How do you play Minecraft cross-play with friends on other platforms?

Minecraft is a fun and relaxing experience when playing alone, but joining a few friends on an exciting adventure is almost always an improvement. Completing large projects, exploring new biomes, and taking on tough bosses is an incredible experience with a group of players. You can also get more done with a group, saving you the trouble of grinding for materials and items.

Luckily, Minecraft supports cross-play on multiple platforms, although there are a few things you should know to ensure this is a possibility. 

Players can only play with other Minecraft players on the same version of Minecraft. Both versions provide the classic Minecraft experience but introduce limitations on how you can play with friends.

There are currently two versions of Minecraft, Java and Bedrock. Java players can only play with other Java players on PC, while Bedrock players can play cross-platform with any other player on the Bedrock edition. Bedrock is the version of Minecraft available on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and some mobile devices. If playing cross-platform is one of your goals, make sure all players download the Bedrock edition. 

Regardless of your platform, you’ll need a Microsoft account to play cross-platform. Xbox players can use their Xbox account, while other players can create a Microsoft account for free. Once you have an account, you just need to add friends in-game with their account information or their Xbox Live gamertag. 

You can see friends online in the Minecraft Bedrock edition and join them directly if their world is open. Players can also invite their friends to join their world or a group of friends can use a Realm to create a 24/7 server that all invited players can use at any time. Realms cost $8 a month, so make sure you’ll be playing enough to support this option. 

However, if you want to avoid paying a monthly fee, you can always stick to playing when the player hosting the game is online. The biggest downside is that you won’t be able to use the world while they’re offline, so think about this before committing a significant amount of time to a world.

Playing cross-platform on Minecraft is easy. Just remember the Bedrock edition is required and discuss with your friends if one player will host the world or if Minecraft Realms is the better option for your group.