Here’s How To Get Minecraft Windows 10 Edition for Free

After Microsoft acquired Minecraft in 2014, there were a lot of changes to the game that both excited and worried players. One such change was the addition of Minecraft Windows 10 Edition, a Bedrock Edition Minecraft for PCs. When the release happened. There were rumors that the Edition would be free, so how do you get Minecraft Windows 10 Edition for free?

Is Minecraft Windows 10 Edition still free?

Technically, Minecraft Windows 10 Edition is no longer free if you own a copy of Java Edition. The only players eligible to get the Edition for free today are those who purchased Java Edition before October 19th, 2018. After the fact, you’ll have to purchase the Windows 10 Edition together with Java.

But you don’t have to lose hope of getting your hands on the Edition for a reasonable price. If you go to Minecraft.net, you can purchase the Java Edition for 26.95 USD, which I’ll round up to 27 USD. On the website, you can purchase the Java and Windows 10 Edition for only 29.99 USD, which we can round up to 30 dollars.

That’s only a 3 dollar increase seeing as you get both editions. It’s not free, but it’s better than buying both editions at 26.95, which would cost you 54 USD if the editions were bought separately. If you can’t find the product, note that the Windows 10 Edition is Bedrock Edition Minecraft, but for PCs, you should look for Java & Bedrock.

It’s also worth noting that the Windows 10 Edition costs 10 USD if you were to buy it separately when it was first released.

Do you get Minecraft Java Edition for free on PC?

Since Minecraft Java Edition is the first and original Minecraft, you had to have the Edition already to be eligible for a free Windows 10 Edition. So far, there is no legal way to get the Java Edition for free without purchasing it.

The illegal methods would include playing the game using a Minecraft launcher or getting a cracked version of the game, which I don’t recommend you do because it puts your computer in danger of virus attacks, especially if you don’t own paid antivirus software.

Even then, it is risky, and it’s best to purchase the official version when possible. Luckily, Mojang made Minecraft one of the cheapest games to get a copy of. Other games can cost three times as much as Minecraft, which is nowhere near as popular as Minecraft.

When did the Edition come out?

Microsoft’s acquisition of Minecraft happened in 2014, and the Windows 10 Edition was released in 2015. When the announcement came, players worried about the potential problems the Edition could bring. What worried players then was that the Edition would become the greatest version of Minecraft for PCs, leading to Java having fewer and less frequent updates.

It’s no secret that Microsoft doesn’t exactly love the idea of Java Edition existing and would love to make the Bedrock Edition the official version of Minecraft. It’s not like they ever said something explicitly, but from a business standpoint, Java Edition is troublesome and keeps them from making more money.

The player’s concerns didn’t become a reality. Java edition still gets updated as regularly as Bedrock Edition. Microsoft can’t get away with shutting down Java because many players would leave and wouldn’t return to the game in the Bedrock format, so Java remains to this day.

Java vs. Windows 10 Edition

So how is the Windows 10 edition different from the Java Edition? Probably the biggest difference between the two is that you can mod Java Edition, whereas you can’t mod Bedrock Edition, at least not for free. You must purchase any mod from the official Minecraft store to get it.

Even then, the add-ons for the game are highly limited to what Mojang and Microsoft develop and want to sell. It’s safe to say that Java Edition has greater possibilities in that department since mods for the Edition are community-made. You will risk ruining your PC with viruses, but in this day and age, it’s easy to stay away from malware, especially because Minecraft has a large community that will immediately share if a mod is bad.

The thing Bedrock Edition has going for it is that it’s just a lot faster. This mainly concerns that Bedrock was coded in C++, a programming language far more powerful and stable than Java. You’ll rarely, if ever, experience frame drops, block lag, or the game crashing. Still, it’ll rarely happen with a strong enough computer, even in Java Edition.

Other versions you can get for free by purchasing another

Unfortunately, players can’t get their hands on a version of Minecraft for one of their consoles and play the game for free on another device. The only exception to this rule seems to be Minecraft for Xbox, provided you have the Xbox Game Pass. If you do, you can also log into your account on a computer and play the Bedrock Edition free of charge.

The probable reason why this is the case is that Microsoft created Xbox, and since Microsoft also owns Minecraft, you can easily understand why you’d have the added benefit of playing the game on your Xbox and PC.

Can Linux and Mac users play the Edition?

Sadly, Linux and Mac users can’t play the Windows 10 Edition on their devices. Mac users could if they had Windows 10 or 11 operating systems installed on their device, whereas Linux players will never get to experience playing the Bedrock Edition on the PC. Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!

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