1Every way, compared
Java has five ways to play together. They differ in what they cost, whether friends can be somewhere else, and whether the world stays up when the host logs off.
| Costs | Friends elsewhere | Up without the host | Mods and plugins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open to LAN | Free | No | No | Mods, if all have them |
| LAN and a tunnel | Free | Yes | No | Mods, if all have them |
| Realms | $7.99 a month | Yes, 10 at once | Yes | No |
| A free host | Free | Yes | Until it's empty | Depends on the host |
| Your own server | From $8.99 a month on a VPS | Yes | Yes | Both |
2Add friends on Java: the friends list
Since Minecraft 26.2, Java Edition has a friends list. It shows who's online and where they play.
Open the friends list
Friends, on the title screen or the pause menu, or press O.
Send a request
Type their profile name, the name they play under. Xbox friends who own Java show up by themselves.
Accept theirs
Requests wait under Pending until you accept or decline them.
Each friend shows as Online, Online (LAN), Online (World), Online (Realm) or Online (Server). It can't take you into a friend's world yet: Mojang tested invites to singleplayer worlds in a 26.2 snapshot and took them out before release, and 26.3 doesn't have them either. To play together, pick one of the ways below.
3Open to LAN, on the same Wi-Fi
Free and quick when everyone is in the same house. The world is open only while the host plays.
Open your world
The host starts a singleplayer world.
Open it to LAN
Pause › World Options, then turn on LAN under Multiplayer. Before 26.3: Pause › Open to LAN › Start LAN World.
Friends join
Their Multiplayer list shows the world under LAN. If it doesn't, use Direct Connection with the host's local IP and the port the game puts in chat.
4Friends somewhere else: a tunnel
A tunnel gives the host's world an address friends can reach from home, with no router settings. It's free; the world runs on the host's PC and connection, and stops when they do.
| Tunnel | How it works | Friends need |
|---|---|---|
| e4mc | A mod for Fabric, Quilt, NeoForge and Forge. Open to LAN, and it shows a public address. | Nothing extra |
| Essential | A mod with its own friends list. Friends join your world from it. | Essential too |
| playit.gg | A program that gives a server on your PC a public address. Free for Minecraft Java. | Nothing extra |
5Realms, run by Mojang
Realms for Java costs $7.99 a month: you and 10 friends at once, always online, with backups. Friends play free.
Start a Realm
Minecraft Realms, on the title screen. New subscribers get 30 days free.
Invite friends
By name, or with an invite code, new in 26.3.
Friends join
From their Realms list, or Join Realm with the code.
Java Realms run no mods or plugins, only Java players can join, and it's 10 friends at a time.
6A free host
Aternos and Minehut run a server for you, free. Aternos has a queue at busy times and stops the server when everyone leaves. Minehut's free plan has 1 GB of memory and 10 slots, and sleeps when empty. Fine for trying it out; outgrowing one is common, and moving an Aternos world takes minutes.
7Your own server, always on
Your own server keeps the world up when you log off, runs mods or plugins, and fits as many friends as it has memory for. On your PC it's free, but the PC stays on and you open port 25565 on your router. On a VPS it's always on, from $8.99 a month: see what a Minecraft server costs.
Playkeeper sets the server up on a VPS you rent, with one command:
curl -fsSL https://playkeeper.io/install | sudo sh
Create a server
Vanilla, Paper or a modpack. Playkeeper suggests the memory.
Send friends its address
A free name like survival.alex.playkeeper.me, without a port from three days after you claim it. Friends add it under Multiplayer › Add Server.
Or send an invite link
Friends open it and type their Minecraft name, and they're on the allowlist. Each link runs out when you choose.
Not sure how big a VPS? The sizing guide works it out from how many friends play at once.
8Playing modded? Everyone needs the same mods
The host and every friend need the same loader, Minecraft version and mods. The easy way is a modpack everyone installs in the same launcher.
On your own server, Playkeeper makes one link: friends download a file for the Modrinth App or Prism Launcher, import it, and join. The modded server guide goes step by step.
9When friends can't join
The message on their screen says what's wrong.
Different versions
Incompatible client! Please use 26.3
Play the version it names: the Minecraft Launcher's Installations tab adds any. On your own server, ViaVersion lets newer versions join.
Multiplayer is off for the account
Multiplayer is disabled. Please check your Microsoft account settings.
It's usually a child account: a parent allows multiplayer in the account's Xbox privacy settings.
Not on the allowlist
You are not white-listed on this server!
Add them with /whitelist add and their name, or send them an invite link.
The server can't be reached
Failed to connect to the server
Check the address, that the server runs, and that TCP 25565 is open in your router or your VPS provider's firewall.
Questions
How do I join a friend's world on Java?
On the same Wi-Fi, it shows under LAN in your Multiplayer list once they open it to LAN. From anywhere else, they need a tunnel, a Realm or a server, and send you its address.
Can I invite friends to my world on Java?
Not from the friends list yet: Mojang took invites out before 26.2 shipped. Share the world with LAN, a tunnel, a Realm or your own server.
Can I play Minecraft Java with friends for free?
Yes: Open to LAN, a tunnel like e4mc, or a free host. Realms and a VPS cost money, and stay up without you.
Can Java and Bedrock players play together?
Not by default. They're separate editions, and this guide, like Playkeeper, is about Java.
Does everyone need to own Minecraft?
Yes, each player needs Minecraft: Java Edition. On a Realm, friends don't pay for the Realm, but still need the game.
How many friends can play at once?
Realms takes 10 besides you. A server of your own takes as many as its memory fits: the sizing guide works out the size.
Or start from a template
Survival with friends
Paper · Minecraft 26.2 · 4 GBPaper · 4 GB
Chunky, CoreProtect and Simple Voice Chat
Open in my dashboardOpen the Survival with friends template
Creative
Paper · Minecraft 26.2 · 3 GBPaper · 3 GB
WorldEdit and Multiverse-Core
Open in my dashboardOpen the Creative template