How To Share Games On Steam With Friends And Family

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Edgar Nicov

How-To

5 min. read

Published on October 4, 2025

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Sharing your favorite games with friends and family is a great way to bond and introduce them to new worlds. Steam offers several ways to share your games, from borrowing to gifting. This guide will walk you through the different methods, ensuring everyone can enjoy the fun.

Whether you want to share a specific game or your entire library, Steam provides options to suit your needs. Let’s explore how to share your games and make the most of Steam’s sharing features.

How Do I Share My Steam Games?

Family Sharing: Lending Your Library

Steam Family Sharing allows you to authorize up to five other Steam accounts on your computer. These authorized accounts can then access and play games in your library when you’re not using them.

Enable Steam Guard: Make sure Steam Guard is enabled for your account. This is a security feature that protects your account and is required for Family Sharing.

Go to “Steam” in the top left corner.
Select “Settings”.
Click on “Account”.
Under “Steam Guard security”, verify that Steam Guard is enabled via email or phone.

Authorize Family Sharing: Authorize the computers of the family members you want to share with.

In the Steam settings, click on “Family”.
Under “Family Library Sharing”, you’ll see a list of eligible accounts that have logged into the computer.
Select the accounts you want to authorize.

Borrow the Game: Your friends or family can now access your shared library from their own accounts.

Have them log into their Steam account on the authorized computer.
They will see the games in your library available to borrow.
They can install and play the games as if they owned them.

Gifting Games: Giving a Permanent Copy

Gifting is a way to give a permanent copy of a game to a friend. They will own the game and can play it whenever they want.

Find the Game: Locate the game you want to gift in the Steam Store.
Add to Cart: Add the game to your shopping cart.
Purchase as a Gift: During checkout, select “Purchase as a gift”.
Choose a Friend: Choose the friend you want to send the gift to. You can send it directly through Steam or via email.
Add a Message: Add a personal message to the gift.
Complete the Purchase: Complete the purchase and send the gift.

Remote Play Together: Playing Local Multiplayer Online

Remote Play Together allows you to invite friends to join your local multiplayer games online, even if they don’t own the game themselves.

Launch the Game: Start a game that supports local multiplayer.
Invite Friends: Open your Steam Overlay (Shift+Tab).
Invite via Remote Play: In your friends list, right-click on a friend’s name and select “Invite to Remote Play Together”.
Enjoy the Game: Your friend will receive an invitation and can join your game remotely.

Comparison of Steam Sharing Methods

Feature	Family Sharing	Gifting	Remote Play Together
Ownership	Temporary access to your library	Permanent ownership for the recipient	Temporary shared session
Availability	When you’re not using your library	Always available to the recipient	During the active game session
Limitations	Can’t play the same game simultaneously	Requires purchase for each gift	Requires a game with local multiplayer support
Number of Users	Up to 5 authorized accounts per library	One recipient per gift	One or more friends during a session

This table provides a quick overview of the different Steam sharing methods, highlighting their key features and limitations. Choose the method that best suits your needs and enjoy sharing your favorite games with friends and family!

Tips for Sharing Games on Steam

Communicate: Talk to your friends and family about which games they’re interested in to avoid conflicts with Family Sharing.
Respect Availability: Be mindful of when others want to play games in your shared library.
Consider Gifting: If a friend really loves a game, consider gifting it to them so they can own it permanently.
Use Remote Play Together: Take advantage of Remote Play Together to enjoy local multiplayer games with friends who don’t own the game.

Enjoying Games Together

Sharing games on Steam is a fantastic way to connect with friends and family, discover new games, and have fun together. Whether through Family Sharing, gifting, or Remote Play Together, there are plenty of options to make gaming a shared experience.

FAQ

Can two people play the same game from a shared Steam library at the same time? No, only one person can play a game from a shared Steam library at a time.

How many accounts can I share my Steam library with? You can share your Steam library with up to five other accounts on authorized computers.

Can I gift a game that I already own? No, you can only gift a game that you purchase specifically as a gift.

Is there a limit to how many times I can use Remote Play Together? No, there is no limit to how many times you can use Remote Play Together.

How do I stop sharing my Steam library with someone? Go to the “Family” settings in Steam and deauthorize their computer from Family Sharing.