Yes, Minecraft is a cross-platform game and cross-play with your friends
Minecraft is a game that can be played across platforms and devices, allowing you to play it on any device you choose and cross-play with your friends using different device/console. Minecraft is available on a variety of different platforms, including Windows PC’s, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android and the java edition on PC’s, MacOS and Linux devices. One of the biggest issues is that Minecraft Bedrock and Minecraft Java Edition aren’t exactly the same. They have different features, different bugs, and are incompatible with each other.
Let’s start with the basics: what does cross-platform mean? Cross-platform refers to an operating system or program that can run on multiple devices without having to be specifically designed for each one. This means that you can use game apps like Minecraft on your Windows PC and also on your iPhone.
Cross-play is possible with cross-platform since both of the device are using same version of the game. If your friend is playing minecraft using his Xbox One console and you are using an Android device then you can cross-play since both device runs the same version of the game.
Bedrock version Versus the Java Edition Version
There are two versions of Minecraft: Bedrock and Java Edition. Both are cross-platform compatible however, you cannot cross-play with bedrock version to java edition version, which means that you can play the same game across multiple devices—as long as those devices are running either Bedrock or Java Edition. Little complicated aye? Here’s a table for you under understanding.
| Minecraft Version | Devices | Cross-play? |
| Bedrock | PC's, iOS, iPadOS, Xbox One and Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PS5 | Yes |
| Java Edition | PC (java edition), MacOS and Linux | Yes |
| Bedrock X java | Yes, but complicated |
Minecraft Bedrock version is a widely used version of the game that supports multiple languages and cross-play between all devices that supports it, mainly PCs, and consoles such as Xbox One and Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, iOS and iPadOS devices, and Android devices.
MacOS and Linux are can run Minecraft using the Java edition. The Java Edition is an older version of Minecraft that was released in 2009. It was created for PCs and Linux systems before bedrock version came which most consoles are using.
To cross play with bedrock version you have to have an internet connection to get connected with your cross-platform friends. Java Edition on the otherhand is a version of Minecraft that was released before Bedrock Edition. It does not support cross-play to bedrock version devices. However, you can still cross-play with PC (java edition), MacOS, and Linux but its a little bit complicated since you need to use a public minecraft server or better yet create your own minecraft server but might cost you some $$$.
The Conclusion?
Minecraft is a cross-platform game but only if you are using the same version of minecraft the bedrock version or the java edition version. Cross play-with bedrock users and java edition users are quite complicated. You can cross-play with bedrock users by joining the same server or world using your Microsoft account or xbox gamertag and invite friends on your server.
Did you know that there are 170 million players of minecraft worldwide? almost 1 million players playing concurrently? Find out more details of Minecraft game statistics.
