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- #DO YOU HAVE TO BUY MINECRAFT FOR PC AND XBOX FOR FREE#
- #DO YOU HAVE TO BUY MINECRAFT FOR PC AND XBOX UPGRADE#
- #DO YOU HAVE TO BUY MINECRAFT FOR PC AND XBOX DOWNLOAD#
- #DO YOU HAVE TO BUY MINECRAFT FOR PC AND XBOX WINDOWS#
My immediate concern about a unified launcher was that this might in some way stifle Minecraft Java capabilities that PC players are attached to. It doesn't affect the location of your Minecraft save data, so I was immediately able to continue playing the same worlds and use the texture packs I had been previously. Aguilar-Gamez says that Bedrock players will also still have the ability to launch the game directly without going through the launcher, if they'd like. Mojang is hoping that current Minecraft players will hardly notice the difference once they actually have the new launcher installed. Mojang says that it can be downloaded by anyone, but you'll need to either outright own the version you want to play or be a Game Pass subscriber.
#DO YOU HAVE TO BUY MINECRAFT FOR PC AND XBOX DOWNLOAD#
Update: There is now a free "Minecraft Launcher" edition available to download on the Microsoft Store. Despite Mojang's efforts, there may be a bit of confusion for players during the initial transition to the unified launcher. However, a Minecraft Java owner on our team wasn't able to claim a download to the new launcher yet, even after migrating to a Microsoft account. I did also need to migrate my Mojang account to a Microsoft account.
#DO YOU HAVE TO BUY MINECRAFT FOR PC AND XBOX WINDOWS#
The process was a bit fiddly for me, but I was able to download the new Windows application launcher by selecting "Minecraft for Windows + Launcher" as my edition on either the Microsoft Store or Xbox PC application.
#DO YOU HAVE TO BUY MINECRAFT FOR PC AND XBOX UPGRADE#
As of today, your current Minecraft Launcher will prompt you to upgrade to an improved launcher version from the Xbox store. Previously, Minecraft PC players used the Minecraft Launcher to play Minecraft Java and the spinoff game Minecraft Dungeons, while Minecraft Bedrock was launched as a standalone application. "If you really want both, try out Xbox Game Pass for PC and just hold tight for a little bit." (Keep in mind that Realms are capped at 11 players active at the same time, so if you can’t join, it’s possible there are too many people already in there."We're trying to not encourage people to buy both versions," Aguilar-Gamez says. The Reams you’ve joined will appear under “Joinable Realms,” as long as the Realm is still online. Image: Mojang/Microsoft via PolygonĪfter joining the Realm for the first time, you will be able to return to it whenever you want from your Friends tab. Console players will need to be invited via friends list. Clicking the link will launch the Minecraft app. You can send invites to your Realm via your Friends tab or invite via a link if you’re playing on a PC. Players can also join Realms, which are servers that stay online all the time and don’t require a host to be currently playing. Image: Microsoft/Mojang via Polygon Using Realms for Multiplayer

You can also set these privileges individually once friends join your session, by clicking the yellow icon next to their names. You can even grant them administrative privileges. You can change it so people joining your session can only look at your world, or you can let them run wild, building and breaking blocks.

Keep in mind which player permissions you have active in your session (visible in settings). Once you select “invite,” you can add people from your friends list to join your game. A sidebar will prompt you to invite friends. To invite friends, open the start menu in-game. If you’re invited to join a session, a pop-up will appear that you can either accept or decline. These sessions can only hold up to eight people at once. As long as you’re friends via Microsoft, you can join their session by scrolling over to the Friends tab and looking under “Joinable Cross-Platform Friends.” This is what the Friends tab looks like on the Nintendo Switch version Image: Mojang/Microsoft via Polygon If your friend is playing in their own hosted session, you can join them straight through the game. Once that’s sorted, here’s how you can get into the same game. Often this will require sending a friend invite to their Xbox Gamertag. Once you have a Microsoft account, you’ll want to make sure that you’ve added the friend you want to play with on that account.
#DO YOU HAVE TO BUY MINECRAFT FOR PC AND XBOX FOR FREE#
Otherwise you can make one for free right here. Your Xbox account, if you have one, will work fine. You will need a Microsoft account in order to do this. This includes the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows PC, and mobile devices. If you have different versions, you’ll have to buy the other one to play together.Īll of the platforms that run Minecraft Bedrock Edition can play together. This means that if you own the Java Edition of Minecraft, you can only play with folks who also have the Java Edition. Minecraft is a great game to play with friends, and you can cross-play with them no matter the platform, as long as you have the same version.
