Minecraft on PC vs. Minecraft on Xbox One: Which Is Better?

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Since the official release of Minecraft, we’ve had both the PC and the Xbox versions available. Even though people play Bedrock more than Java statistically, that’s only considering the entirety of the Bedrock Edition available on mobile devices, PS4, PS5, and other consoles, including the Xbox One. It’s not conclusive which version is better. By comparing the two, we can only try and end the fight but definitely not once and for all. Which version is better, Minecraft on PC vs. Minecraft on Xbox One?

  • Article Breakdown:
  • Java Edition is only available on PC, and since most newer users play on consoles, you could easily argue that the Xbox One version is better.
  • Although they are the same game, they are both very different from one another hence the numerous tutorials about Minecraft dedicated to PC or Xbox One players.

Price

The PC version of Minecraft will cost you 29.99 USD while the Xbox One version costs 19.99 USD, which seemingly gets the Xbox One version a point but let’s dive deeper into what you get for the price of both. The PC version gets you Minecraft Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. Java is exclusive to PCs, while Bedrock, as of 2015, can also be played on consoles and PCs.

The Xbox One version of the game gets you a copy of Bedrock Edition but using your Xbox Game Pass account; you can also play the version on your PC. It is still Bedrock Edition, so in that sense, Minecraft for PCs gets you more variety for the same price. It’s simple math; for 30 USD, you’ll get both Java and Bedrock Edition, which are two different games, whereas, with an Xbox One version, you also get two but simply more of the same.

Another angle you can approach this from is that the Xbox One version can be played on two devices, whereas the PC version can be played only on one. Still, if you decide to spend the same amount of money on the Xbox One version, you’d also get Minecoins, maps, custom skins, personal maps, a texture pack, and more, so I should award the point to the Xbox One version.

Minecraft PC (0: 1) Minecraft Xbox One

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Moddability

This is the category where there’s no doubt that the PC version will win but is it really the case? If you know anything about Minecraft, you’ll know that the console versions of the game can’t be modded due to the limitations the manufacturers of consoles set on their products.

The only real way to mod Minecraft for Xbox One is to access the Minecraft Store, which offers add-ons that you have to pay for using mine coins that you can purchase with real-world money. The variety of add-ons is very limited, and you can’t ever go beyond what’s available in the store unless you jailbreak your device.

On the other hand, modding Minecraft on a PC is incredibly simple and offers a ton of variety in terms of which mods you’ll choose for one simple reason. These mods are community-made, so anything a person creating these mods can come up with will be made available. Not all mods are good, but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out which ones are.

Objectively speaking, Mojang doesn’t support these community-made mods, texture packs, and others, so if you ever have a problem with your game and computer after downloading them, Mojang won’t help you. This would award the point to the Xbox One version but let’s level the playing field for a second.

Jailbreaking your Xbox One is as ”illegal” as modding for PCs but more complicated to execute and with higher risks. This is the only way to get a variety of mods for your Xbox One, but considering that you risk jailbreaking your Xbox One rather than modding Minecraft for PCs, the point will go to the PC version.

Minecraft PC 1: 1 Minecraft Xbox One

Stability

The general consensus in the community is that Minecraft Bedrock Edition is generally more stable than Java Edition, no matter whether your PC is an absolute beast with all the newest and strongest hardware or the equivalent of an old microwave. This mostly has to do with the fact that Bedrock Edition was built from the ground up, whereas Java was only added to and never changed.

The first code used in Java was far better than the ones they use now. Code changes happen all the time when Mojang decides to release new snapshots and versions of the game, but the code for Java is just inherently worse than that of Bedrock. C++, a programming language used to make the Bedrock Edition, is far more powerful than Java since it has better object management, performance, and speed.

The code for Java should be better in writing since Java is a much simpler programming language than C++, but Mojang still manages to mess up with it and bring us subpar versions. Another thing to add is that Minecraft for PC constantly changes the minimum requirements that allow Minecraft to run properly.

This also has something to do with bad code. It was made to be played on the oldest computers, but now you need a mid-range gaming computer or laptop to run it properly with poor graphics. OptiFine helps with speed and graphics slightly but not by a lot so the point will go to the Xbox One version in this category.

Minecraft PC 1: 2 Minecraft Xbox One

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Gameplay

Minecraft for PCs might be superior to the Xbox One version regarding gameplay. The simple reason is that the PC version allows for more skill expression and outplay potential, but it has nothing to do with the game itself but rather with what you use to play it, a keyboard and a mouse.

Executing commands is far quicker, and the reaction times are far better in the PC version than in the Xbox One version. If you want to be the next Dream that does insane and near impossible-to-copy outplays, you better get your hands on a PC version because it’s just not physically possible on a console.

But why is that? Let’s compare the hardware used to play the games. With Minecraft for PCs, you move the camera with your mouse and use items in your hand and offhand by clicking the mouse. The keyboard holds everything you need to walk, spring, change camera angles, open your inventory, and more.

Everything is close by and comfortable to execute, whereas an Xbox One controller is far more limited in what you can press and do with it. If you’re not comfortable with the position of the keys, you can always change it up, whereas, with an Xbox One controller, you’re very limited with what you can change and where you can change it. The point goes to the PC version for this reason.

Minecaft PC 2 : 2 Minecraft Xbox One

Crossplay

Until 2015, people who played Minecraft on PC could only ever play with other Java Edition users, but that all changed since the release of Minecraft Windows 10 Edition, a Bedrock Edition of Minecraft for PCs. It was frustrating having so many friends play together on servers while you didn’t get the chance.

The only way Java Edition users could play with them was as if they went to a friend’s house and split screen. You could argue that since Bedrock Edition was a console exclusive and just got transferred to PCs, the Xbox One should get the point in this category, but let’s explain why that’s not the way to look at it this way.

I’m comparing Minecraft for PC and Minecraft for Xbox One. Since it isn’t specified whether that’s the Bedrock or the Java Edition, unfortunately for Bedrock Edition fans, the PC also takes the win in this category.

Minecraft PC 3: 2 Minecraft Xbox One

To conclude

I’m not saying Minecraft for PCs is the superior version; it all depends on what you want to gain from the game and what type of player you are. Even though the PC version won, I could make up a dozen categories where the Xbox One version would be the obvious winner.

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I’m a Java Edition player who gave Bedrock Edition a shot, but it just isn’t for me. I love the freedom the Java Edition offers in modding and don’t mind the occasional lag, even if I’m in a single-player world. However, I’ve never witnessed it. Whichever version you choose, you won’t be sorry since all information about them is just a few clicks away, making it easy to decide based on your preferences.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!

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Petra Pralica has been a content writer for over three years and is based in Zagreb, Croatia. She studied economics in high school and went to college to get her English language and literature degree but decided against proceeding with her studies after three years since an opportunity arose for her to work as a content writer full-time. Petra’s interests span wide, which is clear from her content writing history. She spent around a year and a half writing content about animals and animal products for Petovly, making sure to educate people about the responsibilities that come with pet ownership, especially when it comes to non-traditional pets like parrots, rats, and ferrets. Then she went on to write about all things related to kitchens. After that affair ended, she educated herself on advertising through social media and search engines. Still, she decided to postpone a career change for the future since she got the opportunity to write about another one of her passions: movies and series. She enjoys an occasional Hollywood blockbuster, but what matters most to her is if she can connect with the characters and how well the technical aspects of the movie or a show are executed. It’s all about how the movie or a show makes her feel. She was and still is a die-hard Doctor Who fangirl, and she can’t escape her love for the Star Wars movie franchise either. As of late, she’s been rewatching old Marvel and DC movies to better prepare for the upcoming movies being released. She isn’t all that into sci-fi, but if you put the fantasy genre in front of her where she can dream about alternate worlds for months to come, she’ll eat that right up and binge-watch it.
Petra is a technical writer that loves to mix facts with fiction through deep statistical analysis. It would seem like the two can’t mix and match, but she has found a way to give the readers the best of both worlds. She will vigorously analyze every piece of information available, connect the dots, and come up with her theory about anything that might have left readers wondering in the past. It’ll be hard to disprove her theories, but if you succeed, she’ll gladly take the loss and continue learning about all the universes she learned about through watching her favorite series and movies.

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