Compatibility reference
A device-by-device matrix, then the requirement behind every row. Written for people deciding what to buy for a mixed set of consoles, phones and PCs.
How to read this page
Compatibility questions go stale fast, and a lot of what circulates online is either out of date or platform-specific dressed up as universal. So each claim here is tagged, and the link next to it is where the claim came from. If a row is not tagged Verified, treat it as a prompt to check your own storefront rather than a promise.
One rule underpins the whole page. Bedrock and Java are separate games on separate multiplayer networks, and Mojang states plainly that Java and Bedrock players cannot play together. Nothing in the matrix below changes that — a device either runs Bedrock or it does not.
Source: Mojang, “Minecraft Java or Bedrock Edition”Page reviewed 28 August 2026
The matrix
Read this by row, not by column. Your device decides which features exist at all; the notes column tells you what else you have to arrange before the feature works. Device families are grouped because Mojang and the platform holders document them that way.
| Device family | Bedrock | Cross-play | Split-screen | Marketplace & add-ons | Vibrant Visuals | Notes and extra requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 / 11 PC | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | GPU-dependent | The only platform that can hold Java and Bedrock at once. Online play needs nothing but an internet connection. Vibrant Visuals needs a DirectX 12 capable GPU. |
| Xbox Series X and Series S | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Online play needs an eligible Xbox plan; Home Xbox sharing can cover other profiles. |
| Xbox One family | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Model-dependent | Community documentation reports Vibrant Visuals is available but off by default on the base One and One S. Paid Xbox online service normally required. |
| PlayStation 5 family | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Online play needs PlayStation Plus entitlement; console sharing can cover eligible profiles. PlayStation uses Tokens. |
| PlayStation 4 family | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Model-dependent | Community documentation reports Vibrant Visuals off by default on base PS4 and PS4 Slim. PlayStation Plus normally required for online play. |
| Nintendo Switch | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Nintendo Switch Online normally required for online play. Community documentation reports Vibrant Visuals is not supported on this console. |
| iPhone and iPad | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Chip-dependent | No console-style subscription needed. Community documentation reports Vibrant Visuals requires an A12 Bionic-class chip or newer. |
| Android phone and tablet | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | GPU-dependent | No console-style subscription needed. Test builds arrive as Google Play betas rather than a separate Preview app. |
| Chromebook | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Sold through Google Play. Mojang notes a discount if you already own the Android version. Community documentation reports Vibrant Visuals is not supported on ChromeOS. |
| Amazon Fire tablets | Reported yes | Reported yes | No | Partly | No | Community documentation reports Bedrock runs on recent Fire OS devices, that Marketplace Pass cannot be purchased on Fire even though content works if you subscribed elsewhere, and that Vibrant Visuals is unsupported. Verify on the Amazon listing before buying. |
| Mac and Linux | No | No | No | No | No | Java Edition only. There is no Bedrock build for macOS or Linux, so these machines cannot join a Bedrock world at all. |
The column people misread. “Cross-play: yes” describes what the edition permits, not what your account permits. A console with cross-play capability will still refuse to connect if the account’s online-safety permissions block multiplayer, if the platform subscription has lapsed, or if one player has updated the game and another has not. Those are the three checks in the multiplayer elimination checklist.
Cross-play is the reason most people choose Bedrock, and it is also where most setups fail. It is not a single switch. Four separate things must line up, and each one is owned by a different party — Mojang, the platform holder, the account holder, and the network.
One child on a Switch, one on an iPad, a parent on a Windows laptop. Can they share one world?
Yes — all three are Bedrock devices. Budget for one copy per device, a Microsoft account per player, and Nintendo Switch Online for the Switch player if they are joining online rather than sitting on the same sofa.
Same household, but one player only has a MacBook. Can they join?
No — not on Bedrock. The Mac can only run Java, which is a different multiplayer network. The honest options are a second device that runs Bedrock, or moving the whole group to Java and giving up console players.
These options differ in who hosts, who pays, how many people fit, and whether the world remains available while the owner is offline. Compare those constraints before subscribing.
| Option | Who hosts | Group size | Runs when you are offline | Recurring cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Split-screen | One console, one screen | Up to 4 reported | No | None beyond the console | Siblings or friends in the same room. Cheapest option because the console’s single copy is shared. |
| Local network | A player’s own device | Small | No | None | Several devices on one home network. Host must keep the world open. |
| Invite to my world | A player’s own device, over the internet | Small | No | Console online service | Occasional sessions where everyone plays at the same time as the host. |
| Realms Plus | Mojang | Owner + 10 others | Yes | Subscription | A persistent group world where members can play without the owner present. |
A Realm has a member list and a separate concurrent cap. The current official comparison lists the owner plus 2 other simultaneous players on Bedrock Realms and the owner plus 10 on Realms Plus. Inviting more members does not raise the simultaneous-player limit.
Nothing on this page states a price. Subscription pricing varies by region and platform and changes over time, so the only number worth acting on is the one your own store shows you.
A curated list of partner-run servers reachable from the Bedrock main menu, with no IP address to type and nothing to download. Mojang notes they require a Microsoft account to join, and that Java instead reaches a wide range of third-party servers.
They are not Mojang-moderated private spaces. Each operator sets its own rules, chat handling and optional purchases. Community documentation also reports that split-screen players cannot use featured servers, which surprises households that play on one console.
Older guides frame Bedrock’s visuals around RTX ray tracing on Windows. That framing is out of date. Bedrock now has a modern rendering path that reaches consoles and capable phones, which changes the answer to “will it look good on my device?”
Mojang confirms the feature and that presets differ by device, but the device-by-device breakdown below comes from community documentation. Treat it as a shortlist to check on your own hardware, not a specification.
Windows PCs with a DirectX 12 capable GPU; Xbox Series X and Series S; Xbox One family with the base models off by default; PlayStation 5 family; PlayStation 4 family with base models off by default; iPhone and iPad from the A12 Bionic generation onward; Android devices from roughly the Adreno 640 and Mali-G68/G77 generation onward.
User-reported minecraft.wikiChromeOS devices, Amazon Fire tablets, and the original Nintendo Switch. If a device in your household is on this list, do not choose it because of the new lighting — the game still runs, it simply renders the standard way.
User-reported minecraft.wikiNintendo’s own announcement notes Vibrant Visuals is not available in some gameplay including split-screen and certain Marketplace content. So a console household that plays mostly on one shared screen will see less of this feature than the marketing suggests.
Verified NintendoNintendo has announced a Nintendo Switch 2 version for 27 October, with Vibrant Visuals as the default visual experience and a digital upgrade path for existing Switch owners, with more details still to follow. As of 28 August 2026 this has not released, so it should not factor into a purchase you make today.
Nintendo announcement
The Marketplace is Bedrock’s in-game store for worlds, adventure maps, skins, texture packs and add-ons. It has no Java equivalent — Mojang points Java players to third-party content instead. For a parent or a group organiser, the important part is not the catalogue but the payment model, because it has three separate layers.
Mojang states that a Realms Plus subscription includes Marketplace Pass, that the content catalogue is the same for both, and that the difference is Realms Plus adding a personal server for a small group. Critically, Mojang also states that active Realms Plus subscribers cannot subscribe to Marketplace Pass, and advises unsubscribing from Marketplace Pass first if you want to move to Realms Plus.
The practical reading: if you want both a private world and the content catalogue, you want Realms Plus alone — not both subscriptions. Paying for both is not possible, and paying for Marketplace Pass then adding Realms Plus is the wrong order.
Verified Mojang, Marketplace PassContent reached through a subscription catalogue depends on that subscription staying active and on the item staying in the catalogue. Items bought outright with Minecoins behave differently. If a child has built a long-running world using subscription content, understand that dependency before you cancel.
User-reported Exactly what persists after cancellation, and for how long, is documented by the community rather than clearly stated on the product page: minecraft.wiki. Treat this as a question to confirm with the store you subscribed through.Community documentation reports that Minecoins appear under a different name on PlayStation and are sold separately there, that Marketplace Pass cannot be purchased on Amazon Fire even though its content works if you subscribed elsewhere, and that the introductory trial is limited to once per account with at least one platform excluded.
User-reported minecraft.wiki · Variable Confirm on your own storefront.
Add-ons are behaviour packs and resource packs: they change how blocks, mobs, recipes and world rules look and behave, within a framework Mojang controls. Microsoft publishes creator documentation for building them, including a scripting layer.
What they are not is a replacement for Java’s code-level mod ecosystem. If someone specifically wants large modpacks or loaders, that requirement points at Java, and Bedrock add-ons will not provide the same loader ecosystem.
Input method is an underrated part of the buying decision, especially for a first-time or younger player. Bedrock supports controller and touch natively, which is a genuine advantage over Java for console and mobile households.
The default on every console. Generally the gentlest entry point for a player who has never used keyboard-and-mouse, and the only practical way to run split-screen since each player needs their own controller.
Native on phones and tablets. Convenient and portable, but fiddly for precision building. A tablet is a fine way to try the game and a frustrating way to do detailed work.
Most precise for building, inventory work and redstone. Available on Windows, and Microsoft’s store capability tags have long listed console keyboard-and-mouse support as well — check your own console’s listing rather than assuming.
Age ratings. Minecraft carries different ratings from different regional boards, so there is no single correct number to quote. The rating that applies to you is the one printed on your own platform’s store listing; the ESRB’s public search is the authoritative place to check the North American rating.
Variable ESRB rating search · parental controls are covered on the setup pageMost sites list features. Knowing the ceiling matters more when you are choosing a platform, because these are the limits people discover after they have already paid. None of these are defects — they are design boundaries.
There is no official route. Mojang states the two editions use different servers and their players cannot play together. Any workaround you read about is unofficial and outside what this reference will recommend.
Verified MojangMojang states Bedrock plays only the latest stable version or a preview/beta build, while Java can launch any past release. If you rely on a specific older build, Bedrock is the wrong edition.
Verified MojangNo Bedrock build exists for macOS or Linux. This is the single most expensive assumption a buyer can make, because it is only discovered after the rest of the group is already on Bedrock.
Verified MojangRealms Plus allows the owner plus 10 other simultaneous players, while standard Bedrock Realms allows the owner plus 2. Groups that need more concurrent players require a different hosting approach.
Verified Mojang · self-hosting: official Bedrock dedicated serverAdd-ons operate inside Mojang’s framework. Java mod loaders and their content do not apply to Bedrock, and Bedrock behaviour packs do not run in Java.
Verified MojangSplit-screen exists only on consoles, and community documentation reports it does not work with featured servers and disables the newer graphics mode. Plan a couch-play household around those limits.
Verified console-only: Mojang · User-reported minecraft.wikiDo not take our word for it
Compatibility facts drift. Rather than trusting a table’s review date, here is how to check the four things most likely to have changed since this page was written.
Where community reports fit. This page uses player and wiki reports only to decide what to ask about — never as the answer. When a claim is tagged User-reported it means we found it documented by the community but not stated by the publisher, and you should confirm it before relying on it. Our full method is on the sources and trust page.
Page reviewed 28 August 2026
The Download page lists Minecraft Bedrock for each platform, what each download includes, and how many copies a household actually needs.
