To borrow a game on Steam, you must use the Family Sharing feature, which allows you to share your library with other authorized Steam accounts on computers you’ve allowed.
Want to share your awesome game collection with friends or family? It’s actually quite simple, and the secret lies in a feature called Steam Family Sharing. Many gamers wonder how to borrow game on steam, and it’s easier than you might think.
This built-in function lets you grant access to your library to a limited number of other Steam accounts on machines you trust. This saves you from buying the same title twice, letting others enjoy your games.
How to Borrow Game on Steam
Ever wanted to try out a game your friend has, but weren’t sure about buying it yourself? Steam has a cool feature called Family Sharing that lets you do just that! It’s like borrowing a book from a library, but with video games. You can play your friend’s games without them having to give you their account information. This section will teach you everything you need to know about how to use Steam Family Sharing and how to borrow games safely and easily.
Understanding Steam Family Sharing
Steam Family Sharing is a feature that allows you to share your Steam game library with up to five other authorized accounts on computers you’ve authorized. This means your family and friends can enjoy the games you own without needing to purchase them separately. It is very important to understand that Steam Family Sharing is for personal use, not for sharing games with an entire group of unknown people. Steam monitors activity closely, and if you try to use Family Sharing in a way that breaks the rules, you can lose access to it. It’s important to use the feature as it’s intended: for sharing with people you know well.
How Family Sharing Works
The core idea behind Family Sharing is that the game library belongs to one Steam account (the owner). Other accounts can access and play those games through their own Steam account. It is important to note that both accounts cannot play the same game at the same time. When the owner is playing, others cannot access the games. To avoid these clashes you must plan carefully, that way, everyone enjoys the games without interruptions. It’s also worth noting that not all games can be shared. Some publishers may opt out of the program for various reasons, so this is something to be aware of.
Setting Up Family Sharing
Before you can enjoy your friend’s library, you need to set up Family Sharing on your computer. This is a one-time setup process, and once done, you’ll be able to access their games whenever they aren’t playing. Let’s break down the steps involved:
Enabling Steam Guard
First things first, you need to have Steam Guard enabled on both your account and the account you want to share with. Steam Guard is a security measure that helps protect your account. To make sure Steam Guard is active:
- Open the Steam app on your computer.
- Click on “Steam” in the top left corner and choose “Settings”.
- Go to the “Account” tab and look for “Manage Steam Guard Account Security”.
- Make sure Steam Guard is enabled through email or your phone.
Both you and your friend should verify that Steam Guard is properly activated to make sure the sharing process can work correctly.
Authorizing a Computer
Now, let’s move to the next step: authorizing a computer for sharing. Here’s how to do it:
- Log into your Steam account on the computer you want to use to play your friend’s games. This is the computer where you’ll be playing the borrowed games.
- Go to “Steam” > “Settings” then click on the “Family” tab.
- Look for the “Family Library Sharing” area and select “Authorize Library Sharing on This Computer”. You will see a list of Steam accounts that have been logged onto this computer.
- Select the account you want to share games with by ticking the box next to their name. Click “OK” to complete this step.
Keep in mind that you can only authorize up to 5 accounts on a given computer. Likewise, one account can only be authorized to share games on 10 computers at any one time. Make sure you’re logging in on the correct account and authorizing the right computers, because these limits exist and need to be respected.
Accessing Shared Games
Once the setup is done, you can see your friend’s games in your library! Here’s what to expect:
- When you log into your Steam account on the authorized computer, go to your game library.
- You’ll see games that are borrowed from your friend’s library alongside your own games.
- The shared games will appear in your library just like your own, ready to download and play.
- You can now play the borrowed games as long as your friend is not playing.
It’s really that simple. No extra steps or complicated procedures. You just log in and enjoy the borrowed games like your own.
Limitations of Family Sharing
While Steam Family Sharing is a convenient way to share games, there are some limitations to be aware of. These restrictions exist to maintain fairness and prevent people from misusing the sharing feature. Let’s look into those:
One Person Playing at a Time
A very important rule to remember is that only one person can play a game from a shared library at a time. If the game owner starts playing a game in the shared library, you will be kicked out immediately. If you’re playing a game, and the owner wants to play, you’ll have a few minutes to save your progress and exit. This is because the games belong to the library owner, and Steam prioritizes their access.
It is important to remember that when you are planning on using the shared library with your friends or family, you must coordinate the game time, otherwise, someone might be kicked while playing a game.
Not All Games are Shareable
Unfortunately, not every single game on Steam can be shared through Family Sharing. Some game developers and publishers choose not to participate for various reasons. This means that sometimes, a game you expect to be shared might not be available in a friend’s library. Always keep that in mind and check the store page of the specific game in question before relying on it to be shareable. It’s a good practice to also discuss it with the library owner before expecting to play a specific game.
Region Restrictions
Like the games themselves, Family Sharing can be subject to region locks. This means that if a game is only available in a specific region, it can be challenging or impossible to share with accounts in another area, even if they are authorized. You should be careful when borrowing games from users from another region. If you have a friend living in a different country, be mindful of these regional restrictions.
DLC and In-Game Purchases
If you are using the shared library from one of your friends, that library does not include DLCs or in-game purchases. If you borrow a game and you want to play an specific DLC, you must buy it yourself. The game library is shared as it is, without the addition of DLC or in-game purchases, so if you need some of this additional content, you need to purchase that separately. DLC and in-game purchases remain with the account that purchased them.
Vac Bans
If you or any of your friends who share a library, are found to be cheating while playing a game with an account that has a VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) ban, the other accounts can be permanently banned from playing those shared games. It is important that you remember to only share your library with people who you trust and who play fair. Cheating is bad, and you can loose access to games for yourself and your friends. This can lead to the whole shared library being revoked.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Even though Family Sharing is pretty easy to use, you might run into some issues. Here’s how to deal with common problems that you might find:
Shared Games Not Appearing
If you don’t see your friend’s games in your library, try these fixes:
- Make sure you’ve authorized the right computer on both accounts and that both users are logging in the correct account.
- Double-check that both accounts have Steam Guard turned on.
- Restart the Steam client on both computers.
- Sometimes, logging out and logging back into Steam can fix these issues.
If you still have problems, you should look on the Steam Support site for further guidance.
Kicked Out While Playing
When you get kicked out because the owner wants to play their games, it can be frustrating. To minimize this:
- Talk to your friend about when you want to play.
- Remember that if they are going to play, make sure to save your game and log out when prompted to avoid losing your game progress.
- If this is happening a lot, discuss with the account owner to make sure that they are not playing too much when you are playing.
Good communication between the friends is the best way to solve this problem.
Unable to Authorize Computer
If Steam doesn’t let you authorize a computer, check:
- You have not reached the maximum number of authorized computers (10). If you have, you must revoke the access of other old computers.
- Make sure you are using the same internet connection for both accounts.
- Check the Steam servers, as outages can cause temporary issues with the Family Sharing feature.
Double-check these factors, and if the issue persists, contact the Steam support team.
Tips for Successful Family Sharing
To make the most out of Steam Family Sharing, follow these tips:
Communicate With Each Other
Before sharing your libraries, talk to your friends or family. Discuss what games you would like to play, when, and ensure everyone has fair access to the games. This helps to avoid conflicts and make sure everyone gets to enjoy the games. The best practice is to be as transparent as possible when using the family sharing feature.
Be Patient
Sometimes there are going to be issues and delays. Be patient if someone is already playing. Remember that you are sharing the library with another person, and this requires some patience from all parties. Try to be considerate of others and their playtime.
Avoid Sharing With Strangers
Only share your library with people you trust. If you share with people you don’t know, you might run into problems. As a general rule, try not to share your account with people that you do not trust, as these people can do bad things and have serious consequences.
Following these guidelines will help you have a good experience when using Family Sharing. Remember that this tool is a great way to enjoy games with people you know and love. Have fun, and game on!
Steam Family Sharing is a great feature that allows you to try games before buying them. It’s like a demo for the whole game, and when you’re sure that you like it, you can buy it and play it when your friend is also playing other games.
How To Borrow Games On Steam (Tutorial)
Final Thoughts
Family Sharing allows you to share your Steam library with close friends or family. You must authorize their computer, so they can play games you own. This gives them access to your entire library but they won’t have access to everything always.
Only one person can play a particular game at a time. Therefore, learning how to borrow game on steam is a must for enjoying games together. This way, more players can enjoy a wide variety of games through one account.
