For years, Minecraft has been a fan favorite. Many updates have been made to the game, making it even more enjoyable for fans. If you’re new to Minecraft, the thought of playing a solo game for hours on end may put you off. The singleplayer building aspect of Minecraft is a great way to kill time while getting your creative juices flowing. However, most users will get far more enjoyment out of the game when they play with their friends, whether online or offline.
Don’t worry if you don’t know how to get started with Minecraft multiplayer. This article will walk you through the installation process for all Minecraft editions.
How to Play Minecraft Multiplayer
There are several ways to play Minecraft with your friends (or even complete strangers). A smaller group may prefer to play on a local network, which requires almost no technical knowledge. Advanced users can connect to a large number of servers or create their own, each with its own set of rules and cheats to give them more in-game freedom. The Realms edition is entirely online, but with some restrictions, whereas the special education edition was designed specifically for online play.
How Do You Play Minecraft Multiplayer in the Same House?
Users who want to play Minecraft in the same house usually choose a LAN network or a single console. You can create a LAN network using your home Wi-Fi, or connect all devices to the same router using Ethernet cables. Here’s how to start a Minecraft LAN world:
- Launch Minecraft on your computer or console and enter one of your singleplayer worlds.
- To access the game menu, press Escape.
- Select Open to LAN. Choose whether or not to enable cheats and which game mode to enable for other players.
- Choose Start LAN World.
How Do I Play on a LAN (Local Area Network)?
Other players’ devices can now connect to this LAN world:
- From the main menu, select Multiplayer.
- The game will search the LAN for a live world.
- If the LAN world has been created, the game will display LAN World on the list, along with the name of the world and the creator’s username.
- To join, double-click or press on the server name, then click Join Server.
In Minecraft, How Do I Use Splitscreen?
If you have one to three friends over for a console Minecraft session, you can enable split-screen to allow everyone to play in the same world at the same time. You can play a game by connecting additional game controllers to the console.
- Click on Play Game. Create a new world or load an existing one.
- Uncheck the Online gaming option.
- Once the first player has entered the world, the remaining players can join by pressing START on their controllers.
You’ll need an extra console and online play to expand your split-screen experience to up to eight people. The procedure is similar to that of single-console play, except that you must now enable Online Game and log the players in before proceeding.
How to Play Minecraft Multiplayer Online
Users of PCs or consoles who want to play online can access a large library of servers or create their own private server for a smaller group of friends. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Servers require a powerful infrastructure and an internet connection to function, and the PC hosting as a server may be unable to play games as well. Joining public servers, on the other hand, requires you to follow their rules, moderation, and regulation.
Setting up a server requires time and technical knowledge, but it can be streamlined with the help of online hosting services. If you want to learn how to build your own Minecraft server from the ground up, the documentation is available here. The instructions have been publicly edited and are now up to date with the most recent version of Minecraft. They might not work properly on your computer.
If you don’t have the technical know-how or the time to set up the server, online server hosting platforms can help. Here’s an illustration using Apex Minecraft Hosting:
- Visit their website.
- Choose the plan you want to buy. The amount of RAM required for hosting is usually determined by the number of players in your friend group. The platform also includes rough recommendations. For example, ten players using multiple mods would typically require 2 GB of RAM.
- After placing your order, you will enter your information, including your email address.
- The platform techs will build the server for you and send you an email with the login information and IP address of the server.
- You and your friends can now connect to the game using this IP address.
There are publicly available servers online for users to join instead of creating a new server. You can find one that appeals to you and copy the IP address.
How Do I Connect to a Minecraft Server?
Once you’ve completed the server setup process (whether you did it yourself or used a hosting service) or found an online server to join, copy the server IP address and proceed as follows:
- Launch Minecraft.
- Choose Multiplayer. Select Servers if you’re using Minecraft Bedrock.
- At the bottom, click Add Server.
- Type or paste the IP address in the Server Address field, then enter a name you’ll recognize. Fill in the port number with the one you received or created.
- For Bedrock Edition, choose Save, then Join near the bottom to begin playing on the server.
For Java Edition, press Done, then choose a multiplayer server from the list and join it.
How to Play Minecraft Dungeons Multiplayer
The steps for playing with friends in Minecraft Dungeons are similar to those for joining a LAN network. What you need to do for LAN multiplayer is as follows:
- Attach more controllers to the console.
- By pressing A, the primary player initiates a local game.
- To connect to the game, the other player(s) must press the appropriate button on their controller (usually L3).
And here are the steps to join a Minecraft Dungeons online game:
- Finish the tutorial.
- While playing Minecraft Dungeons, press A to bring up the menu and navigate to the online multiplayer settings.
- Connect your Microsoft account to your console. To access the URL displayed, you’ll need to use another device, such as a computer or a phone. Follow the instructions on the console screen. Enter the code provided by the game.
- After you’ve linked your accounts, the screen will display a list of your friends. The host will be one of the players, and the others can join them by pressing Join next to the host’s name to play together.
Minecraft Education Edition Multiplayer Instructions
Minecraft Education Edition is a welcome addition for students, allowing them to hone their teamwork and creative abilities in both offline and online play. Keeping this in mind, users can access Minecraft EE via their Office 365 accounts. What you must do is as follows:
- The host must create a game world and record their IP address. Select New World after pressing Play. Choose Host after you’ve chosen your game options.
- Open a new multiplayer game in Minecraft EE and press Escape to see your IP and port.
- If you want to have multiple sessions in the same world, you should switch to a static IP address for the best results.
- Enable port forwarding. Log in to your router using your browser, then select Port Forwarding.
Enter the IP address you found on the internet.
Set the starting port to 19132 and the ending port to 19133.
You must configure this for both TCP and UDP protocols.
- Take note of the Join code in the game, which is made up of four images taken from the game menu. Share the join code with your friends.
- Other players can now join a world by going to Multiplayer and entering the join code on their Minecraft EE.
Follow this guide if you want to access more settings.
What Is the Distinction Between the Bedrock and Java Editions?
When starting a game or deciding which version of Minecraft to play, selecting the correct Minecraft edition is critical. For multiplayer, there are two main versions of Minecraft: Bedrock edition and Java edition.
For console users, only the Bedrock edition is available (PS4, Xbox, Switch). It has limited modding support and usually requires payment to gain access to more mods. It is, however, the only way to connect players across multiple consoles and a PC.
PC users can choose between the two. If all of your friends are PC users, we recommend the Java version. It does not restrict mods, can enable hardcore mode for no-respawn gameplay, and is the first to be updated with new development features.
How Do You Get Free Minecraft Multiplayer?
The only way to play with friends for free is to set up your own server, which may take more time and requires more care to set up correctly. You can also look for free server hosts online, though finding a reliable host may be more difficult than it appears.
Friendship in Minecraft
Playing Minecraft alone can be a great way to kill time, but playing with friends can bring out the best (and worst) in your group and force you to think outside the box. You now understand how to play Minecraft in multiplayer mode. Setting up your server can be a great way to improve your tech knowledge while also playing online for free if you’re tech-savvy.
What is your preferred method of Minecraft play? Which platform do you use for multiplayer? Tell us in the comments section below.