publishers have blocked it. Games with always-online requirements, subscription models, or licensing tied to a single account often can't be shared. Valve Index games, some VR titles, and games with third-party DRM (digital rights management) sometimes fall into this category.

When you try to share a game that's blocked, Steam will show a message saying the publisher doesn't allow sharing. There's no way around this — it's a publisher decision, not a Steam limitation. Before you set up sharing, you can check whether a specific game supports it by looking at the game's store page; if sharing is blocked, it will say so under the "Family Library Sharing" section.

Games you've bought as gifts that you haven't redeemed yet cannot be shared. Once you redeem a gift to your account, it becomes part of your library and can be shared normally.

What happens when two people want to play at once

If you're playing a game from your library and someone else in your family group tries to play any game from your library, Steam will give them a warning. They'll see a message saying the game is in use and asking if they want to stop your game and start theirs instead. If they click yes, your game closes when ready — you don't get a countdown or a chance to save.

This is why timing matters in households with multiple players. If you're in the middle of something important, tell the other person before they try to play. Some families set up a schedule or use a shared calendar to avoid conflicts. Others just accept that whoever clicks first gets to play.

If you're worried about someone closing your game unexpectedly, you can turn off sharing temporarily by going back to Settings > Family and toggling their access off. You can turn it back on whenever you want.

Sharing across different households

Steam Family Sharing works the same way whether the other person is in your house or across the country. You authorize their computer, add them to your family group, and they can read your games. Distance doesn't matter — Steam only tracks whether the same game is running on two different accounts at the same time.

The person using your library needs their own Steam account. They log in with their account on their computer, and your games appear in their library. They can earn their own achievements, save their own progress, and customize their own settings — they're just playing games you paid for.

One thing to know: if you change your Steam password, it doesn't automatically log them out of the authorized computer. They'll stay logged in until you manually deauthorize that computer or they log out themselves. If you're sharing with someone you no longer trust, deauthorize their computer when ready by going to Settings > Family > Manage other computers and clicking the X next to their computer name.

What you should know about account security

When you authorize a computer for Family Sharing, you're trusting the person who uses it. They can't access your account or change your password, but they can read and play all your games. If you share with someone and later want to stop, you can deauthorize their computer anytime — they'll lose access to your library when ready.

Don't share your Steam password with anyone, even family. You don't need to. Instead, authorize their computer and add their account to your family group. This way they play on their own account, and you keep full control of yours.

If you're sharing with someone outside your household, remember that they can see which games you own and how much time you've spent playing them. Your activity and library are visible to anyone in your family group. If privacy matters to you, you can adjust your profile settings to hide your game library and activity from the public, but family members will still see it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I share my Steam library with someone who doesn't live with me?

Yes. Steam doesn't check where the other person is — it only checks that you're not both playing at the same time. You authorize their computer, add them to your family group, and they can read your games on their machine. The only limitation is the one-person-at-a-time rule.

What happens to my games if I stop sharing with someone?

Their access ends when ready. They can't read new games from your library, and any games they've already downloaded will stop working. If they were in the middle of playing, the game closes. Their save files stay on their computer, but they can't launch the game anymore.

Can I share with more than five people?

No. Steam limits Family Sharing to five other people per account. If you want to share with a sixth person, you'd have to remove someone else first. You can change who you're sharing with anytime by going to Settings > Family > Manage family members.

Do I need to buy the game again if I want to play while someone else is using my library?

No. You own the game — you can always play it. The restriction is that only one person can play at a time, not that you lose access. If someone else is playing one of your games, you just have to wait until they stop.

Will my saves and achievements transfer if someone else plays my game?

No. When someone else plays a game from your library on their account, they earn their own achievements and create their own save files. Your progress stays separate. When you play the same game, you see your own saves and achievements, not theirs.