Moochers rejoice: Valve is bringing game lending back in a big way. The company announced today that a new Family Sharing feature is coming to Steam in the near future, and a thousand Steam users will begin beta testing the Family Sharing system in mid-September. Early adopters can volunteer for testing duties by joining Steam's new Family Sharing Group.
Once you have access to Family Sharing, there are two ways to share: you can toggle an option in Steam's Account Settings menu to make your library of games available to anyone who logs into Steam on your PC, or allow others to access and download your previously installed games remotely—Valve will be updating Steam to allow users to request Family Share access.
When Family Sharing rolls out to everyone you'll be able to remotely request access to a friend's Steam library.
It's important to note that this remote request system is tied to hardware: if you request access to a friend's Steam library and she approves, your PC will be authorized to download and play games from her library.
Your Steam cloud saves and achievements will remain separate, but borrowers can play the expansion packs and downloadable content in your library. Borrowers cannot purchase DLC for games they don't own, and region restrictions apply when borrowing games. Sorry, Australian Saints Row IV fans.
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