Can Java and Bedrock players play together?

Yes. Java and Bedrock players can play together on a Java server that runs Geyser, a free translator that lets Bedrock clients connect, and most of the players on our list are on servers that do exactly that. What does not cross editions is Mojang's own ways of playing together: Realms, LAN games and friends' worlds stay inside one edition.

The short answer

• On public servers: yes, often. Look for a listing with a Bedrock address and port. Right now 50 servers on our list answer on both editions, with 3,678 players online. They are all on the crossplay list.
• On Realms and friends' worlds: no. A Java Realm only takes Java players, and a Bedrock Realm only takes Bedrock players.
• On your own server: yes, if you set it up. That is the owner's side, covered in our Geyser setup guide.

Crossplay is not a niche feature anymore. Over the last 30 days, 56% of the servers on our list that were playable at least once also answered our Bedrock ping, and those servers hold 88% of the players we count. As of 18 October 2026, that was 74 of 133 servers, and about 87% of players over the week to 17 October. Big servers nearly all take Bedrock players, small ones often do not: that week, 9 of the 10 busiest servers answered on Bedrock, against 27 of the 61 that averaged fewer than five players.

• Java onlyNo Bedrock address on the listing367% of players
• Bedrock answersPublishes a Bedrock address that answered our Bedrock ping7290% of players
• Bedrock silentPublishes a Bedrock address that never answered213% of players

Of 129 servers that were playable, 72 also answered on Bedrock and 21 publish a Bedrock address that never answered.

Measured 19 Oct 2026, 22:55 UTCHow we measure

How crossplay servers work

Java and Bedrock are two separate games that happen to look alike, written in different programming languages and speaking different network protocols. Crossplay servers bridge the gap with two free, open-source projects from GeyserMC:

• Geyser translates. It accepts Bedrock connections on a port of its own, usually 19132, and converts everything in both directions, so the Java server sees an ordinary player.
• Floodgate handles accounts. A Java server normally checks that every player owns Java Edition. Floodgate lets Bedrock players in with their Microsoft account instead, so they do not need to buy Java.

The important consequence: the server still runs Java's rules. A Bedrock player on a Geyser server plays the Java game through a Bedrock window, which explains almost every difference below.

It only works in one direction. There is no widely used tool that lets Java players into a server running Bedrock's own server software, so in practice "crossplay" means a Java server with Geyser.

A detail that confuses people: some crossplay servers use their Java port, often 25565, for Bedrock as well. That worked because Java connects over TCP and Bedrock connected over UDP, so the two could share a number on hosts that hand out only one port. Bedrock 26.60, planned for 27 October 2026, switches to a new connection method that also needs TCP, so these servers have to give Bedrock a port of its own or send players through an outside service with a different address. If a saved server stops working after that update, copy the Bedrock address and port from the listing again.

How to spot a crossplay server on a list

1. A Bedrock address and a port, listed separately. Bedrock has its own port box and cannot look up a hidden port the way Java can, so a real crossplay listing gives you both. Of the 136 listings on our site with a Bedrock address, 90 use the default 19132 and 46 use something else (18 October 2026). Copy the port, do not assume it.
2. Proof that it answers. A crossplay label is a claim. We send a Bedrock ping to every listed Bedrock port every minute and show the result on the listing. Over the last 30 days, 21 of the 93 listings with a Bedrock address that were playable on Java never answered a single Bedrock ping (20 of 94 as of 18 October 2026). Their owners probably have no idea, because the Java side works fine.
3. The right list. Our crossplay list only includes servers where both editions answered. The Bedrock list also includes servers built purely for Bedrock, which Java players cannot join. Java players looking for everything else can start from the Java list.

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See every crossplay server

Measured 19 Oct 2026, 22:55 UTCHow we measure

Adding a server on a phone, tablet or Windows is covered in joining on Bedrock and mobile, consoles in our console guide.

What is different when you join from Bedrock

Names with a prefix

Floodgate puts a prefix in front of Bedrock names so they cannot clash with a Java player of the same name. The default is a dot, so the gamertag Steve123 becomes .Steve123. Spaces in gamertags turn into underscores, and because Java names can be at most 16 characters long, a long gamertag plus the prefix can get cut short. Owners can change the prefix, and some use a star instead.

Use your name exactly as the server shows it in chat and the player list: for /msg, /tpa, whitelist applications and votes. On serverlist.net, 6% of the votes in the last 30 days were cast for prefixed Bedrock names (931 of 15,477, or about 6%, as of 18 October 2026). How server voting works explains how to enter yours.

If you own both editions, you can link them. Join link.geysermc.org with both accounts (Java on port 25565, Bedrock on 19132), type /linkaccount on one of them and enter the code it gives you on the other. On servers that use this global linking, you then play as your Java account from either device, with the same inventory and position. Move your items to the Java account first, because your Bedrock progress on those servers is out of reach while the accounts are linked.

Menus that become forms

Java servers love chest menus: a chest window full of items you click to teleport, buy or pick a kit, often with different actions for left click, right click and shift-click. Bedrock cannot tell a left click from a right click inside inventories, so a menu that depends on the difference may not fully work. Well-run crossplay servers show Bedrock players a form instead, a native pop-up window with buttons. If a menu only reacts to right click, ask staff whether there is a command that does the same thing.

Clickable links in chat do not work on Bedrock either, so if a server says "click here to join our Discord", ask for the link as plain text. Geyser also adds a few commands for things Bedrock's screens lack, if the server allows them: /geyser offhand moves the held item to your offhand, and /geyser advancements and /geyser statistics open the Java screens of the same name.

Combat and redstone differences

Combat follows Java rules. Since Java 1.9, every weapon has an attack cooldown, and spam-clicking only lands weak hits. Bedrock has no cooldown of its own, so Geyser draws an indicator on screen, at the crosshair unless the server changed it. Wait for it to fill before you swing. Servers that run old-style 1.8 combat have no cooldown at all, which suits Bedrock players well.

Touch controls on a phone are a real handicap in PvP against mouse players, so pick your fights or use a controller. And anti-cheat plugins built for Java clients sometimes misread Bedrock movement. If you get kicked for flying or speed while walking normally, tell staff you are on Bedrock, since most crossplay servers have an exemption for exactly this.

Redstone follows Java rules too. Java pistons cannot push chests or furnaces, while Bedrock pistons can, and Java has quasi-connectivity, the quirk that lets pistons and dispensers be powered from the block above them. Mob spawning follows Java's rules as well, so look up the Java version of any farm before you build it.

Skins and capes

Java players see your Bedrock skin, because Floodgate converts it and uploads it to Mojang's skin servers. On a busy day there is a queue, so it can take a while after you join. You see Java players' skins as usual. Capes do not cross over: Java capes can only come from Mojang, so a cape you wear on Bedrock does not show for Java players.

Custom items are the other visual gap. Java resource packs do not load on Bedrock, so unless the server also offers a Bedrock pack, custom swords and hats can look like plain vanilla items on your screen.

Realms and friends' worlds do not cross editions

Realms is Mojang's own server service, and it is split by edition. A Java Realm takes Java players on Windows, macOS and Linux, and a Bedrock Realm takes Bedrock players on any Bedrock device, consoles included. Friends' worlds and LAN games stay inside their edition too.

For a family or a friend group split across editions, that leaves three options:

• A public crossplay server. No setup, and a Bedrock friend can join from a phone or a console.
• Your own Java server with Geyser and Floodgate. The most control, and some work. Our Geyser setup guide walks through it.
• Everyone on Bedrock. Bedrock already plays across phones, tablets, Windows and consoles, so a Bedrock Realm works for a group with no Java players.

If you are buying for a PC, Minecraft for PC is sold as "Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition", one purchase that includes both editions. A child on that PC can play Java with Java friends and Bedrock with console friends.

Which modes are most often crossplay

Mode	Playable in 30 days	With Bedrock
SMP	80	73%
PvP	66	63%
Survival	49	76%
LifeSteal	23	77%
Towny	7	83%
RPG	8	80%
Raiding	9	85%
Anarchy	21	66%
PvE	19	81%
Skyblock	8	60%
Factions	7	50%
OneBlock	5	78%
Prison	5	89%
KitPvP	7	50%
Vanilla	16	73%
Creative	7	67%
Bedwars	7	73%
Earth	4	100%
BoxPvP	4	86%
Gens	2	100%
Mini Games	14	45%
Skywars	3	75%
Modded	6	50%
Cobblemon	2	67%

A server tagged with three modes counts in all three, so the rows overlap and do not add up to the network total.

Measured 19 Oct 2026, 22:55 UTCHow we measure

Crossplay is most common on survival-style servers and least common on minigame networks. The live table shows, for each mode, the share of listings that publish a Bedrock address. The snapshot below is stricter: it counts the listings in each mode that were playable at least once in the 30 days to 17 October 2026, and how many of them also answered our Bedrock ping.

Small modes swing a lot from month to month: 8 of the 9 playable raiding servers answered on Bedrock, and 6 of the 8 Towny servers. Modded servers are a special case. A server that needs client mods cannot work for Bedrock players at all, because Bedrock cannot load Java mods, so check the listing before you try.

FAQ

Can console players join Java servers?

Yes, if the Java server runs Geyser, because Xbox, PlayStation and Switch all run Bedrock. The catch is getting there: consoles show only a short list of featured servers and have no Add Server button, so console players need a workaround. Our console guide lists the methods that work on each console.

Do Bedrock players need a Java account?

Not on servers that run Floodgate, and most public crossplay servers do. You need a free Microsoft account and, on consoles, usually the console's online subscription. If a server answers with "The Java Edition server you're connecting to requires a paid Java Edition account!", it runs Geyser without Floodgate, and only the owner can change that.

Is crossplay safe for kids?

Crossplay itself adds no risk. A Bedrock player on a Java server meets the same people and the same chat as everyone else there. What matters is the server, with its rules, staff and chat filter, and the account settings on your child's device. Our guide for parents covers both.