Steam Family Sharing: Buy Once, Play Together
By Lowstamp Editor · 2026-07-05
When people in the same house each buy the same game, you're paying twice for one thing. Steam has a feature called Steam Families that lets family members share their games with each other. The short answer: once you're in the same Steam Family, anyone can install and play games that another member owns, on their own account. A family can have up to six people, and different games can be played at the same time.
In March 2024, Steam replaced the old Family Sharing and Family View with Steam Families. You'll still find explanations online saying the borrower gets kicked off whenever the owner launches a game. That was the old system and isn't how it works now. This guide follows Steam Support's official FAQ, checked in September 2026.
Steam Families at a glance| Topic | How it works |
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| Family size | Up to 6 people, including you |
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| What's shared | Games any member owns, plus the owner's DLC that the publisher allows to be shared |
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| Saves and achievements | Kept separately on each person's own account |
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| Playing at the same time | Different games: yes. The same game: only as many people as there are copies in the family |
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| Games that won't share | Publisher opt-outs, games needing a separate account or subscription, and games not available in your region or on your operating system |
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| Roles | Adult (can invite and manage) or child (parental controls apply) |
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| Leaving a family | Adults can leave any time, but must wait one year from joining their previous family to create or join a new one |
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| Empty slots | A slot someone leaves can't be filled by a new member for one year |
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How it saves you money
The whole idea is buy once, enjoy together. If two siblings want the same single-player game, one buys it and the other doesn't have to. When each person in the family buys different games, everyone's library effectively multiplies.
A quick example
A $60 single-player game bought twice is $120. Bought once and shared in a Steam Family, both siblings play for $60. If one parent buys a racing game, one sibling an action game and the other a puzzle game, all three get all three games for the price of one each. And under the current system, one sibling can play the action game while the other plays the racing game at the same time.
Playing the same game at the same time
There's one real limit: each copy of a game can be used by one person at a time. Steam's own example puts it simply. If someone in the family owns Portal 2 and Half-Life, one person can play Portal 2 while another plays Half-Life. But if two people want to play Portal 2 at the same moment, someone in the family needs to buy a second copy.
If the family owns more than one copy, Steam launches a free one for you. If the copies have different DLC, your saves may not carry over cleanly, so for games you play together it helps to match DLC. If no copy is free, wait for the other person to finish or play something else in the meantime.
Some games can't be shared
- Games the publisher has marked as unavailable for sharing.
- Games that need a separate third-party account or subscription.
- Games or DLC restricted in your region.
- Games that don't support your operating system.
Can you add friends? Know the one-year rule first
Steam describes Steam Families as a feature for a household of up to six close family members, and says the requirements may change as it watches how the feature is used. So adding friends casually isn't something we'd recommend.
There's a practical reason too. Adults can leave a family at any time, but to create or join a new family they have to wait one year from when they joined the previous one. A slot someone leaves also can't be filled by a new member for a year. Join and leave on a whim and you can lock yourself out for a year. Adult members can also remove other members. And whatever you do, never hand over your login details. Sharing passwords is how accounts get stolen or locked.
How to set it up
- In the Steam store, click your account name in the top right and open Account Details.
- Open the Family Management section.
- Click Create a Family and give it a name. You can change the name later.
- Click Invite a Member, find the person, and choose whether to add them as an adult or a child.
- They'll get an alert. Once they accept, the family's games show up in each member's library.
Steam moves menus around from time to time. If you can't find these options, search Steam Support for Steam Families.
Games you need to own twice: buy them cheap
If two of you want to play the same game at once, or the game can't be shared, someone has to buy another copy. If you're buying anyway, buy at the cheapest moment. Before deciding who buys, check whether today's price is close to the lowest we've tracked for that game.
Planning to buy a game the family will play together? See first whether it's actually cheap right now. Every discounted game is compared against its lowest tracked price in one line.
See games on sale now
Steam Family Sharing questions
How many people can be in a Steam Family?
Up to six people, including you.
Can two people play the same shared game at the same time?
Only if the family owns two copies of it. Different games can be played at the same time. With just one copy, wait for the other person to finish or buy another copy.
Can you play a family member's game while they're playing something else?
Yes. Steam Families works per copy of a game, so the owner playing a different game doesn't stop you. Getting blocked whenever the owner launched anything was how the old pre-2024 Family Sharing worked.
Do saves and achievements carry over to your own account?
Yes. Saves and achievements are kept on each person's own account, including achievements you earn in a borrowed game.
Is DLC shared in Steam Families?
You get the DLC the game's owner has, as long as the publisher allows that DLC to be shared.
Which games can't be shared?
Games the publisher has opted out, games that need a separate account or subscription, and games not available in your region or on your operating system.
Can you add friends to a Steam Family?
Steam says the feature is meant for a household of up to six close family members and that the requirements may change. Leaving a family means waiting a year before joining another, and empty slots take a year to refill, so choose carefully.
Can you rejoin a Steam Family after leaving?
You can rejoin the last family you were in without waiting, as long as it has fewer than six members. Creating or joining a different family requires waiting one year from when you joined the previous one.
How do you set up Steam Family Sharing?
In the Steam store, go to Account Details, open Family Management, create a family, and invite members.
Buy once and share with your family. For the games you need to play together, buy the second copy when it's cheapest.