How to download Minecraft for free

All your friends are talking about their games of Minecraft, a very famous sandbox video game in which it is possible to experience a thousand adventures in a gigantic world made up of blocks. The popularity of this title is now undisputed and you would therefore like to try it yourself, possibly at no cost. The problem is that you are not very familiar with technology and, therefore, you do not have the faintest idea how to download Minecraft for free.

This is exactly the case and you wonder if I can help you? Of course! But first let me give you some useful information: Minecraft is a cross-platform game. It is available for Windows and Mac computers, for Android devices, for iPhone, iPad and for video game consoles such as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. That said, it should be emphasized that it is paid: if you want to play it for free, the only possibility available to you is to download its demo version, where available, or free alternative titles, which follow the gaming experience. Alternatively, you can play the web browser edition for free.

During this tutorial, I will therefore illustrate in detail what are the possibilities at your disposal, explaining step by step how to proceed to achieve the purpose you have proposed. Take a few minutes of free time, sit comfortably in front of the computer and carefully follow the directions I am about to give you. I am sure that by the time you finish reading, you will be absolutely satisfied that you have learned how to play the most popular sandbox video game in the world for free. Let it bet? I wish you a good read and, above all, a lot of fun!

Index

• Download Minecraft for free on your computer
  • System requirements
  • Create an account
  • Download Minecraft for free on PC
  • Download Minecraft for free on Mac
  • Minecraft Classic from browser
• Download Minecraft for free on Android and iOS
• Download Minecraft for free on console

Download Minecraft for free on your computer

If your intent is to download Minecraft for free on your computer, I must first show you what are the system requirements of the same for Windows, macOS and Linux. Also, I have to talk to you about how to create an account, as it is a necessary prerequisite to be able to download its demo version. The demo version of Minecraft has a time limit: it can be played for 1 hour and 40 minutes (5 days in the game world). Having said that too, let’s get down to business.

System requirements

To be able to play Minecraft you don’t need a particularly high-performance computer from the hardware point of view. However, before downloading the demo of the title, I recommend that you check the minimum and recommended system requirements, referring to what is reported below.

Minimum system requirements (Java Edition)

• CPU: Intel Core i3-3210 3.2 GHz / AMD A8-7600 APU 3.1 GHz or equivalent.
• RAM: 2GB.
• Integrated video card: Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge) or AMD Radeon R5 series (Kaveri line) with support for OpenGL 4.4.
• Dedicated video card: Nvidia GeForce 400 series or AMD Radeon HD 7000 series with support for OpenGL 4.4.
• HDD: at least 1GB of free space.
• Operating system: Windows 7 and later, macOS 10.9 Mavericks and later, Linux (distributions starting from 2014).
• Internet connection to download game files and play online.
• Latest version of  Java

Recommended system requirements (Java Edition)

• CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz / AMD A10-7800 APU 3.5 GHz or equivalent.
• RAM: 4GB.
• Video card: GeForce 700 series or AMD Radeon Rx 200 series with OpenGL 4.5 support.
• HDD: 4GB (SSD recommended).
• Operating system (64bit recommended): Windows 10, macOS 10.12 Sierra, Linux (distributions starting from 2014).
• Latest version of  Java.

Minimum system requirements (Windows 10 Edition)

• CPU: Intel i5-4690 / AMD A10-7800 or equivalent.
• RAM: 4GB.
• Video card: Intel HD Graphics 4000 or AMD Radeon R5.
• Operating system: Windows 10 version 14393.0 or later.
• Internet connection to download game files and play online.

Recommended system requirements (Windows 10 Edition)

• CPU: Intel i7-6500U / AMD A8-6600Ko equivalent.
• RAM: 4GB.
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 940M or AMD Radeon HD 8570D.
• Operating system: Windows 10 version 14393.0 or later.
• Internet connection to download game files and play online.

I also remind you that in order to play Minecraft Java Edition, you must have previously downloaded and installed the Java software. In case you still have to do this, please refer to my tutorial dedicated to the topic. Alternatively, the Minecraft launcher will automatically install the latest version of Java.

Create an account

In order to download the free Minecraft Java Edition demo on your computer, you need a free account. To get it, connect to the official website of the game and click on the Login button, which you can find in the upper right corner.

Once this is done, click on the item Register one here that you can find located at the bottom, then, on the next screen, enter the information required for registration: email address, password and date of birth.

Now, put the checkmark next to the wording I accept the collection of usage data and click on the Create account button. At this point, you need to verify the email address just indicated. Therefore, check the mail received, locate the verification code in an email with Mojang sender, enter it in the text field that is shown to you on the registration screen and press the Verify button.

To speed up this step, click on the confirmation link in the email received. After that, log in with the account you just created to make sure everything went right.

Once this last operation is done, you will be prompted to buy the game (costs € 23.95) but, since your goal is to get it for free, proceed directly with the download of the demo, following the instructions you find in the next chapters.

If you want, instead, to try Minecraft Windows 10 Edition, available only on Windows 10 through the Microsoft Store, you must necessarily have a Microsoft account. In this regard, I recommend that you consult my guide on how to create a Microsoft account.

Download Minecraft for free on PC

After creating the account, you must download Minecraft by always acting through its official website. Then press the ☰ button that you find at the top right and, in the next menu that is shown to you, click first on the Try and download button and then on Download.

Once this is done, after having downloaded the game installation package, double-click on it, in order to start it, then press the Next button twice in a row and click Install,  Yes and  Finish to complete the setup.

Alternatively, if you have a computer with Windows 10, you can download Minecraft for free in its demo version through the Microsoft Store, which is the default Windows virtual store. To do this, just locate the game within it and first press the icon (…) and then the Install evaluation version button.

As soon as all the files necessary to install the game have been automatically downloaded, start Minecraft by pressing the Play demo button.

Download Minecraft for free on Mac

To install the Minecraft demo for free on macOS, you must first download its dmg file from the official website of the game, by first pressing the ☰ icon at the top right, then on the  Try and download item and, finally, on the Download button in the page that opens.

Once this is done, open the dmg file you just downloaded, drag Minecraft to the macOS Applications folder, right-click on the game icon and press Open twice in a row (this operation is to bypass the macOS restrictions, which block the launch of apps from developers who are not certified by Apple and is only required on first launch).

Now, you just have to wait for the automatic download of all the files necessary for the game to work and, at the end, start the Minecraft demo by pressing the Play demo button.

Minecraft Classic from browser

If you want to try a completely free version of Minecraft with no time limitations, with the possibility of playing with your friends as well, I recommend Minecraft Classic. This edition of Minecraft is only available via PC web browser and represents the first version of this famous video game that was developed by the Mojang company.

As you can imagine, it is a limited version of Minecraft that allows, through a mode similar to the Creative one, to destroy and build the game world, thanks to the 32 blocks available. Additionally, you can share a dedicated link to allow up to nine players to join you.

You won’t need to download any software, just use your web browser. You can then use Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 or Safari on macOS. Alternatively, you can download Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, to be able to play this edition of Minecraft.

After opening your web browser, go to the classic.minecraft.net website and, on the main screen, use the appropriate text box to choose a nickname of your imagination. Then press the Copy button to copy the session link, in case you want to share it with your other friends to play together. All you have to do is click on the Start button to start playing Minecraft Classic.

Download Minecraft for free on smartphones and tablets

Would you like to download Minecraft on your mobile device and ask yourself, therefore, if the demo version of this famous video game is also available on Android and iOS? In that case I’m sorry to tell you, but it is not possible to download Minecraft for free on smartphones and tablets, as the free demo and its APK files still present on the web have been removed from Mojang.

This means that, if you want to play Minecraft, you have to buy the title from the Play Store or the App Store, at a cost of € 6.99 and € 7.99 respectively. Alternatively, you can consider downloading some free alternatives to Minecraft, like the ones I talk about in the following lines.

• Minetest( Windows, macOS, Linux and Android ) – is one of the most popular free alternatives to Minecraft, as it is a cross-platform open-source game. From a gameplay point of view, it is a very complete video game, especially because its playing area is huge and it supports online multiplayer mode.
• Kiloblocks Lite( Android and iOS )  –  is another good free alternative to Minecraft designed for Android and iOS mobile devices. Unlike the official video game, it has no enemies, as it is a title dedicated to those who want an experience similar to the creative mode of Minecraft. It is also available in a paid version, at a cost of € 4.49, through which you can save and load your projects.
• Block Craft 3D( Android and iOS ) –  this is a free game available on Android and iOS mobile devices that features graphics similar to that of Minecraft and is also inspired by the creative mode, thus allowing you to build buildings with the purpose to grow your own virtual village.

For more information on free Minecraft alternatives, check out my tutorial on how to download Minecraft Pocket Edition for free.

Download Minecraft for free on console

Do you have a video game console and would like to know if you can download Minecraft for free on it? You will be happy to know that the answer is yes: the free demo is available for download on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

To be able to install it, however, you must make sure that the console has previously been connected to the Internet. To do this, go to the Settings menu of the latter and press on the item that refers to the Internet connection. For example, if you have a PS4 console, go to the Settings> Network menu and then click on the Set Internet Connection item.

If, on the other hand, you prefer to make a wired connection, you must have an Ethernet cable and use that cable to connect to the Internet. If you have any doubts or problems regarding the procedures to connect the Internet console, refer to the tutorial where I explain how to do it on PS4 and Xbox One.

Have you already performed these operations? Very well! At this point, to download the free Minecraft demo, you need to go to the default virtual store of the console you own, that is the  PlayStation Store on PlayStation 4 or the  Microsoft Store on Xbox One.

After starting the console, press the virtual store icon that is usually present on the home screen, then use the internal search engine to locate the game card and press the Install button to download the trial version. Did you see how easy it was?