Steam introduces Family Sharing

Remember one of the earlier features of the Xbox One that later on got scrapped? The Family Sharing that was supposed to be one of the best features of best features of Microsoft's next-gen console, but sadly it was removed. But there is some good news for the PC gamers, and definitely those that have a big Steam library: Steam Family Sharing. Valve announced Family Sharing, but there will be a limited beta before the feature will be officially launched.

But what is it exactly, and what are the limitations? Steam Family Sharing will allow you to share your full Steam library with up to 10 friends or family members. Sounds pretty good, but the 'bad' news is that only one user will be able to access a shared library at a time. So, if a friend wants to play a game in your library while you are playing another game in your library, the friend won't be able to use your library. A friend with access to your library won't be able to kick you out of your game though, but vice versa you can kick friends out if you feel like playing.

You won't be able to share all your games through Family Sharing though, as "region-restricted content will remain in place when lending or borrowing content", which is of course only logical. As a lender you will also be lending your items to a certain Steam user, on a certain device. This means that you will only be able to play the games in the shared library if you are on the device that has gotten the rights to the library.

If you are interested in Steam Family Sharing, and you want to participate in the beta you can do so here. The beta will start in a few days, so better hurry up with signing up because this is a feature that you don't want to miss out on. Only thousand people that have applied will be lucky enough to get access to the beta of Family Sharing.