How to Play Minecraft Bedrock With Friends (Every Way, 2026)

There are four ways to play Minecraft Bedrock with friends: join a friend's world through your Xbox friends list (5 or 8 players depending on the host's device), play over LAN on the same Wi-Fi, rent a Realm (you plus 2, or you plus 10 with Realms Plus), or run a dedicated server for 10 to 50 players that stays online when everyone logs off. Consoles also allow split screen for up to 4 players on one screen.

Which way should you pick?

Everyone must be on the same Minecraft version for any of these. Bedrock is strict about it: a phone that just updated cannot join a world or server still on the previous version.

How do I play with friends in my Bedrock world?

This is the built in way, and it costs nothing extra beyond what your platform needs for online play.

1. Every player signs in with a free Microsoft account. Add each other as friends with your Gamertags.
2. The host opens their world's settings, goes to Multiplayer and makes sure Multiplayer Game is on.
3. Choose who can join under Player access: invited players only, Xbox friends, or friends of friends.
4. Start the world. Friends open Play, go to the Friends tab and pick the world under joinable games. The host can also send an invite from the pause menu.

The Minecraft Wiki lists the limit as 5 or 8 players at a time depending on the host's system, so phones and older consoles host fewer people. The catch is that the world lives on the host's device. When they quit, everyone is kicked, and nobody can play the world without them.

How does LAN multiplayer work on Bedrock?

If everyone is on the same home network, turn on Visible to LAN Players in the world's Multiplayer settings. Anyone on that Wi-Fi sees the world in the Friends tab under LAN games, even if they are not on the host's friends list. It is handy for a sleepover or a house with several tablets, but it has the same limits as a friend's world: the host's device runs everything and the world closes when they leave.

How does split screen work on Bedrock?

Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch support split screen for up to 4 players on one TV. Connect extra controllers, press a button on each one and sign in each player when the game asks. The screen splits automatically as players join. It is the simplest option of all, since nothing needs to be online, but everyone has to be in the same room and the console's performance is shared between up to four views. Windows, phones and tablets have no split screen.

Are Minecraft Realms worth it for Bedrock?

A Realm is Mojang's own subscription server. Your world stays online without you, and console players see it right in the Play menu, which is its biggest advantage. Plain Realms allow you plus 2 friends online at once, and Realms Plus raises that to you plus 10 and adds the Marketplace Pass catalog, per the Realms page on the Minecraft Wiki. You can invite more people than that, but only that many play at the same time.

What you give up is control: no server files, no live console, a fixed player cap and limited backups. Our comparison of Minecraft Realms vs a dedicated server covers prices and limits side by side.

When should you use a dedicated Bedrock server?

A dedicated server runs Mojang's Bedrock Dedicated Server software on a machine that is always on. It makes sense when:

• You have more than 11 players, or a group that keeps growing.
• People play at different times. The world is up whether or not the owner is online.
• You want add-ons, behavior packs or your own world file uploaded directly.
• You want control: an allowlist, operators, console commands like gamerule keepinventory true, and backups you can download.

Players on Windows, iPhone, iPad and Android join by opening Play, then the Servers tab, then Add Server, and entering the server address and the port in separate boxes. Putting only the numbers before the colon in Server Address, and the number after it in Port, is the part people get wrong. If the server runs an allowlist, the owner adds each Gamertag first.

How do console players join a Bedrock server?

This is the one real hurdle. On Xbox, PlayStation and Switch, the Servers tab only shows Mojang's featured partner servers, with no Add Server button. Console players can still play on any Bedrock server once they get past that menu, with full crossplay. The usual workarounds:

• BedrockConnect DNS: change the console's DNS once, open a featured server, and a menu appears where you type any address.
• A phone app like BedrockTogether that makes the server show up in the Friends tab on Xbox or PlayStation.
• A PC tool like Phantom on the same Wi-Fi that makes the server appear as a LAN game.

Step by step instructions for each console are in our guide to joining a Bedrock server on Xbox, PS5 and Switch. Note that online play on consoles generally needs the platform's online subscription, such as Nintendo Switch Online or PlayStation Plus.

Can Java and Bedrock players play together?

Not on a Bedrock world, server or Realm. Java Edition only connects to Java servers. If your group is split, run a Java server with the Geyser plugin, which lets Bedrock players join it, as covered in how to let Bedrock players join a Java server.

FAQ

How many players can join a Minecraft Bedrock world?

A world hosted from a device allows 5 or 8 players depending on the host's system. A Realm allows you plus 10 with Realms Plus, and a dedicated server can go higher.

Do my friends need Xbox Live to play Minecraft Bedrock together?

Everyone needs a free Microsoft account, which is the same thing as an Xbox network profile. Consoles may also need their own paid online service for online play.

Can I play Minecraft Bedrock with friends on different devices?

Yes. Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch all play together in the same worlds, Realms and servers, as long as everyone is on the same version.

Why can't my friend join my Bedrock world?

The usual causes are different game versions, Multiplayer Game being off, Player access set to invite only, or the world already being full. Update everyone first, then check the world's Multiplayer settings.

Can I play Minecraft Bedrock with friends when I am offline?

Only with a Realm or a dedicated server. A world hosted on your device closes as soon as you stop playing.

The easy option

If your group has outgrown a hosted world or a Realm, our Minecraft Bedrock server hosting starts at 4.99 USD a month for 10 players, with an allowlist and operators managed from the panel. It is ready minutes after paying, and friends can split the bill, each paying their own share from a link. For a deeper look at the switch from Realms, see our Realms alternative page.