Valve debuts Steam Families, a new feature in beta allowing shared game libraries for up to six family members with parental controls.

Greetings tech enthusiasts! Today, we’re excited to share some news from Valve about their latest family game sharing framework. If you’re a Steam user, you’ll be happy to hear that Valve has introduced a new feature called Steam Families in the Steam client beta branch. This new framework will replace both Steam Family Sharing and Steam Family View, making it a convenient hub for all your family sharing settings.

With Steam Families, you can create a group of up to six members, each labeled as either a “child” or “adult.” Once everyone is added to the group, every member will see a new “Family Library” section in their Steam client, where they can access all the games in everyone’s libraries that support family sharing.

Members of the group can play supported games from each other’s libraries, with each game acting as an individual copy. For example, if you want to play a game from your sister’s library, you’ll have to wait until she’s finished with it. However, the neat part is that each borrower will have their own unique save files for the games they play.

It’s important to note that moderation controls are available for adult members of the family group. These controls allow adults to limit access to certain games for child accounts, set playtime limits on an hourly and daily basis, restrict access to the Steam store, and more.

One of the standout features of Steam Families is the ability for child accounts to request additional playtime, access to restricted features, or even make purchases in the Steam store. This makes it much easier for parents to manage their children’s gaming preferences and requests.

If you’re eager to try out the new Steam Families system, you can access it in the beta branch of the Steam client. Simply navigate to the Steam settings, click on the Interface tab, and select “Steam Family Beta” from the drop-down list next to Client Beta Participation.

For more PC gaming news, reviews, and guides, be sure to follow us on Google News. And don’t forget to check out our PCGN deals tracker for some great bargains on games. Happy gaming!