Minecraft Realms coming to pocket edition and Windows 10 edition of Minecraft

Hi everyone,

We get lots of requests here at Mojang. And, though we don’t share your love of toilets and guns, we do agree that Minecraft Realms is a great thing that should be spread across the world, and to all editions of Minecraft.

For that reason, I’m happy to announce that we’re working on Realms for Minecraft: Pocket Edition and the Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta.

What is Minecraft Realms?

Minecraft Realms is the easiest way to play Minecraft together with your friends and family. Realms worlds are always online and can only be accessed by an approved group of people. Though it’s nice to have some alone time, there’s something really special about creating and adventuring as a group. Realms makes that really easy to do.

Can I play with people on other platforms?

Yes! Minecraft Realms will support cross-platform play between the iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Windows 10 editions of Minecraft. We’re using Xbox Live logins to make that possible. If you don’t already have one, don’t worry, they’re quick to create and free! Minecrafters have been playing Minecraft via Xbox Live since we released Xbox 360 Edition back in 2012, and it supports multiple platforms, so it made sense for us to use it for Realms. Also: now that we’re part of Microsoft, we have easy access to the fancy back-end systems and Xbox Live technology, so it was kind-of a no-brainer.

Will Realms cost money to use?

Yes - we have to keep the servers running 24/7, so Minecraft Realms is a paid service. We’re not ready to share our pricing plan quite yet. You won’t need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to use the service.

When can I get my hands on this thing?

Though Minecraft Realms isn’t out officially for a little while, we’ve just launched a free alpha for Android devices. If you’d like to help us test out an early build, have an Android device, and a copy of Minecraft: Pocket Edition purchased from the Google Play store, opt in here. It’s worth pointing out that though you’ll need an Xbox Live account to partake in the Alpha, in the future, it’ll only be required for online play - you won’t need one for single player Pocket Edition.

Have a great day!