Updated 23 October 2026. Facts on this page come from minecraft.wiki, minecraft.net and the live Artemis PvP server; sources are listed at the bottom.
LAN Worlds: How to Play Minecraft With Friends
There are four ways to play Minecraft with friends: open your world to LAN for people on the same network, invite friends through the Xbox network on Bedrock, rent a Realm, or join a server. On Java you open a world to LAN from the pause menu or with /publish; on Bedrock, multiplayer is on by default and friends join from the Worlds tab.
How do you open a world to LAN on Java?
- Load your singleplayer world and press Escape.
- Click Open to LAN, pick the extra LAN settings, and start the LAN world.
/publishdoes the same. - Players on the same Wi-Fi or router see it appear in their Multiplayer list automatically: the host announces the world every 1.5 seconds.
- Close it again from the same menu or with
/unpublish.
The Java friends-list Peer-to-Peer invites were removed in the full release of 26.2, and minecraft.wiki says they are planned to return later.
How does multiplayer work on Bedrock?
- Signed in with a Microsoft account, friends join your world from the Worlds tab, the social drawer or an Invite to play notification.
- Visible to LAN players lets anyone on your network join without the internet or being your Xbox friend.
- Joining players get the Member role; you can switch them to Visitor or Operator, or set finer permissions.
- Worlds hold 5 or 8 players depending on the host's device, up to 40 with
/setmaxplayers. - On consoles, both online play and LAN need Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus or Nintendo Switch Online.
LAN, Realm or server: which should you use?
| Option | Who can join | Always online? |
|---|---|---|
| LAN world | People on the same local network | Only while the host plays |
| Bedrock friend invites | Xbox network friends | Only while the host plays |
| Realms | Players the owner invites (paid subscription) | Yes |
| Servers | Anyone with the address, from the server list | Yes |
See Realms and making a server.
What is different from singleplayer?
Multiplayer games cannot be paused: furnaces keep smelting and mobs keep attacking while your menu is open (Java operators can use /tick freeze). The locator bar tracks other players. On Java, hold Tab to see the player list with ping bars; on Bedrock the social drawer shows it. See controls.
Is there a server you and your friends can all join?
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Minecraft with friends on Java?
Open your world to LAN from the pause menu, or join a server or Realm together.
How many players can join a Bedrock world?
5 or 8 depending on the host's device, up to 40 with /setmaxplayers.
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against these pages; the wording is ours.