Minecraft Bedrock: Cross-Play, Realms and Servers

How Bedrock cross-play works, in four rules

Bedrock is a single shared build that runs across Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Amazon Fire, and Chromebook. A phone can join a world hosted on a Switch, because every Bedrock device runs the same client and signs into a Microsoft account. Java Edition uses a separate network and cannot join Bedrock worlds. For the current wording on device support, see Mojang's Minecraft Help Center.

1. A free Microsoft account signs everyone in

Every Bedrock player signs in with a free Microsoft account, including on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. That account controls friends, invites, Marketplace purchases, and the privacy settings that permit online multiplayer. Create it in advance of the first launch.

2. Everyone runs the same game version

Bedrock only lets players on the same version join a world or server. Consoles and stores publish updates at slightly different times, so a friend on a newer build can be temporarily unreachable until everyone updates. Version compare is the first check when “we cannot join” appears.

3. Privacy settings decide whether the invite connects

Family privacy on Xbox controls whether a child account can play multiplayer or accept invites. Only a parent in the Microsoft Family group can change those settings, and the child must sign out and back in before the change takes effect. This is an account setting, not a router problem.

4. Consoles need their own paid online service

On Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch, online multiplayer normally requires that console's own paid online service for each account playing online. Windows and mobile do not — only an internet connection is required there.

Realms or a self-hosted server? Decide before you spend

Bedrock has two officially supported ways to keep a world online for other players. Pick based on the shape of your group and the devices in it, not on price.

Realms & Realms Plus (Mojang-hosted)

A subscription world hosted for you by Mojang and Microsoft. It stays online without your device, invited friends can join whenever they like, and console players can join it directly — a Realm is the only officially supported way to keep a console-friendly persistent world.

Realms supports the owner plus 2 other players online. Realms Plus supports the owner plus up to 10 other players online at the same time and includes the Marketplace Pass catalog. Invited friends do not need their own subscription. Reference: Mojang, Realms.

Bedrock Dedicated Server (self-hosted)

Free official software Mojang publishes for Windows and 64-bit Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or later. Mojang states that other Linux distributions are not supported. It suits larger PC and mobile communities and gives you more control, but it needs manual setup, updates, backups, and networking. Only download from Mojang's official server download page.

Any port configuration only applies to a self-hosted BDS, as documented in that server's server.properties file. Consoles do not have an option to type a custom server address, so console players cannot connect directly to a self-hosted server — they use a Realm or a Featured Server instead.

Choosing between a Realm and a self-hosted Bedrock server.
Question	Realm	Bedrock Dedicated Server
Console players in the group	Supported	Not supported
Group size beyond 10 online players	Capped at 10 online on Realms Plus	Higher — set by hardware and your config
Manual updates, backups, networking	Mojang handles it	You handle it
Marketplace catalog included	Included with Realms Plus	Not included
Runs while your device is off	Yes	Only while the host machine runs

When a Bedrock join fails, work these four checks first

If you cannot connect to a friend or a Realm, walk the same order Minecraft Support recommends. Most failures resolve in the first two steps without touching router or ISP settings.

Version match. Compare Settings > About numbers on every device in the session. Consoles and stores roll out updates at different times, so this is the most common failure after a game drop. Reference: Mojang, Java or Bedrock Edition.
Correct Microsoft account. Confirm each player is signed into the Microsoft account you added as a friend, not a secondary account they use elsewhere. Sign out and back in if the friends list looks empty.
Multiplayer privacy allowed. Family privacy on Xbox controls the multiplayer button for child accounts. The change must be made by a parent in the family group; the child must sign out and back in. Reference: Xbox family hub.
Xbox network status clean. Open the Xbox status page. If a live incident affects sign-in or multiplayer, the fix is to wait — no local troubleshooting will help.

The account layer people miss

On PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, players sign in with two accounts — the console's native account (PSN or Nintendo) and a Microsoft account inside Minecraft. Cross-play, Realms invites, and Marketplace purchases all live on the Microsoft account. The console account handles billing, online-service subscriptions, and system-level parental controls.

Microsoft account inside the game

Friends, invites, Realm access, Marketplace library, cross-play permission. Every Bedrock device signs into this account inside Minecraft. Recover it through Minecraft Help, not the console vendor.

Console native account

Purchase, install, online service, and system parental controls. On PlayStation this is PSN (with PlayStation Plus for online multiplayer). On Switch this is a Nintendo Account (with Nintendo Switch Online). On Xbox this is the Microsoft account itself.

What breaks when they mismatch

Cross-play refuses when a family member signed the child into the wrong Microsoft account inside the game. Marketplace items appear missing because the account signed in inside Minecraft is not the account that bought them. Fix: sign out of the game, sign back in with the owning account.

Bedrock Dedicated Server: what to check before you install

If you decide a Realm will not scale, Mojang publishes free official server software for Windows and 64-bit Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or later; other Linux distributions are not supported. Confirm four items before you download so a bad install does not force a rebuild.

1. Only download from Mojang

The single legitimate source is minecraft.net/en-us/download/server/bedrock. Any “faster mirror” you find on a forum or file locker is a risk — Mojang publishes the binary directly, and the URL never needs a third-party host.

2. Match OS support

BDS ships as a Windows build and an Ubuntu build for 64-bit Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or later. Other Linux distributions and macOS are not officially supported. Choose the build that matches the machine that will run the server 24/7 — not the machine you play on.

3. Plan your network path

BDS listens on a UDP port defined in the server.properties file. Consoles cannot connect directly, so BDS is a PC and mobile solution. Networking configuration is your responsibility — Mojang does not offer NAT traversal for BDS.

4. Own the backup habit

BDS gives you the world folder directly; a nightly copy of that folder off the server is the only recovery you get. Losing the disk without a backup means the world is gone — there is no Mojang-side history.

Featured Servers: a third option worth knowing

Bedrock ships with an in-game Featured Servers menu — partner-run public servers listed by Mojang, joinable in one click with no IP address to type. For a household that wants a social experience without hosting anything, this often beats setting up a Realm or a self-hosted server.

What Featured Servers cover

Minigames, economy worlds, roleplay servers, and creator-made lobbies. Each server sets its own rules, chat handling, and optional purchases. Nothing is downloaded outside the game — the server list is refreshed by Mojang.

What they require

A signed-in Microsoft account with multiplayer permitted, and the console's paid online service (Xbox online service, PlayStation Plus, or Nintendo Switch Online) on that platform. No router or NAT change is needed.

Where they do not fit

Featured Servers are public. If the priority is a controlled space for a small friend group, a Realm is the right shape — not a partner server. Featured Servers also do not accept split-screen sessions.

One shared world. Every supported Bedrock device.