What Are Minecraft Realms? Complete Guide

Realms Overview

Minecraft Realms is a subscription-based hosting service run by Mojang/Microsoft that lets you create a private, always-online Minecraft world. Your Realm stays online 24/7 whether you are playing or not, and invited friends can join at any time without you needing to be present. Realms is designed for simplicity: no port forwarding, no server management, no technical knowledge required.

Bedrock Realms vs Java Realms

There are two separate Realms services:

• Realms for Bedrock Edition: Supports cross-play between all Bedrock platforms (mobile, console, Windows 10/11). Comes in two tiers with different player and feature limits.
• Realms for Java Edition: Only accessible from Java Edition clients on desktop. Has a single subscription tier.

The two services are completely separate. A Bedrock Realm cannot be accessed from Java Edition and vice versa. You need separate subscriptions for each.

Pricing Tiers (Bedrock)

Realms Core

• 2 other players online at the same time, plus the owner
• US$3.99 per month
• 3 world slots, one active at a time
• 5GB of storage for manual world saves

Realms Plus

• 10 other players online at the same time, plus the owner
• US$7.99 per month
• 3 world slots, one active at a time
• 10GB of storage for manual world saves
• All Marketplace Pass content included

Prices are the US dollar prices from minecraft.net. A Realms Core subscription can be upgraded to Realms Plus at any time without losing the Realm.

Key Features

• Always online: The world runs on Mojang's servers and is available 24/7 without needing to leave your device running.
• Cross-play: Bedrock Realms support all Bedrock platforms. Invite friends on any device.
• Automatic saves: A Bedrock Realm saves the world every 30 minutes while people play and again when the session ends. You can restore a save or download it to your device.
• Friend invitations: Invite friends through their Xbox gamertag. They do not need to subscribe.
• World uploads/downloads: Upload an existing world to your Realm or download the Realm's world to play locally.
• Add-on support: Apply resource packs and behavior packs to your Realm.
• Three world slots: Keep up to three worlds on the Realm and choose which one is active.

Limitations

• Player limit: 10 other players at once on Realms Plus or 2 on Realms Core, on top of the owner. There is no way to raise this.
• No plugins: Realms does not support server-side plugins like Paper/Spigot servers do. Only official add-ons (behavior packs) are supported.
• No custom server software: You cannot run PocketMine, Nukkit, or other alternative server software on a Realm.
• Limited configuration: Fewer server settings are adjustable compared to a dedicated server. You cannot change tick distance, view distance, or many other technical settings.
• No console access: There is no server console or command-line interface. All management is through the game client.
• Server location: You cannot choose where the Realm is hosted. Mojang assigns a server location that may not be optimal for all players.
• Performance: Realms hardware is shared and may not perform as well as a dedicated server for complex worlds with many entities or redstone.

Who Should Use Realms?

Realms is ideal for:

• Small groups of friends who want a simple, hassle-free private world.
• Players who do not want to deal with server management, port forwarding, or hosting.
• Cross-platform groups who need easy Bedrock cross-play.
• Parents setting up a safe, private world for their children to play with friends.

Realms is not ideal for:

• Large communities (more than 10 players online at once).
• Servers that need plugins for custom game modes, economy systems, or anti-griefing.
• Technical players who want full control over server settings and performance tuning.
• Players on a tight budget (dedicated hosting can be cheaper per player for larger groups).

Free Trials

Mojang occasionally offers free Realm trials for new subscribers. These typically last 30 days and give you access to the full Realms Plus experience. Check the Minecraft app or website for current trial availability.