Steam has rolled out a new family plan that lets your kids request payments for games and can even get you banned by cheating on a shared account.
On March 18, Steam introduced 'Steam Families,' which combines the already existing Family Sharing and Steam Family View while adding a few more features. The new plan allows you to invite up to five users that you can manage from the Steam Client, mobile device, or web browser. All five family members will have access to a range of features with the adults determining what child members can get up to.
Just like before, the new version of Steam Family will let everyone in the plan gain access to the shareable games in your library. Since each user will have their own profile, you don't need to worry about anyone accessing your saves or earning your achievements for you. It also isn't restricted when another member is online, meaning you won't have to wait around to take turns.
- Steam doubles down on a 5-year-old rule to make it more visible: "Developers should not utilize paid advertising as a business model in their game"
- Fortnite is now giving cheaters "second chances" with 1-year bans that allow you to use the battle royale like it's Discord and do absolutely nothing else until you're freed from the void
Like with all family accounts, Parental Controls are available. In short, the adults of the account can allow access to appropriate games, restrict access to the Steam Store, Community, or Friends Chat, set playtime limits, view playtime reports, recover a child's account if they lose their password, and more.
Perhaps most interestingly, the Parental Controls also let the kids on the plan send requests to the adults for extended playtime and to purchase items in their shopping cart on their behalf. I can already see a lot of kids sending constant requests to their parents for new games.
At the end of the post, Valve has an FAQ for Steam's new family plan. Alongside the usual questions like 'Who can be in a Steam family?' and 'Do I need to share all of my games with my family?' you'll find the question 'What happens if my brother gets banned for cheating while playing my game?' which seems very specific.
In case you were curious, it's bad news if your brother does happen to be a cheater, as: "If a family member gets banned for cheating while playing your copy of a game, you (the game owner) will also be banned in that game."
Take a look at our upcoming PC games list to find out what games you could soon be sharing on Steam's new family plan.
