Fix 'Free Game Glitch'

[Tickle Tipson]

When you access Steam on someone else's account and download ANY game (Paid or free) And then log back into your own account, the paid/free game will be in your library. Worst part is you can play it

[XXX]

nothing to fix.

just log out of your account.

[Cathulhu]

How is Family Share a glitch?

[Supafly]

If it's installed to the same library Folder Steam will recognise it as installed. If you have family share or it's a free game you can play it. If not then it'll show as installed but instead of the play button you'll have a Purchase button.

[Tickle Tipson]

Suicidal Monkey님이 먼저 게시:

If it's installed to the same library Folder Steam will recognise it as installed. If you have family share or it's a free game you can play it. If not then it'll show as installed but instead of the play button you'll have a Purchase button.

My family share is off and I had the play button. Not the install button

[XXX]

BoltyPlayzYT님이 먼저 게시:

Suicidal Monkey님이 먼저 게시:

If it's installed to the same library Folder Steam will recognise it as installed. If you have family share or it's a free game you can play it. If not then it'll show as installed but instead of the play button you'll have a Purchase button.

My family share is off and I had the play button. Not the install button

Sure not for paid games.

For F2P games yes.

[Supafly]

BoltyPlayzYT님이 먼저 게시:

[
My family share is off and I had the play button. Not the install button

I said nothing about an install button. It won't be an install button as it is already installed.

Sure it isn't a F2P game? If it is currently on a free trial/demo the button will show as 'PLAY' until the trial/demo expires where it will then become a 'PURCHASE' button.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Not all games use any form of DRM including the Steam DRM wrapper.

This is similar to the refunded game still being able to be played.

Just uninstall the game(s) in question.

[Tickle Tipson]

XXX님이 먼저 게시:

BoltyPlayzYT님이 먼저 게시:

My family share is off and I had the play button. Not the install button

Sure not for paid games.

For F2P games yes.

The game was a paid game

[Tickle Tipson]

Suicidal Monkey님이 먼저 게시:

BoltyPlayzYT님이 먼저 게시:

[
My family share is off and I had the play button. Not the install button

I said nothing about an install button. It won't be an install button as it is already installed.

Sure it isn't a F2P game? If it is currently on a free trial/demo the button will show as 'PLAY' until the trial/demo expires where it will then become a 'PURCHASE' button.

The game didn't HAVE a demo version

[Supafly]

JG | Luxe님이 먼저 게시:

Yall are dumb, He's right, If you have paid games installed, then log into a friends account or something, that doesn't have that game, it'll still show up on the list, But it'll have an option to buy instead like instead of play, it'll say something like "Purchase".

This is because it's in the Steam folder.. you can't really do anything about that, Just ignore the game.

You clearly didn't read the OT and posters comments. OP claims it still says play even though OP doesn't own the game. As many of us have said installed games are installed so Steam sees it as installed.

So either OP is logged into their friends account has Family sharing or the game is currently in Demo/free trial. If that is not the case the 'Play' button will be replaced with a 'Purchase' button.

[Tickle Tipson]

Suicidal Monkey님이 먼저 게시:

JG | Luxe님이 먼저 게시:

Yall are dumb, He's right, If you have paid games installed, then log into a friends account or something, that doesn't have that game, it'll still show up on the list, But it'll have an option to buy instead like instead of play, it'll say something like "Purchase".

This is because it's in the Steam folder.. you can't really do anything about that, Just ignore the game.

You clearly didn't read the OT and posters comments. OP claims it still says play even though OP doesn't own the game. As many of us have said installed games are installed so Steam sees it as installed.

So either OP is logged into their friends account has Family sharing or the game is currently in Demo/free trial. If that is not the case the 'Play' button will be replaced with a 'Purchase' button.

That case didn't seem to apply to me. Let me reveal a tiny bit more. The said game is Papers Please. Which doesn't have a demo version and is a paid game. I installed it to my PC from a friend's account to play together. I logged out without un-installing it. When I logged into my account the game was there WITH the Play button. NOT the Install button.

[Supafly]

BoltyPlayzYT님이 먼저 게시:

Suicidal Monkey님이 먼저 게시:

You clearly didn't read the OT and posters comments. OP claims it still says play even though OP doesn't own the game. As many of us have said installed games are installed so Steam sees it as installed.

So either OP is logged into their friends account has Family sharing or the game is currently in Demo/free trial. If that is not the case the 'Play' button will be replaced with a 'Purchase' button.

That case didn't seem to apply to me. Let me reveal a tiny bit more. The said game is Papers Please. Which doesn't have a demo version and is a paid game. I installed it to my PC from a friend's account to play together. I logged out without un-installing it. When I logged into my account the game was there WITH the Play button. NOT the Install button.

I never said there would be an 'Install' button. Steam already knows the game is installed. Therefore it will be a 'Play' If you own/share/free demo/free trial or it should be a 'Purchase' button. It's possible it's bugged and the button stays as Play and didn't change to be a 'Purchase' button like it should. Clicking play should trigger the check to confirm you don't actually own the game and prevent you from playing it and then change the 'Play' button to a 'Purchase' button as it should.

If for some reason you are still seeing a play button and and can actually play it then it's a bug. This is not how it is supposed to work. I know this from past experience because I've had games from other users(Family) accounts showing as installed in the past. Partly why I created new Windows user accounts for them and have their games installed to a different location so their libraries don't clutter my own.

[Tesityr]

If I may, it depends on the game and how the developers implement DRM. Similar to [some other game marketplace website I will not name out of respect for Steam] - which allows 'all systems in a household to access the paid-for game', if you installed it in Steam, the game will assume that someone in your house paid for it - so it will let YOU now actually Play the game.

Note that most games will not work this way. I see a bunch on my Account, installed by Family Members, which when I go to Play them on my Account, say "PURCHASE" on the big green Steam button... I can also "PLAY" other games via Family Share on both systems. I will assume though, that a minority of games will have this 'Family Share Enabled DRM Bypass' "Enabled" for ALL Accounts on that system [allowing all Accounts to play it once it is installed].

In the end though, don't worry about it too much, if you can. Steam seems to do well with restricting access to things you shouldn't access. If the devs of the game didn't want you to play, and Steam didn't want you to play it, you wouldn't be playing it. If you still are worrying about it, send in a Ticket.

HTH

[Spawn of Totoro]

Much like Tesityr said.

If the game is DRM free, then it will still show as "Play" and not "Purchase". Yes, some developers have their DRM free games on Steam.

No, it is not a glitch.