How to Set Up Minecraft Realms (Bedrock Edition) — Beginner’s Guide

TL;DR

• Minecraft Realms is Mojang’s official private server service — no technical setup needed.
• Bedrock Realms costs $3.99/month for 2 players or $7.99/month (Realms Plus) for up to 10 players.
• New subscribers get a free 30-day trial for Realms Plus.
• Only the Realm owner needs a subscription — friends join for free.
• Bedrock Realms works across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and mobile.
• Your world stays online 24/7, even when you are not playing.

Playing Minecraft solo is fun. Playing it with friends is a completely different experience. But setting up a multiplayer server the traditional way involves port forwarding, server software, and a lot of technical headaches that most players do not want to deal with.

Minecraft Realms solves all of that. It is Mojang’s own hosted server service. You pay a monthly fee, Mojang handles all the technical stuff, and you and your friends jump in and play. This guide walks through everything a beginner needs to know — what Realms is, how much it costs, how to create one, how to invite friends, and how to manage it properly.

What Is Minecraft Realms?

Realms is a private, cloud-hosted Minecraft server managed by Mojang. Think of it as renting your own personal server directly through the game, without needing to configure anything yourself.

A few key things that make Realms different from just playing on your own world:

Always online. Your Realm world runs on Mojang’s servers. Friends can log in and play even when you are offline, at work, or asleep. The world keeps going without you.

Private and invite-only. Nobody can join your Realm without an invitation from you. No random strangers, no griefers from the public internet.

No technical setup. No IP addresses to share, no router ports to open, no server software to install. Everything is done through the in-game menu with a few button presses.

Cross-platform on Bedrock. A Bedrock Realm works across PC (Windows), Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android. If your friends are on different devices, they can all play together in the same world.

Automatic backups. Mojang saves your world automatically. If something goes wrong — a griefing incident, a corrupted chunk, an accidental explosion — you can roll back to an earlier save.

This guide covers Bedrock Edition Realms specifically. If your friends all play on PC and use Minecraft Java Edition, they need a Java Realm instead — the two editions are completely separate and cannot connect to each other.

Realms Pricing — What Does It Cost?

Bedrock Edition has two subscription plans:

Important notes:

• Only the Realm owner needs to pay. Invited friends join completely free.
• You can invite more than the player limit — the cap is on how many can be online at the same time, not how many you can invite total.
• New subscribers get a 30-day free trial for Realms Plus. This is the best deal for beginners — start there.
• On consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch), you also need an active console online subscription — Xbox Game Pass Core, PlayStation Plus, or Nintendo Switch Online — to use any online multiplayer including Realms.
• If you already subscribe to Marketplace Pass separately, Realms Plus includes that content. Cancel Marketplace Pass after upgrading to avoid paying twice.

Which plan should you pick?

For 1–2 close friends: the $3.99 Core plan is enough. For a family group, a friend squad of 3 or more, or anyone who wants Marketplace maps and content included: Realms Plus at $7.99 is the better value. The extra $4/month covers up to 10 simultaneous players and access to over 150 rotating Marketplace items.

What You Need Before Starting

Before creating your Realm, make sure you have these sorted:

A Microsoft account. This is required to play Minecraft Bedrock Edition online. It is free. If you do not have one, create it at microsoft.com. You also use this to add friends by their Xbox Gamertag.

Minecraft Bedrock Edition installed. Available on Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, iOS, and Android. Check our guide on whether Minecraft is cross-platform if you are unsure whether you and your friends are on compatible versions.

A payment method set up in your Microsoft or platform account for the subscription.

Your friends’ Xbox Gamertags. On Bedrock Edition, you invite players using their Microsoft/Xbox Gamertag, not their email. Ask your friends for theirs before you start.

How to Create a Minecraft Realms Bedrock Server — Step by Step

Step 1 — Open Minecraft and Go to Play

Launch Minecraft on your device. From the main screen, tap or click Play.

Step 2 — Create a New World

Select Create New, then Create New World. You will see the standard world creation screen where you can choose your world name, game mode, difficulty, and world type before setting it up on a Realm.

Set up your world settings now — it is easier to configure them here before the Realm is live.

Recommended settings for a beginner Realm:

• Game Mode: Survival (most popular for groups)
• Difficulty: Normal or Hard (Easy makes the game too simple for most groups)
• World Type: Infinite (do not use Old or Flat unless you have a reason)
• Cheats: Off by default — you can enable them later if needed
• Show Coordinates: On — this helps everyone navigate and communicate locations

Step 3 — Select “Create on Realms”

After configuring your world settings, look for the Create on Realms button (sometimes labelled Play on Realm depending on your version). Click or tap it.

Step 4 — Choose Your Plan

You will see two options:

• Add a 2 Player Realm (Realms Core — $3.99/month)
• Add a 10 Player Realm (Realms Plus — $7.99/month)

If you qualify for a free trial, you will see a Start Trial button instead of a purchase button. Use the trial — it gives you 30 days of Realms Plus for free with no charge until the trial ends.

Read the Terms & Conditions, check the agreement box, and confirm your selection.

Step 5 — Name Your Realm

Give your Realm a name. Keep it simple and recognisable so your friends know what they are joining. You can also add a short description.

Step 6 — Confirm and Launch

Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the subscription purchase. Once done, your Realm is live. You will land inside your new world.

Your Realm is now running. Time to invite your friends.

How to Invite Friends to Your Realm

Only the Realm owner can send invitations. Here is how to do it:

From the Play Menu (Easiest Method)

1. Open Minecraft and go to Play.
2. Select the Realms tab.
3. Find your Realm and tap the Edit button (pencil icon) next to it.
4. Select Members or Add Members.
5. Your Xbox friends list appears. Tap Invite next to each person you want to add.
6. If a friend is not in your list, tap Find Friends and search by their Xbox Gamertag.

Once invited, the friend receives a notification in their Minecraft game. They accept it from their Realms tab and can then join whenever the Realm is open.

Using a Share Link

If you want to invite someone without going through the friends list:

1. Go to Play > Realms tab > Edit your Realm > Members.
2. Select Share Link or Share.
3. Copy the invite link and send it to your friend via text, Discord, or any messaging app.
4. Anyone with the link can join — so only share it with people you trust.

How Friends Join Your Realm

Your invited friends do not need to do anything complicated. They:

1. Open Minecraft on their device.
2. Go to Play > Realms tab.
3. Find your Realm in their list and tap Join.

That is it. They join for free — no subscription needed on their end.

How to Upload an Existing World to Your Realm

If you already have a survival world you have been playing and want to move it to your Realm so friends can join, you can upload it. This replaces whatever world is currently on your Realm, so read carefully.

1. Go to Play.
2. Find your existing local world and tap the Edit button (pencil icon) next to it.
3. Scroll down and tap Play on Realm or look for the Copy to Realm option.
4. Select your Realm.
5. Confirm. The world uploads and replaces the current Realm world.

Warning: This permanently replaces the existing world on your Realm. If you want to keep the old Realm world, download a backup first (see the backup section below).

Managing Your Realm Settings

Once your Realm is running, there are several settings worth knowing.

Changing the Realm Name and Description

Go to Play > Realms tab > Edit Realm. You can change the name, description, game mode, difficulty, and other options at any time.

Changing Game Difficulty

Go to Edit Realm, then into Game Settings or World Options. You can switch between Peaceful, Easy, Normal, and Hard at any time without affecting your world progress.

Enabling Cheats and Commands

If you want to use commands in your Realm (like /give, /teleport, or /time set day), enable cheats in the Realm settings. Note that enabling cheats disables achievements on that world — permanently. Think carefully before turning them on.

Managing Players and Permissions

Go to Edit Realm > Members. Here you can:

• See everyone you have invited.
• Remove a player from the Realm by tapping their name and selecting Remove.
• Give a player Operator status, which lets them use admin commands. Only give this to trusted players.

On Bedrock, there are three permission levels:

• Visitor — can explore and look around but cannot break or place blocks.
• Member — normal player. Can build, mine, and interact with the world.
• Operator — can use commands and access some server settings. Trusted admins only.

You can set a player’s default permission level in the Realm settings before they join. Useful if you want new players to start as Visitors until you trust them.

Closing and Opening Your Realm

Your Realm stays open and accessible to invited friends by default. If you want to temporarily shut it down — for maintenance, a reset, or to prevent access while you work on something:

Go to Edit Realm > Subscription > Close Realm. This kicks any active players and closes the Realm. To reopen it, go back to the same place and select Open Realm.

World Slots — Switching Between Worlds

Every Realms subscription (both Core and Plus) comes with three world slots. Only one world can be active at a time, but you can store up to three different worlds and switch between them.

This is extremely useful for running different experiences:

• Slot 1 — your main survival world
• Slot 2 — a creative building world
• Slot 3 — an adventure map or minigame

To switch worlds, go to Edit Realm > Switch World and select a different slot. The switch takes a moment and any players online get kicked briefly. The previous world is saved in its slot and can be switched back to at any time.

Backups — How to Save and Restore Your World

Realms automatically backs up your world. This is one of the biggest advantages over self-hosted servers. Mojang saves snapshots regularly so you can roll back if something goes wrong.

Downloading a Manual Backup

Before making any major changes — uploading a new world, resetting, or letting a new group of players in — download a manual backup first.

1. Go to Play > Realms tab > Edit Realm.
2. Select Backups.
3. Tap the backup you want and choose Download.

The backup saves to your local device as a playable world file. If anything goes wrong with your Realm, you can restore from this backup.

Restoring a Backup to Your Realm

If you need to roll back to an earlier save:

1. Go to Edit Realm > Backups.
2. Select the backup you want to restore.
3. Choose Restore and confirm.

The Realm rolls back to that point in time. All progress since that backup is lost, so only do this when necessary.

Storage limits:

• Realms Plus — 10GB of manual save storage
• Realms Core — 5GB of manual save storage

If your Realm world grows very large over time, keep an eye on storage and delete old backups you no longer need.

Realms Plus — What You Get With the Extra Content

Realms Plus at $7.99/month includes access to the Marketplace Pass. This is a rotating catalogue of over 150 premium Marketplace items — maps, skin packs, texture packs, and adventure worlds — included in your subscription at no extra cost.

New content rotates in every month. Past highlighted content includes seasonal packs, adventure maps, and exclusive skins. This is particularly good value for families or younger players who want curated, themed content to explore together.

If you enjoy exploring different world types or playing through adventure maps, Realms Plus pays for itself quickly compared to buying Marketplace content individually.

Realms Stories — The Built-In Social Feed

Bedrock Realms includes a feature called Realms Stories. It is an in-game social feed for your Realm group. Members can post updates, share screenshots, and see what others have been building — even when they are not online at the same time.

Think of it as a simple group bulletin board inside Minecraft. Useful for coordinating builds, sharing announcements, or just keeping up with what your friends have been up to on the Realm while you were offline.

To access it, open your Realm settings and look for the Stories or Timeline tab.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

A friend cannot join the Realm. Check that your Realm is open (not closed). Make sure the friend has accepted their invitation — it appears in their Realms tab inbox. Confirm they are on Bedrock Edition, not Java. On consoles, check that the player has an active console online subscription (Xbox Game Pass Core, PlayStation Plus, or Nintendo Switch Online).

Friends on consoles cannot connect. Console players must have both Minecraft and an active console online subscription. Also check their Xbox privacy settings — the Join multiplayer games option must be set to Allowed. For younger accounts managed by family settings, a parent may need to adjust this.

Coordinates are not showing in Realms Stories. Go to Edit Realm > Edit World > World Options and turn on both Show Coordinates and Realm Event Coordinates.

The Realm is lagging. Large numbers of active Redstone contraptions, too many mobs in one area, or many players all loading chunks at once can cause slowdown. If lag is consistent, try reducing mob farms or simplifying Redstone builds. Our Minecraft lag fix guide has more targeted tips for Bedrock performance issues.

I accidentally enabled cheats and lost achievements. Unfortunately, enabling cheats on a world permanently disables achievements for that world. There is no way to reverse this. For your next world or if you reset the Realm, make sure cheats stay off if achievements matter to you.

The Realm subscription expired — is my world gone? No. Mojang saves your Realm world for up to 18 months after your subscription ends. You have nearly a year and a half to reactivate and pick up where you left off.

Tips for Running a Great Realm

Agree on rules before you open it up. Decide early whether PvP is allowed, whether griefing is okay, and whether there are building zones. Knowing the rules upfront avoids arguments later.

Use Operator status carefully. Only give Operator permissions to players you completely trust. An Operator can use commands that affect the whole world.

Download a world backup before any major project. Before you flatten a mountain, build a mega farm, or let a new player in, grab a manual backup. It takes 30 seconds and can save hours of work.

Keep the Realm closed when not actively playing. If you are not playing for a few days, close the Realm. It stops anyone from accidentally breaking things in your absence.

Use world slots wisely. Keep a creative slot available for building tests and planning. It is much easier to test a big build in creative mode before committing it to your survival world.

Check in on Realms Stories. Even when you are not playing, Realms Stories lets you see what your friends have been building and stay connected with the group.

Use a good seed for the best start. A great seed makes a huge difference to your early Realm experience. Check our best Minecraft seeds guide for top Bedrock picks with strong starting areas.

Realms vs Setting Up Your Own Server

Beginners often wonder whether to use Realms or set up a dedicated server. Here is the honest comparison:

For most beginners and casual groups: Realms is the right choice. It costs a few dollars a month, requires zero technical knowledge, and just works. Our guide on how to make and join a Minecraft server covers the self-hosted route if you outgrow Realms.

What to Do Once Your Realm Is Running

With your Realm set up and friends invited, here are some great projects to tackle together:

• Build your first base — a shared base gives everyone a home. Our guide on surviving your first night is useful for newer players in your group.
• Set up an automatic farm — a shared automatic sugar cane or bamboo farm keeps everyone supplied with paper and fuel.
• Build an iron golem farm — an iron golem farm provides iron for the whole group passively.
• Create a villager trading hall — a shared villager trading hall gives everyone access to enchanted books, diamond gear, and emerald trades.
• Work toward Netherite — once the group has diamond gear, upgrading everyone to Netherite armor becomes a fun shared goal.
• Try an adventure map from Realms Plus — if you subscribed to Realms Plus, browse the Marketplace content included with your plan for curated adventure experiences.
• Learn redstone together — our redstone basics guide is a great starting point for group automation projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

Minecraft Realms is the easiest way to play with friends across any device. Set it up in five minutes, invite your group, and start building. No technical knowledge required — just jump in and play.