Join Minecraft servers on Xbox, PlayStation and Switch

Minecraft on Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch joins Mojang's featured servers out of the box, but it has no button for adding any other server. To reach the rest you use a workaround: the server's own Xbox friend account, a DNS change that turns a featured server button into a server list, or a phone or PC on your network that makes the server look like a LAN game.

All of these are third-party projects, not Mojang features. They can stop working after a console or game update, and every one of them needs your console's online subscription.

How we checked. On 18 October 2026 we went through each project's own documentation and noted its latest release, and on 19 October we checked them again. We have not yet run these methods on console hardware, and the table further down says exactly what is documented. We review this guide every quarter.

Servers you can reach from a console are on the crossplay list and the Bedrock list.

Why consoles have no Add Server button

Bedrock is the same game on every platform, and on Windows, phones and tablets the Servers tab has an Add server button (how that works). On consoles the same tab only lists Mojang's featured partners. Players have asked for the button for years. Mojang has never explained the gap in detail, but the Realms and servers section of its feedback site warns that some server features may be limited by platform-specific requirements and policies.

The workarounds use two doors consoles still leave open: the featured server buttons themselves, and games shared by friends or on your local network. A nerdy detail that explains a lot below: with the DNS method, your console is handed over to the real server and talks to it directly afterwards. The phone and PC methods relay every packet, which is why that phone or PC has to stay on the whole time you play.

What every method needs

1. An online subscription from the console maker. On Xbox that is Game Pass Essential or a higher Game Pass plan. On PlayStation it is PlayStation Plus, which Minecraft's store listing names as required for online play. On Switch it is Nintendo Switch Online.
2. A Microsoft account signed in inside Minecraft. It is free, and Minecraft asks for it before online play on PlayStation and Switch too.
3. The server's Bedrock address and port. Not the Java address. The port is usually 19132, the default, which 90 of the 136 listings with a Bedrock address use right now.
4. An account allowed to play online. Console parental controls and Microsoft family settings both have to allow multiplayer.
5. A server that really answers on Bedrock. Right now 59 of the 136 listings with a Bedrock address answer on it. Before you change any settings, test the address and port with our server status tool set to Bedrock, which pings it live.

Featured servers: no setup

Open Minecraft, press Play and go to the Servers tab. The servers there, such as The Hive, Lifeboat and Galaxite, are partners chosen by Mojang. They work on every console with the subscription and need nothing else. If minigames on a big network are what you want, you are done. The DNS method below borrows some of these buttons.

Joining through a friend with a helper app

Some Geyser servers run a helper called MCXboxBroadcast. It signs in an Xbox account of its own and shows the server as a game that "friend" is playing. You join it from your friends list like any other friend's game, and nothing on your console changes.

1. Find the gamertag the server publishes for this, usually on its website, Discord or listing description.
2. Add that gamertag as a friend, in Minecraft's own Friends tab or, on Xbox, through the console's friends list. On PlayStation and Switch, use the Add Friend option inside Minecraft, which works with Microsoft accounts.
3. Open the Friends tab in Minecraft and join the server's session. If it does not show up yet, restart the game.

It is the least intrusive method, but only servers that set it up offer it. The project's latest build is 159, released on 3 October 2026. BedrockConnect, the DNS project below, used to run public friend accounts that opened its server list this way, and its README says they are switched off until further notice.

Changing DNS to get a server list screen

BedrockConnect runs a DNS server that answers lookups for some featured servers with the address of its own server. When you press one of those featured servers, you land on a BedrockConnect menu where you can type any address and port and save it for later. When you pick a server, BedrockConnect transfers you to it. The project is free and open source, and its latest release, 1.71.0, is dated 15 September 2026.

The addresses as published in the project's README on 18 October 2026:

8.8.8.8 is Google Public DNS, a fallback for when the first address does not answer.

Write down your current DNS first

Before you change anything, open your console's network settings and take a photo of the DNS screen. On most home setups it says Automatic, and setting it back to Automatic is how you undo all of this.

Know what the change means. While a custom DNS server is set, every name your console looks up goes through it, not just Minecraft's. Whoever runs that DNS server can see which internet services your console talks to. Switch back to Automatic when you are done if that bothers you.

Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One

1. Open Settings, then General, then Network settings.
2. Choose Advanced settings, then DNS settings, then Manual.
3. Enter the primary DNS, then the secondary DNS.
4. Go back and let the console test the connection.

PS5

1. Open Settings, then Network, then Settings again.
2. Choose Set Up Internet Connection, highlight your connection, press the Options button and choose Advanced Settings.
3. Set DNS Settings to Manual, enter the primary and secondary DNS and select OK.

PS4

1. Open Settings, then Network, then Set Up Internet Connection.
2. Choose Wi-Fi or LAN cable, then Custom, then your network.
3. IP Address Settings: Automatic. DHCP Host Name: Do Not Specify.
4. DNS Settings: Manual. Enter the primary and secondary DNS and choose Next.
5. MTU Settings: Automatic. Proxy Server: Do Not Use. Then test the connection.

Nintendo Switch

1. Open System Settings, then Internet, then Internet Settings.
2. Select your network and choose Change Settings.
3. Scroll down to DNS Settings and set it to Manual.
4. The Primary DNS and Secondary DNS fields start out filled with zeros. Select each one, hold the B button to clear it, type the address and select OK.
5. Choose Save.

Nintendo's own DNS instructions cover the same steps for the Switch and the Switch 2. The only difference is the name of the network list: Registered Networks on the Switch, Saved Networks on the Switch 2.

Then open Minecraft, go to the Servers tab and join one of the featured servers the README lists as redirect-compatible: Mineville, Lifeboat, Enchanted, Galaxite or The Hive. The BedrockConnect menu opens instead of the featured server. Your saved servers live on the instance you used, so if you switch addresses you save them again.

How to check that a DNS address is genuine

Many pages print DNS numbers for Minecraft with no source at all. Treat any number as unknown until it passes these checks:

• Take it from the project's own page. The BedrockConnect README on GitHub is the source. Not a video description, a comment or a site that copies numbers without a link.
• Find it on that page. The README gives the main addresses in its setup steps and lists every community instance with its maintainer in a table. An address that appears in neither place is not part of the project, whatever a page claims.
• Ignore look-alike apps. The README says the project has no official app on the Apple or Google Play stores, and apps with the same name are not associated with it. On 18 October 2026 the US App Store still listed one such app from another developer, with paid premium features.
• Check that the project is alive. A recent release date on GitHub means someone is still keeping it working after game updates.
• Never type a password. No server list menu needs your Microsoft password or a sign-in code. If one asks, leave and set your DNS back to Automatic.

LAN broadcast from a phone or PC on your network

Consoles look for LAN games on your home network. A phone or PC on the same network can pretend to be one and relay everything between your console and the real server.

From a phone: BedrockTogether

BedrockTogether is an app for iPhone and Android by an independent developer.

1. Connect the phone and the console to the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Open the app, type the server's Bedrock address and port and tap Run.
3. On the console, open Minecraft and look for the server among the LAN games on the Worlds tab. Older versions showed them under Friends.
4. Join it, and keep the app open on the phone while you play.

Notes from its App Store listing, checked on 18 October 2026: version 26.50.2 (22 September 2026) names Xbox, PlayStation and Switch as compatible, and the version history shows a run of Switch connection fixes in July and August 2026. For a console that cannot see LAN games, the app offers a second route through the in-game friends list. Realms are not supported. The app is free with ads, removing them costs US$7.99 in the US store, and its list of partnered servers is promotion, not recommendation. On an iPhone, allow Local Network access when iOS asks.

From a PC: Phantom

Phantom is a small open source program for Windows, macOS and Linux that does the same from a computer. You download it from the project's releases page and run it from a terminal with the server's Bedrock address, for example phantom-windows.exe -server play.example.net:19132 on Windows. Allow it through your firewall when asked. The README recommends a wired connection on the PC.

The README lists Xbox One and PS4 as supported and Switch as not supported. Its latest release, 0.5.4, dates from December 2021. Because it only relays traffic it may still work, but treat it as unmaintained and expect to troubleshoot.

Which method for which console

"Documented" means the project's own page names that console as working, checked on 18 October 2026. "Not named" means the project describes the method without naming any console. None of the cells below is a hardware test by us yet.

Switch 2. Today the Switch 2 runs the Switch edition of Minecraft through backward compatibility. Mojang has announced a native Switch 2 edition for 27 October 2026. Nintendo documents the same DNS menus on both, but none of the projects above mentions the Switch 2 yet. Every Switch 2 cell stays not yet confirmed until the native edition is out and we have tried the methods on it.

Java servers on console (only through Geyser)

Every console edition of Minecraft is Bedrock Edition, so a Java server is reachable from a console only when it runs Geyser and publishes a Bedrock address and port. Every method above needs that address, the second field in a server's join panel on ServerList.

Once you are in, the Geyser details from the Bedrock guide apply: a dot or other prefix in front of your name, some menus shown as forms, and redstone that follows Java rules. Can Java and Bedrock players play together? explains the differences. These crossplay servers are playable and answering on Bedrock right now:

1. 

   BendersMC FOUR ELEMENTS MINECRAFT SERVER HTTPS://DISCORD.GG/BENDERSMC

   288/1200

   Up 100% in 30 days1,102 votes in 30 daysplay.bendersMC.co

2. 

   AugustaMC AugustaMC [1.21.10] 👑 Towny | ★ ADVENTURE AWAITѕ ★ | augustamc.com

   26/500

   Up 100% in 30 days952 votes in 30 dayssl.augustamc.com

3. 

   AllaySMP ALLAYSMP.PRO HALLOWEEN UPDATE OUT NOW

   49/1000

   Up 99.92% in 30 days768 votes in 30 daysallaysmp.pro

See every crossplay server

Measured 19 Oct 2026, 22:55 UTCHow we measure

Notes for parents

• Online play costs money on consoles and has its own controls. Each console has parental controls for online play and chat, and the Minecraft account has its own switches in Microsoft family settings. Both have to allow multiplayer.
• Featured servers are the managed option. They are partners chosen by Mojang. Every other server is run by an independent owner with their own rules and staff.
• The workarounds are third-party projects. The DNS method changes a setting for the whole console, and you can undo it by setting DNS back to Automatic. The phone app shows ads and promoted servers, and a promoted spot is not a safety check.
• What our list can and cannot tell you. We measure whether a server is real and running, its players, uptime and version, every minute. We cannot tell you how well its chat is moderated, so read its rules and see how it handles reports.
• No method needs a password. If anything asks your child for an account password or a sign-in code, it is a scam.

Minecraft servers and kids goes further, from account settings to picking a first server together. If a server will not connect after all this, Can't connect to a Minecraft server? covers the console messages too.