Minecraft Multiplayer Guide — Servers, Realms, and Co-op Play

Ways to Play Multiplayer

Minecraft Realms

• Official paid service (~$8/month)
• Easy setup, always online
• Up to 10 players
• Best for: Friends group, reliable and simple

Local Network (LAN)

• Open to LAN from pause menu
• Free, instant
• Works on same WiFi only
• Best for: Same-house play

Public Servers

• Free to join
• Thousands of servers available
• Game modes: Survival, Skyblock, Prison, PvP, Creative
• Best for: Large communities, minigames

Self-Hosted Server

• Free (Java Edition)
• Download server software from minecraft.net
• Requires port forwarding or service like ngrok
• Best for: Control freaks and modded play

Popular Server Types

Server Type	Description
Survival	Standard survival, often with economy
Skyblock	Start on a tiny island, expand resources
Prison	Mine blocks to earn money, buy upgrades
Factions	Team-based territory control
Creative	Build freely with unlimited resources
Minigames	Bed Wars, Sky Wars, Hunger Games

Finding Servers

• Bedrock: In-game server browser
• Java: minecraft-server-list.com, minecraftservers.org, Hypixel (most popular)

Multiplayer Etiquette

• Don't grief (destroy others' builds) — punishable by permanent ban
• Ask before using others' farms
• Communicate before big projects
• Share resources with newer players

Multiplayer Tips

• Play on servers geographically close to you (lower ping)
• Use a reliable internet connection
• Java Edition has more server options than Bedrock

Related Guides

• Beginner Guide
• Java vs Bedrock Guide
• Command Guide