Can you play Minecraft Dungeons on mobile?

Too much for phones - or is it?

Minecraft Dungeons has ended up being the perfect sibling for Minecraft by providing excellent casual gameplay that shines brightest when enjoyed with friends. One major difference between Minecraft and Minecraft Dungeons is its availability on mobile devices, however. While Minecraft's unassuming graphics and flexible engine can conform to even low-powered mobile hardware with ease, Minecraft Dungeons' updated visuals and huge number of potential on-screen mobs don't translate well to our in-pocket computers.

It's a shame, too, as Minecraft Dungeons' gameplay would be a perfect fit for mobile devices, when ideal latency and complicated movement controls aren't necessary. Combine Minecraft Dungeons with cross-play capability and mobile support, and it could be an incredible game to play throughout the day when you're out and about. It's not meant to be, though, as Minecraft Dungeons is too much for phones. At least, it was.

The power of the cloud

Microsoft is bringing the power of Xbox consoles to mobile devices with Xbox Cloud Gaming (Project xCloud). With Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can stream a vast collection of Xbox games straight to their Android device, with new Xbox Game Pass games all the time. While this works great with some of the Best Xbox Cloud Gaming Accessories, it can be an awkward setup having to carry around an Xbox controller and some kind of mount.

Fortunately, Microsoft is working to solve that problem, too. Many Xbox Cloud Gaming titles have full touch controls, which means they can be played entirely on your phone! These touch controls are customized per-game and allow players to cater them to their own needs and preferences as well. Minecraft Dungeons was the first game to add touch controls through Xbox Cloud Gaming, and it's an innovative solution. We went hands-on with Minecraft Dungeons and Xbox Cloud Gaming and found that "the result was surprising, pleasant, and shows a future where you can not only bring your entire console on the go with you, but you may be able to leave the controller behind."

Because of this combination, Minecraft Dungeons has dominated our list of Best Games on Xbox Cloud Gaming for months and shows no signs of stepping down. If you have an Android phone or tablet (iOS and Windows support is coming soon through the web), you can play Minecraft Dungeons anywhere you have a decent internet connection just through Xbox Cloud Gaming and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

Minecraft Dungeons also has cross-play support, so you can play with any of your friends even while you're on the go. Minecraft Dungeons doesn't have cross-save support across platforms, yet, but it will sync all of your information if you usually play Minecraft Dungeons on Xbox. Finally, you can even access all of Minecraft Dungeons' expansions and DLC through Xbox Cloud Gaming, if you purchase them through Xbox.

While this method does require that you're subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (which remains one of the best values in gaming), it does bring Minecraft Dungeons in its entirety to your phone, even without a controller.