Can Minecraft Windows 10 Edition Play Online With Java Edition?

Minecraft Windows 10 Edition has been out for some time now, and it still confuses many avid Java Edition fans. Part of this is how the version is called, and part of it perhaps has to do with the fact that Java Edition players can’t think of why the version even exists. Since both versions are made for PCs, can Windows 10 Edition players play multiplayer with Java Edition players?

Is Minecraft Windows 10 Edition Bedrock?

The premise under which Minecraft Windows 10 Edition was released was to allow PC users to play with console users. The only way for that is if Windows 10 Edition was Bedrock Edition which is truly the case. Mojang and Microsoft have a way of naming the same version of the game in all sorts of ways and confusing players.

But as of 2015, you can play Bedrock Edition Minecraft on a PC. You’ll get all the same benefits and disadvantages from playing the game on any other console or device that runs the Bedrock Edition coded in C++. If you’re not familiar with these benefits and disadvantages, let’s take a look at what Bedrock lacks and has to offer.

Bedrock VS Java

The biggest difference between Java and Bedrock comes from their code base. Bedrock was coded in C++, while Java Edition was coded in Java. This might not mean all that much to players, so let’s discuss the practical differences between the two next. Before I do that, though, I must add that Bedrock Edition was built from the ground up, while Java Edition remains the same; lines of code are only added to it. Java is also a much simpler programming language than C++.

C++ is a programming language far more powerful and stable than Java, and so players will rarely if ever, experience the lag a Java Edition user is used to. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it can mess up your whole game, and it doesn’t just happen in multiplayer; single players also fall victim to it.

Yes, you’re getting a more stable version, but it’s not like Java Edition lag is unbearable. The biggest thing that Java has going for it is that you’re able to mod it for free and with little to no risk. It’s easy to go on the internet and check out many websites that let you download community-made mods, shaders, texture packs, and much more.

Bedrock Edition doesn’t allow modding, and there’s no way to obtain mods that Java Edition users can enjoy unless they’re available in the form of add-ons in the official Minecraft store. So where’s the problem? The problem lies in the fact that these add-ons aren’t free. Although they aren’t expensive, the money you spend on them can easily stack up into triple-digit prices.

Can Bedrock play with Java generally?

As is often the case with Java users and Minecraft in general, officially, there’s no way for Bedrock players to play the game with Java Edition users. Still, the wonderful community always comes up with a solution to the limitations Microsoft sets. GeyserMC is a third-party plugin that lets Java Edition users join Bedrock Edition servers and play with their friends free of worry.

I advise you to think about downloading GeyserMC thoroughly and only download the plugin from trusted sources if you decide to take the plunge. Every modding experience with Java Edition isn’t without risks. With the help of transparency, taking a look at comments on the plugin and the number of downloads, we can make a pretty good estimate about the safety of these plugins.

This also answers the question of how Windows 10 Edition users can play together with Java Edition users, but there is more to the story.

If you own Java, you likely own Windows 10 Edition.

When Windows 10 Edition was released in 2015, Java Edition users could redeem a gift code and get the Bedrock version free by logging into their Mojang accounts. This lasted up until October 2018, when the offer expired, and people who bought the game after had to pay 10 USD for Windows 10 Edition.

During the summer of 2022, Mojang announced that you can now purchase both editions for 30 USD, which is only 3 USD since Java Edition alone costs 27 USD. So, if you’re an older player who purchased the game before October 2018, you can get the edition for free. The only players who won’t receive the version for free or at a lower price are those who bought it from October 2018 to August 2022.

Is Minecraft crossplay?

Although it has already been answered partially, Minecraft Bedrock is crossplay, and you can play it with friends no matter their device, as long as they have the Bedrock Edition. You’d be very wrong if you thought that mobile phone users were excluded from this. Mobile phones can enjoy playing with their friends whether they own a PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, or even a PC, provided they play the Windows 10 Edition.

The only players who won’t get these benefits are Java Edition users (even though we covered how you can bypass that) and Mac and Linux players. Perhaps, it might just now become clear where the version’s name comes from. The only way to play Bedrock Edition Minecraft on a PC is if your PC has Windows 10 or 11 installed. That would mean that Mac players can play it, provided they have the operating system installed.

Linux players sadly can’t play the edition no matter what since Mac describes a computer manufactured by Apple that, by default, has iOS but allows you to download Windows. In contrast, Linux describes an operating system, not a computer that can receive a different operating system.

The concern

The concern Java Edition players had back when the Windows 10 Edition was announced was that Bedrock would become the primary and almost sole game version. Java Edition keeps Mojang from making more money, so it makes sense that they would want to shut it down.

Shutting it down completely would cause a backlash, and the player base wouldn’t be happy about it. Still, perhaps if they slowly made it happen, kept making fewer and fewer updates, and did not fix problematic bugs, then the players would have to transition, right?

Java Edition players will likely never transfer; Mojang knows this, so they keep updating Java just like they keep updating Bedrock. Windows 10 Edition currently allows you to play Minecraft with friends on your PC without buying a console or doing it unofficially.

Should I Play Windows 10 Edition or Java?

If you want to spend money, go ahead and play Bedrock Edition; if you want to make a one-time purchase and enjoy all the benefits of Java free of extra charge, provided you encounter the occasional lag, play the Java edition. Even though Bedrock Edition was made to make the company more money in the eyes of the most loyal players, we have to look at it from a different perspective.

Mojang and Microsoft are companies, they’re businesses, and every business wants to make money. We could say that the Minecraft franchise is Mojang’s only game, or at least Mojang’s only successful game, so until the Minecraft hype dissipates, both companies will come up with new ways to make money.

Another way to look at it is that Mojang can’t continue developing and improving the game without profits, so buying add-ons is a direct way to support what Mojang is doing.

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