How to Play Minecraft Multiplayer With Friends: LAN, Realms or Your Own Server

There are four ways to play Minecraft multiplayer with friends on Java Edition: open your world to LAN, rent a Realm from Mojang, join someone else's server, or run a server of your own. They differ in who has to be online, how many people fit, and whether you can add mods or plugins. This guide walks through each one step by step, then covers the part most guides skip: getting a group onto your own server with matching versions and a whitelist, so you don't end up with a server nobody can join.

It's written for Java Edition on PC. Bedrock (Windows, mobile, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch) works differently, and the short section near the end tells you where to go.

Before you start

In Java Edition 26.2 and newer you can't invite a friend straight into your singleplayer world. The peer-to-peer invite feature tested in snapshots was removed from the 26.2 release, and the Minecraft Wiki notes it is "planned to be reintroduced at a later date". Until then, Java multiplayer means LAN, a Realm, or a server.

The Four Ways, Side by Side

Most groups start at the left and move right as the world starts to matter.

1. Open to LAN (Same House)

LAN turns your singleplayer world into a temporary server for anyone on the same network.

1. Load your world.
2. Press Esc and choose Open to LAN.
3. Pick a Game Mode for joining players, set Allow Commands if they need cheats, and optionally set a Port Number. If you don't set one, the game picks a random port.
4. Click Start LAN World. Chat confirms it with a line like Local game hosted on port 2121.
5. Friends on the same network open Multiplayer. The world shows up in the server list automatically.

The same thing can be done with the /publish command. LAN has two limits: the world only exists while your game is running, and it only reaches people on your network. The wiki notes that players over the internet can join a LAN world if you forward its port on your router, but the port changes every time unless you set it, which makes that fragile.

2. Realms (Mojang's Rented Server)

Realms is Mojang's own always-online server. The owner pays, and friends join free by invitation. From Mojang's Realms page: "Realms for Java Edition: You + 10 other players can play online at the same time," at $7.99 USD a month, and "If you have Java Edition, you can only join a Realm with other Java players."

It's the least-effort option that stays online. What it can't do is anything outside vanilla. The Minecraft Wiki is direct: "Mods and plugins cannot be installed." You also can't go beyond ten guests at once, and you can't pick your own server software.

3. Join a Friend's Server

If someone in your group already runs a server:

1. Get the address from them, including the port if it isn't 25565 (for example 203.0.113.10:25570).
2. In Minecraft, open Multiplayer → Add Server, paste the address, and click Done.
3. Make sure your game version matches the server's. See Matching Versions below.

4. Your Own Server

A server of your own is the only option that is always online, has no Realms cap, and can run plugins or mods. Here's the full path on a GameServerKings Minecraft server, from an empty server to friends playing.

Step 1: Pick the server software

On the Startup tab, Framework chooses what runs:

• VANILLA: Mojang's own server. Nothing to configure, and it matches the default launcher version.
• PAPER (the default): better performance and support for plugins. Your friends still join with plain Minecraft.
• FABRIC, FORGE, NEOFORGE: for mods. Players usually need the same loader and mods. See How to install mods for Minecraft Java Edition.

If you change Framework, reinstall from Settings afterwards. The variable alone doesn't install anything. The installer accepts the EULA for you, because Accept Mojang EULA is set to true by default.

Step 2: Match the version your friends play

This is the step that decides whether anyone can join. The server and every player must be on the same Minecraft version.

• The Minecraft Launcher plays the latest release by default. That's 26.3 as of 28 September 2026.
• Minecraft Version on the Startup tab defaults to latest. On VANILLA that also means 26.3, so the two already match.
• On PAPER, every Paper build for 26.3 is still on the alpha channel on that date. For a server you want to be stable, set Minecraft Version to 26.2, and have your friends play 26.2. How to Make a Minecraft SMP Server for Friends goes into that choice.

Players can run an older version without affecting their main game. In the launcher, Installations → New installation, choose the version, then play that installation.

Step 3: Lock it to your group

A server with a public address gets found. Turn the whitelist on before you share the address. In the panel Console:

whitelist on
whitelist add YourName
whitelist add FriendOne
whitelist add FriendTwo
op YourName

Commands in the panel console don't need a leading /. op gives you operator rights in-game, so you can add friends later with /whitelist add from chat. Minecraft Whitelist and Ban Management covers the details, including why enforce-whitelist matters.

Step 4: Share the address

Copy the address from the top of your server's page in the panel. Include the port. On our plans the server's port is often not Minecraft's default of 25565. The server writes its assigned port into server.properties every time it starts, so there's nothing to change there. An address typed without the port only works when the port happens to be 25565.

Your friends then add it with Multiplayer → Add Server, the same as in section 3.

Step 5: Play, and keep a backup

The world now runs whether or not you're online. Take a backup from the Backups tab before any version change or big mod or plugin change (How to create a backup). If you already have a world from singleplayer or a LAN session, Converting a Singleplayer World to a Minecraft Server shows how to move it onto the server.

When Friends Can't Join

The client prints a specific message for almost every failure. The common ones for a new group:

Minecraft Players Can't Connect: Every Error Message Explained lists every message word for word, with its cause.

Bedrock and Console Players

Java and Bedrock are separate games with separate multiplayer. A friend on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch or mobile can't join a Java LAN world or a Java Realm. There are two workable routes:

• All on Bedrock: run a Bedrock server instead. See Setting up your Bedrock Minecraft server, and How to Join a Minecraft Server on Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo Switch for the console-specific limits.
• Mixed group: a Java server can let Bedrock players in through Geyser. See Setting up CrossPlay for Minecraft.

Is Minecraft Cross-Platform? sets out exactly which editions can play together.

Common Questions

Is Minecraft multiplayer free?

On Java Edition, yes. LAN and joining servers cost nothing beyond owning the game. Realms and hosted servers are paid, and only the owner pays.

How many people can play together?

LAN is limited by your network and the host's PC. A Java Realm allows you plus ten. Your own server's limit comes from max-players in server.properties and, in practice, from its RAM and CPU.

Can we play multiplayer without one person always being online?

Yes, with a Realm or a server. LAN and singleplayer worlds disappear when the host quits.

Can my friend and I use mods in multiplayer?

On a server running Fabric, Forge or NeoForge, yes, as long as everyone has the same loader and mods. Realms don't allow mods at all.

What to Read Next

• How to Make a Minecraft SMP Server for Friends — the settings that change how a friends' server feels
• Getting started with your Minecraft server — first boot and server.properties
• Minecraft Whitelist and Ban Management — keeping the server to your group
• Minecraft Players Can't Connect — every join error, word for word

Made with 💜 by GameServerKings