Summary
After previously undergoing a beta test earlier this year,Steam Families has officially rolled out to all Steam users. The program allows players and up to five family members to share games with each other, among other features, such as enhanced parental controls.
Of course,the highlight is the aforementioned ability to share games with one another. Once you join a Steam Family, you automatically gain access to all shareable games that other members own, and, in turn, they’ll be able to access the titles you own that are shareable.
On the surface, it’s a great move, as it allows families to take advantage of existing purchases in an age where game prices continually to rise. However, much like Transformers, there is more than meets the eye. In other words, not everything is shareable.
The Eligibility Requirements Tell The Full Story
Taking a look at the Steam Family official FAQ page, there is an exhausting amount of information available when it comes to which types of games are exactly eligible.
For starters, any type of game that requires additional third-party accounts, keys or subscriptions are ineligible from the rip. Additionally, DLC from free-to-play titles are also not eligible, meaning any skins or other bundles are not shareable.
Beyond that, though, is word that publishers can “opt-out later,” when it comes to Steam Family. That would mean a publisher can, in theory, block a game from being part of the program.
That information is expanded upon in the feature’s official release, with Steam noting “A game’s developer controls whether a game is eligible for sharing with Steam Families. All developer settings for the previous Steam Family Sharing feature are being brought forward to Steam Families. So, if a game is currently eligible for Family Sharing, it will remain so in the new system unless the developer chooses to opt-out later.”
For now,interested players can do a custom search on the Steam store for games that support Family Sharing. Presently, 68,881 games are marked as eligible, per the Steam criteria. That leaves 7,316 titles not eligible based off those search preferences.
Only time will tell if a publisher chooses to opt out of Family Sharing pre-or-post release, and the type of reaction that will ensue. For now, however, the feature is a nice benefit for those with children, siblings or other friends that they’d like to share with.
