Originally posted by Sammi79:

It doesn't matter what DRM game, if I am playing any game from my library, and am online which is pretty much absolute, no family member can play any other game from my library.

Just thought it might be the reason it appears not to work for the OP, since it seems to catch quite a few people out.

for example you can literally install ksp on all family shared computers and play it at the same time simply by removing the install from the steam directory.

ksp is drm free, which means it doesn't need a connection to steam to be able to play, which means all family members who share it will be able to play at the same time.

i think you were confused by my original comment, my point is that DRM FREE GAMES can be freely shared with family sharing, and you can in fact play them at the same time as someone using the library.

you don't even need to remove them from the steam library like i said about ksp, it just needs to be a drm free game.

that's literally the only thing stopping people from playing games at the same time as the family member that shared it with them.

DRMs = digital rights management.

if a game doesn't have a DRM, you don't run into the issue of not being able to play it when the owner is playing something from their library.

which is the entire original point of family sharing.

to clarify this is how it works: games that have DRMs require internet connections to start, without the internet connection you can't play it, OR without the license connection you can't play it.

BUT, if you install the game and the game doesn't have a drm requiring internet connection, and play it without a connection to the servers that are monitoring the shared file, (steam,) you will be able to play it freely without being kicked offline by the owner of the library when they get on.

i have not only tested this, i have proven this empirically.

you can in fact play DRM free games that are shared from another user, whilst they are playing something from their library.

valheim on the other hand, is not drm free.

i have done it before
play different games on on different pc at the same time

or even 2+ games at the same time on the same pc

Originally posted by _I_:

i have done it before
play different games on on different pc at the same time

or even 2+ games at the same time on the same pc

due to how steam set it, if you are shairing your libary, and someone is playing say...sim city from your libary, this means that if you launch valhime... the get kicked out of thier game. they can play games from thier own libary still, and you can open every game in your steam libary at once. but only one user may play a game(s) from any given libary at once

nope. works perfectly.... for 100s of hours.

Family share doesn't work if you are playing any game from your library - only one person can use your game library at any one time.

Which pretty much defeats the entire point of it for me but your mileage may vary.

Originally posted by Sammi79:

Family share doesn't work if you are playing any game from your library - only one person can use your game library at any one time.

Which pretty much defeats the entire point of it for me but your mileage may vary.

doesn't defeat the point in drm free games.

it's basically a way to get free games and yes, they can be played at the same time the main user is playing something from their library because they don't require internet connection.

which is the original premise of family sharing, drm free games being shared.

if you try it with a game that has a drm yeah you won't be able to do it at the same time.

like I said, your mileage may vary.

If it worked like; can't play the game I am already playing, that would make sense since I only own the permission to use one copy of the software at any time.

But for me in my position it's pretty useless. I don't want to play other peoples games, check my library gaming is my passion and if I want to check a game I will either buy it or get a demo. Since I game a lot more than any of my family members, they can almost never use my library.

It doesn't matter what DRM game, if I am playing any game from my library, and am online which is pretty much absolute, no family member can play any other game from my library.

Just thought it might be the reason it appears not to work for the OP, since it seems to catch quite a few people out.

Originally posted by Sammi79:

Family share doesn't work if you are playing any game from your library - only one person can use your game library at any one time.

Which pretty much defeats the entire point of it for me but your mileage may vary.

you can play different games at the same time, but not the same game twice using family share, or the same steam acct on several pcs

valheim is on sale, might as well just buy the copy for the family members account so you can play together

Originally posted by _I_:

you can play different games at the same time,

Not from the same library, you can't.

from Steams documentation:

Can two users share a library and both play at the same time?
No, a shared library may only be played by one user at a time including the owner and even if they want to play different games.

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/57A7-503C-991F-E9A8#simultaneous