Steam Families is a game management service within the same family unit (similar to Netflix/Disney+), which was introduced in March 2024 and has been officially launched after a long beta testing phase.
Comprising of three key features:
– Game sharing among members of the same family
– Parental controls to manage content and playtime for children
– Control over game purchases in the store through child purchase requests
Users of the service must “create a home” or Steam Family with a maximum of 5 members, choosing to be either an adult or a child account. Members in the home will have access to the family library, or all games owned by any member in the home, but saved data will remain separate.
The parental control feature allows setting permissions on which games can be played, for how long, monitoring playtime statistics, and restricting access to certain Steam features such as chat. As for the game purchase rights feature, child accounts must seek approval from parents before making any purchases.
Source: Steam
TLDR: Steam Families is a game management service for families, offering game sharing, parental controls, and child purchase requests to regulate access and playtime within the family unit.
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