Is Minecraft cross-platform?
Bedrock players on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Windows and mobile can all play together; Java Edition only plays with other Java Edition players (PC).
Bedrock Edition has broad cross-platform play; Java Edition does NOT cross-play with Bedrock
Sources · Last verified: July 12, 2026.
Minecraft's cross-play answer depends entirely on which edition each person owns. Bedrock Edition has full built-in crossplay: Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Windows 10/11, iOS and Android players can share the same worlds, Realms and servers – all you need is a (free) Microsoft account to link up with friends. Java Edition, by contrast, runs only on Windows, macOS and Linux, and Java players can play together across those operating systems – but Java and Bedrock CANNOT play together officially. The two editions are built on completely different codebases (Java Edition in Java, Bedrock rewritten from scratch in C++), so their network protocols are incompatible; a Bedrock client cannot connect to a Java server any more than an Xbox can read a PlayStation disc. The common workaround is a community proxy called GeyserMC (often with Floodgate), which translates Bedrock network packets so Bedrock clients can join a Java server, but this is third-party, server-side setup rather than official support. Buying the PC 'Java & Bedrock' bundle gives you both clients, so you can pick whichever edition your friends are on.
Minecraft — frequently asked
Can Java and Bedrock players play together?
Which platforms support cross-play?
Sources
- Minecraft.net – Java & Bedrock Edition for PC (store/price)
- Minecraft Help – System Requirements for Minecraft: Java Edition
- Minecraft Wiki – Java Edition hardware requirements
- Minecraft Help – Java & Bedrock Edition for PC FAQ (editions/crossplay)
- Wikipedia – Minecraft (release, developer, platforms)
- Last verified: July 12, 2026. Sizes and specs can change with patches — tell us if something is out of date.