How much does Minecraft cost on every platform

Last checked: October 15, 2026

Minecraft costs $29.99 on PC, $19.99 on PlayStation and Xbox, $29.99 on Nintendo Switch and $6.99 on iOS and Android. It is also included in PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate at no extra charge. All figures below are US list prices as of October 2026.

Minecraft price by platform

The base game is a one-time purchase on every platform. There is no subscription needed to play alone or with friends on a shared network. You only pay a recurring fee if you choose Realms, Marketplace Pass or Game Pass, which are covered further down.

A few things in that table need unpacking, because the question “how much does Minecraft cost” has a different answer depending on which version you actually need.

The PC bundle covers two games

Since June 2022, the $29.99 PC purchase includes both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition. You get one Minecraft Launcher and can switch between them. Before that date, each edition was sold separately. If you bought either one before the merge, your Microsoft account was granted the other edition for free, so check the launcher before buying again.

Java is the original version, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and supports community mods and third-party servers. Bedrock is the version shared with consoles and mobile, and it is the one you need for cross-platform gaming with Switch, PlayStation or Xbox friends. The Mac and Linux prices in the table are for Java only, since Bedrock does not run on those systems.

Console prices are lower, except on Switch

PlayStation and Xbox list Minecraft at $19.99. Both are the Bedrock Edition with full access to the Marketplace and online play. The PS5 native version released in November 2024 and is a free upgrade for PS4 owners.

Nintendo Switch is the outlier at $29.99. Nintendo first-party and major third-party prices on the eShop tend to hold their launch value, and Minecraft has sat at $29.99 since the unified Bedrock version arrived on Switch in 2018. There is also a physical Switch cartridge sold at the same list price through retailers, and that is the only platform where a boxed copy is still common.

Online multiplayer on consoles needs the platform’s own subscription: PlayStation Plus, Xbox Game Pass Core (now branded Game Pass Essential) or Nintendo Switch Online. Those are separate costs from Minecraft itself and only matter if you want to join servers or Realms from a console.

Mobile is the cheapest way in

At $6.99, the iOS and Android version is the same Bedrock Edition as the console and Windows versions. It supports touch controls, Bluetooth controllers and keyboard input on tablets. Worlds built on a phone can be opened on any other Bedrock device if you upload them to a Realm, and you can join friends on console or PC with the same Microsoft account.

The Chromebook version is a separate Google Play listing at $19.99, not the $6.99 phone app. It targets the larger screen and keyboard-and-mouse play that Chromebooks use in classrooms.

Minecraft subscriptions and what they add

None of these are required. They exist for people who want hosted servers, a rotating library of Marketplace content, or who already pay for Game Pass and want to skip buying the game outright.

The Game Pass figures reflect Microsoft’s October 2025 price change, which raised Ultimate from $19.99 to $29.99 and PC Game Pass from $11.99 to $16.49. Microsoft also renamed the tiers at that time: Core became Essential and Standard became Premium. Minecraft sits in the PC Game Pass and Ultimate libraries. If you plan to play on Xbox through a cheaper tier, check the current library list in the Xbox app before subscribing, because tier contents have shifted more than once.

Is Game Pass cheaper than buying Minecraft?

Not for most people. Two months of PC Game Pass costs $32.98, more than the $29.99 one-time PC price. Ultimate passes the console price in a single month. Game Pass only wins if you were already going to pay for it for other games, in which case Minecraft is effectively free for as long as you keep subscribing. The catch is that your access ends with the subscription. Buying the game outright is permanent.

Realms vs a free server

Realms is a convenience product. The $7.99 covers hosting, backups and a server that stays up when your console or PC is off. You can run a Minecraft server for free on Java by hosting it yourself on a spare machine, or by using a free tier from a third-party host, but the free routes require port forwarding or the host’s limits on uptime and player slots. For a group of friends on mixed devices, Realms Plus is the only official option that works across Bedrock on console, mobile and PC without extra setup.

Free ways to play Minecraft

Minecraft has no free-to-play version of the full game. There are three official free options, each with real limits.

The Java demo is the most useful of the three because it reflects what you are actually buying. Download the Minecraft Launcher, sign in with a Microsoft account, and the demo appears without payment. The 100-minute cap is on the world, not the account, so when it runs out you can start a new demo world and keep testing.

The Android trial is a good way to check whether your phone can run Bedrock at an acceptable frame rate before spending $6.99. It is not available on iOS.

Minecraft Education Edition is a separate product licensed per seat to schools rather than sold to individuals. Microsoft lists it at $5.99 per user per year through academic licensing, and students normally access it with a school-issued Microsoft 365 account. It is not a free route to the main game, and worlds do not transfer to Java or Bedrock.

Minecraft sales: how often does the price drop?

The PC version sold through Minecraft.net almost never goes on sale. Mojang has kept the Java price stable for years, and the merged Java and Bedrock bundle has held at $29.99 since it launched. If you are waiting for a PC discount, the realistic path is the Microsoft Store, which occasionally lists the bundle at 20 to 25 percent off during Xbox-wide sale events.

Console stores are where discounts actually happen:

• PlayStation Store regularly cuts Minecraft to $9.99 or $11.99 during its larger seasonal sales, usually a 40 to 50 percent reduction.
• Microsoft Store on Xbox typically runs 25 to 35 percent off during Spring, Summer and Black Friday sales.
• Nintendo eShop discounts are rarer and shallower, with $19.99 being a common sale price on the $29.99 Switch version.
• Mobile stores have dropped the app as low as $3.49 during holiday promotions, though this is uncommon.

Game Pass is the other sale mechanism. Microsoft runs introductory offers on PC Game Pass several times a year, sometimes at $1 for the first month. That gets you Java and Bedrock on PC for a month at almost no cost, which is cheaper than any one-off purchase if you only want a short trial.

The Deluxe Collection is worth a quick calculation if you plan to use the Marketplace. At $39.99 it is $10 more than the standard PC version and includes approximately 1,600 Minecoins, which sell separately for roughly $9.99, plus a bundle of skin packs, texture packs and worlds. If you would buy Minecoins anyway, the Deluxe price is close to break-even. If you only want vanilla survival, it is $10 wasted.

Minecoins and Marketplace add-ons

Beyond the base price, Bedrock players can spend money in the in-game Marketplace. Content is priced in Minecoins, a currency you buy in packs with real money. The packs are the same across console, mobile and Windows.

Individual Marketplace items range from around 160 Minecoins for a single skin pack to 1,340 Minecoins for a large adventure map or mash-up pack. Add-ons, the official modding format for Bedrock, launched on the Marketplace in 2024 and sit in the same price bands. Since the 1,720 pack is the best value under $10, a $9.99 purchase covers one premium world or several cosmetic packs.

Minecoins are tied to your Microsoft account, not your device, so a balance bought on Xbox is spendable on your phone. The exception is Nintendo Switch, where Minecoins purchased through the eShop are Nintendo-specific and cannot be spent on other platforms. Buying through Xbox or Windows avoids that lock.

Java Edition has no Marketplace and no Minecoins. Mods, resource packs and community servers are free, which is one reason the Java and Bedrock question matters so much for PC buyers.

What the Minecraft price gets you, platform by platform

Price alone does not tell you which version to pick. The editions differ in content access and in who you can play with.

• Java (PC, Mac, Linux): Full mod support through community tools, unlimited free servers, no Marketplace. Multiplayer is Java-to-Java only.
• Bedrock (Windows, console, mobile, Chromebook): Crossplay between every Bedrock platform, Marketplace access, official add-ons. Multiplayer with Java players is not possible without a third-party server plugin.

Both editions receive the same major updates on the same day, so neither is behind on gameplay features. Storage differs though. If disk space matters, the answer to how many GB is Minecraft on your platform is covered on its own page, since the Java install grows with mods while Bedrock stays comparatively small.

Age rating is identical across all stores: ESRB E10+ and PEGI 7. No platform charges extra for online play within Minecraft itself, although console network subscriptions apply as noted above.

What this means if you are deciding today

For a single person on PC, $29.99 on Minecraft.net is the standard answer. You get both editions, permanent ownership, and no store-specific lock.

For a family with mixed devices, buy Bedrock on each device your household uses. The combined cost of a $19.99 console copy and a $6.99 phone copy is still cheaper than the PC Deluxe Collection, and both can share one Realm.

For a short trial, use the Java demo or a $1 PC Game Pass introductory month. Both get you the real game without committing $29.99.

For a Switch owner, $29.99 is the price with no cheaper legal route except an eShop sale, and those are infrequent.

What happens next

Mojang has not announced any price change for the base game as of October 2026. The last structural shift was the 2022 PC bundle, and the last subscription change was Microsoft’s Game Pass increase in October 2025. Both are now stable.

The most likely future movement is in subscriptions rather than the one-time price. Marketplace Pass and Realms Plus have held at $3.99 and $7.99 since launch, while Game Pass has risen twice in two years. If you plan to use Minecraft through Game Pass long term, treat that price as the variable one. The $29.99 PC price has not moved in years and there is no signal it will.

Regional pricing follows each store’s local currency and tax rules. Minecraft.net sets its own regional prices for the PC bundle, while console and mobile prices are set within the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, eShop, App Store and Google Play for each country. Check the local store page for the exact figure where you live, since this page lists US dollar prices.

FAQ

How much is Minecraft on PC?

$29.99 as of October 2026. That single purchase includes both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition for Windows through one launcher. The Deluxe Collection is $39.99 and adds approximately 1,600 Minecoins plus Marketplace packs.

Is Minecraft free?

No. The full game is a paid purchase on every platform. The free options are the Java demo (100 minutes), the Android trial (90 minutes per world) and the browser-based Minecraft Classic from 2009. Minecraft is included in PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate, but those are paid subscriptions.

Do I have to pay monthly for Minecraft?

No. Minecraft is a one-time purchase. Monthly fees only apply if you choose Realms ($3.99 for the basic tier with you plus two friends, or $7.99 for Realms Plus with you plus 10 friends and the Marketplace catalog), Marketplace Pass ($3.99) or Game Pass, or if you need a console network subscription for online play.

Why is Minecraft $29.99 on Switch but $19.99 on PlayStation?

Each platform sets its own price. The Switch version has stayed at its 2018 launch price of $29.99, while Sony and Microsoft list the identical Bedrock Edition at $19.99. The content is the same.

Does buying Minecraft on one platform unlock it on another?

No. Each store sells a separate licence. The only exception is the Windows PC bundle, which includes both Java and Bedrock. Microsoft account owners who bought either PC edition before June 2022 received the other free.

When does Minecraft go on sale?

PC copies from Minecraft.net rarely discount. PlayStation Store sales often drop the game to $9.99 to $11.99, Xbox sales typically cut 25 to 35 percent, and the Switch version occasionally falls to $19.99. PC Game Pass introductory offers at $1 for the first month are the cheapest short-term route.

How much is Minecraft on mobile?

$6.99 on both the App Store and Google Play as of October 2026. It is the full Bedrock Edition with crossplay and Marketplace access. The Chromebook version is a separate $19.99 listing.

About the Author

Priya Nair

Author

Priya Nair covers the questions people ask in the week before a launch: when a game unlocks in their time zone, what it costs, what each edition includes and which subscription services carry it. Release timing is her particular focus, because a single "launches on the 14th" can mean different hours in Tokyo, London and Los Angeles, and publishers often stagger unlocks by region or platform. She converts official unlock times rather than estimating them, lists edition contents by item rather than by marketing name, and records age ratings from the rating boards themselves. Regional price differences and pre-order bonuses get the same line-by-line treatment.

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