How to play Minecraft with friends

The easiest Minecraft servers to play with friends are public servers you all join by address: free, always online, and already full of things to do. If you'd rather have a private world just for your group, a Realm is the simplest paid option, and running your own server gives you full control. Here's how each one works, what it costs, and the exact steps for PC, phone and console.

Which way should your group play?

Answer two questions first: are you all on the same edition, and does the world need to stay online when the host logs off? This table covers the rest.

Option 1: join a public server together

This is the answer for most groups, and for anyone searching for Minecraft servers to join to make friends. You get a ready-made world, events, and other players, and it costs nothing if you already own the game. Everyone just adds the same address.

1. Agree on an edition. Java players and Bedrock players can only share a server if it supports crossplay. Our crossplay list only includes servers our daily Bedrock probe confirmed.
2. Pick a server with a friends-friendly mode. Survival with land claims works well: you can build a shared base and lock it so nobody griefs it. Browse land claim servers or SMP servers.
3. Everyone adds the address. Java: Multiplayer > Add Server. Bedrock on Windows, iOS or Android: Play > Servers > Add Server.
4. Meet up in game. Most survival servers have a teleport request command like /tpa <name>. Many also have parties or teams; check /help.

Option 2: a Realm, the private world with no setup

Realms is Mojang's own subscription server. You pay, pick a world, and invite friends by name. The world stays online when you log off, and Mojang handles backups and updates.

Check current prices on minecraft.net/realms before you subscribe, since they can change.

Can you turn your world into a Realm?

Yes. Realms can take an existing world. On Java, open Minecraft Realms, click the gear icon on your Realm, choose Replace World and pick the world you want to upload. Download the Realm's current world first if you want to keep it. Mojang's steps are on minecraft.net, and Bedrock has its own upload guide. A world from a modded or plugin server won't bring its plugins along.

Option 3: make a Minecraft server for friends

Running your own server means your rules, your plugins, your mods, and no monthly Realm fee if you host it on your own PC. The catch: it's only online while that PC is on, and letting friends outside your house connect means opening a port.

1. Get the official server. Download the Java Edition server from minecraft.net. Java 26.3 needs Java 25 installed. For plugins, use Paper or Purpur from papermc.io and similar projects instead.
2. Run it once. In a new folder, run java -Xmx4G -jar server.jar nogui. It stops and creates eula.txt. Read the EULA, then set eula=true.
3. Add your friends to the whitelist. Since Java 26.3, new servers create server.properties with white-list=true, so nobody gets in until you add them. In the server console type whitelist add FriendName for each person. That default is a good thing: random scanners can't wander in.
4. Let them connect. On the same Wi-Fi, friends use your local IP. From outside, forward TCP port 25565 on your router to your PC and give friends your public IP. Our guide on making a server public covers port forwarding and safer alternatives.
5. Want Bedrock friends too? Add GeyserMC and Floodgate so Bedrock players can join your Java server. See our crossplay server guide.

Realms vs server hosting

A hosting plan sits between the two: always online like a Realm, but with plugins, mods and as many slots as you pay for. Pick Realms if you want zero setup or have console players. Pick hosting if you want a modpack like Cobblemon, a custom plugin setup, or more than 11 players. Our RAM guide helps you avoid paying for more than you need.

Option 4: share your own world for a quick session

No server, no subscription. The world only exists while the host is playing, so it's best for a one-evening build or a quick adventure.

How to play Minecraft with friends on Java (PC)

Open your singleplayer world, press Esc, click Open to LAN, set the game mode, and click Start LAN World. Friends on the same network see it under Multiplayer. This only works on the same local network. Java 26.2 also added a Friends List (the Friends button on the title screen, or O), where you can send and accept friend requests by profile name. The peer-to-peer online hosting Mojang tested in 26.2 snapshots was pulled before release, so for friends in other houses you still need a server or a Realm.

How to play Minecraft with friends on Bedrock

Everyone needs to be signed in with a Microsoft account. The host opens their world, and in the world's multiplayer settings makes sure it's a multiplayer game. Friends then open Play and look under the Friends tab, which lists friends who are currently playing and the Realms you belong to.

How to play Minecraft with friends on Switch, PS5 and Xbox

Console versions run Bedrock, so they can play with friends on phones, Windows and the other consoles. What they can't do is add a custom server by address in the normal game. Your options:

• Friends tab: join a friend's world while they're playing.
• Realms: the smoothest private option for mixed console groups.
• Featured servers: the servers built into the Servers tab work on every console.
• Other public servers: only through third-party community tools such as BedrockConnect (a DNS change), the BedrockTogether phone app, or Phantom on a PC. Read each tool's instructions and know how to undo a DNS change before you try.

Online play needs the console's subscription: Xbox Game Pass Essential (formerly Core) or Ultimate, PlayStation Plus, or Nintendo Switch Online. Minecraft for Nintendo Switch 2 launches on 2026-10-27; there's no sign yet that it changes the custom-server rules, and we'll update this after launch. Step-by-step console help: Switch.

Quick questions