'Minecraft: Bedrock Edition' Now Available on Chromebook—With Cross-Platform Support

Microsoft and in-house developer Mojang just announced that the uber-popular sandbox game Minecraft: Bedrock Edition is now available for Chromebook laptops. 

This move has been a long-time coming, as Minecraft is one of the most commonly-played titles in the world, and bringing it to Chromebooks potentially puts the game in the hands of even more players. 

It is important to note that this is not a watered-down mobile-esque version of the game. This is the full Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, complete with cross-platform multiplayer, access to the Minecraft Marketplace, and access to Minecraft Realms. 

There is one major caveat here. Minecraft: Bedrock Edition for Chromebooks is currently in an early access phase, so not everyone will be able to play it just yet. The company says a full release is coming soon, once the bugs are worked out, and that this counts as a “step towards making Minecraft more accessible to even more people.”

So how do you get in on the early access action? It’s random, so long as your Chromebook meets some minimum power requirements. Head to the Google Play Store to check if a download is available for your system. Despite being in early access, this is not a free download. It costs $20 for a full version and $12.50 to upgrade if you already own the title for another platform. 

In related news, Microsoft has not announced any tools to encourage kids to do their homework instead of endlessly playing Minecraft on a Chromebook. 

This is not the first time Microsoft has tried to bring Minecraft to Chromebooks. Back in the halcyon days of 2020, the company launched Minecraft: Education Edition for Chromebooks, though this special edition required a school license or an Office 365 Education account.