What you need to know
- Minecraft developer Mojang Studios has announced that it's bringing Minecraft: Bedrock Edition to Chromebook.
- The Chromebook version of the game will feature cross-platform play, access to the Minecraft Marketplace, and support for playing on Realms.
- The early access version of the Chromebook edition of Minecraft is releasing today for anyone with a Chromebook that meets the game's minimum requirements. The full version that all Chromebook users can play will come at a later date.
- Both the early access version and full version of Minecraft on Chromebook will be distributed on the Google Play Store.
Minecraft, one of the best-selling and most popular video games in the world, is coming to Chromebooks. Its developer, Mojang Studios, has officially announced the game's arrival on the new platform in a blog post, noting that the new version will be a variant of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition and that it will launch first in early access before becoming available to everyone.
Like the Xbox and Windows PC versions of Bedrock Edition, Minecraft on Chromebook will feature full cross-platform play support, access to the Minecraft Marketplace where both official and community creations can be purchased, and the ability to connect to private always-online Minecraft Realm servers with friends. Something important to know, though, is that existing worlds will not transfer to the Chromebook version from other Minecraft platforms or the trial version of the game.
Notably, Mojang is making the early access version of Minecraft on Chromebook available today on the Google Play Store for anyone using a Chromebook that meets the minimum requirements listed below. Recommended specs include the Android 9 “Pie” OS and a Intel N4500, Mediatek MT8173, or Rockchip RK3288 CPU, but these aren't required to install the early access version. Make sure to read through the official Minecraft Chromebook Early Access FAQ for full details.
- CPU: 4 cores
- RAM: 4GB
- Architecture: X86-64 or ARM64
- Operating System: ChromeOS 111
Mojang has confirmed that the full version of Minecraft on Chromebook will include the upcoming Trails & Tails update once it releases. However, it sounds like the early access version will not get the update, so Chromebook players will have to be patient until the complete version of the game launches. The developers don't have an official release date for the full version yet, but hopefully one is coming soon.
Minecraft for Chromebook will be available within the $20 Minecraft for Chromebook + Android Bundle on the Google Play Store. This bundle includes both the Chromebook and Android versions of the game. Alternatively, if you've bought the Android version for $7.49, you can upgrade it to include the Chromebook edition for $12.50.
The developers say that some bugs with this new version of Minecraft are expected, and that players can help Mojang squash them by reporting them. This can be done with Mojang's official bug reporting tools, or by writing a bug report on the official Minecraft Discord server.
