Minecraft for free

Born as a simple sandbox video game, Minecraft has turned into a real global phenomenon, able to thrill thousands of users from all over the world. I bet that if you are here now and you are reading this guide it is because your friends are also talking to you about it; in this regard, before buying it, you would like to try it, to see if it reflects your videogame tastes.

How do you say? Is this really the case? Don’t worry, you can download Minecraft for free on different platforms, so you can try it on your device. For Windows and macOS, in fact, it is possible by downloading the demo from the official website of the game or by accessing the free version for Web browser. On Android the demo, although no longer available through the Play Store, is still present as an APK file. Alternatively, you can turn to other free solutions that follow the game mechanics of Minecraft almost perfectly.

What do you say? Are you ready to get started? Yup? Very well! Then all you have to do is sit down comfortably and read this tutorial carefully, in order to choose the solution that seems most suited to your needs, through the information I will provide you in the next lines. I wish you a good read and, above all, a lot of fun!

Index

• Free Minecraft for computer
  • System requirements
  • Create an account
  • Download the game
  • Minecraft Classic from browser
• Free Minecraft for smartphones and tablets
• Free Minecraft for consoles

Free Minecraft for computer

If you want to download Minecraft for free, the first solution I propose is to download its demo version on your computer. In the following lines, I will explain in detail how to proceed.

System requirements

Even if in reality it is not necessary to have a particularly high-performance computer to play Minecraft, let’s start by seeing what are the system requirements to run the title on Windows, macOS and Linux, for the Java Edition version.

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.

As indicated, to play Minecraft you need to download and install Java software. In this regard, if you need to carry out this operation, refer to my tutorial in which I will explain in detail how to proceed.

The requirements for Minecraft Windows 10 Edition, however, are those that I report in the following lines.

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.

Create an account

To take advantage of the Minecraft Java Edition demo you need an account, which you can create for free via the game’s official website. To do this, connect to the Minecraft home page and press the Login button located at the top.

Now, click on the item Register one located at the bottom and, on the next screen, type the requested information: email address, password and date of birth. Then put the checkmark on the item I accept the collection of usage data and press the Create account button.

Subsequently, you will be asked to verify the email address provided: therefore, check the mail received, to identify the verification code, which you will then have to enter in the next text field (confirming with the button)  Verify.  Alternatively, to do this first, click directly on the confirmation link contained in the email you received.

Done? Very well, now log in with the account you just created, to be sure that the procedure was successful. After carrying out this operation you will be prompted to buy the game at the price of € 23.95 but, if you want to download Minecraft for free, you can skip this step and proceed with the download of the demo version at no cost, following the instructions you find in the next chapter.

For Minecraft Windows 10 Edition, however, you will need a Microsoft account, in order to download the application from the Microsoft Store. In this regard, I recommend that you consult my guide on how to create a Microsoft account.

Download the game

After creating an account, you can download the Minecraft Java Edition demo on Windows and macOS, again via the game’s official website. To proceed, first click on the ☰ button at the top right and then, in the menu displayed, click on the Try and download item. On the next screen, press the Download button and download the game client to your computer.

On Windows, after having downloaded the Minecraft installation package, double-click it to start it, then press the Next button twice in a row, click Install and Yes, when prompted in the User Account Control window and, to finish, click on Finish.

Optionally, you can also download the Minecraft demo on Windows 10  via the Microsoft Store. To do this, locate the video game through the search engine of the same (type Minecraft for Windows 10 ), press the icon (…) and click on the item  Install evaluation version. If you’ve never signed in to the Microsoft Store with a Microsoft account, you’ll first be prompted to log in with your credentials.

To download Minecraft on macOS, instead, open the file. dmg that you downloaded from the game’s official website, drag its executable into the macOS Applications folder, right-click on it and then press Open twice consecutively (this operation is only necessary at the first start, to bypass Apple’s restrictions on applications from non-certified developers).

Now wait for all the files necessary for the proper functioning of Minecraft to be downloaded automatically, then, at the end of the procedure, start playing by pressing the Play demo button. Please note that the demo has a time limit of 1 hour and 40 minutes (5 days in the game world).

Minecraft Classic from browser

You should know that, to coincide with the tenth anniversary of Minecraft, a version of this video game that can be used via any PC web browser, completely free of charge, has been published by the developer Mojang. This version of Minecraft, called Classic, is the first version of the video game that came out in 2009, defined by Mojang itself as a nostalgic edition for fans.

For this reason, the gaming experience is nothing like the current one. In fact, the game world, available only in a mode similar to the Creative one, is limited and there are only 32 different blocks available to use. Furthermore, it is possible to invite up to nine friends, sharing the appropriate link that is generated during the creation of the game map, with which you can interact thanks to an integrated chat system.

If you are interested in playing Minecraft Classic, what you have to do is reach its official web page and, on the main screen, type a nickname of your imagination, using the appropriate text box. Using the Copy button, located a little further up, you can instantly copy the link to the session to share it with your friends and allow them to join you. At this point, press the Start button to start playing Minecraft Classic for free.

Free Minecraft for smartphones and tablets

If you want to play Minecraft for free on smartphones and tablets, you must keep in mind that it is not possible to download the free demo from the  Android Play Store or the iOS App Store, as this has been removed. What you can do is buy Minecraft directly at a price of € 6.99 for the Android version or € 7.99 for the iOS version.

If, however, you want to play Minecraft for free on your smartphone or tablet, what you can do is download one of the many free alternatives that I propose below.

• Minetest –this is a free and open-source game inspired by Minecraft which is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. It is one of the best free alternatives to Minecraft and is also available in a mobile version, but only on  Android. It is a very complete title, since it also supports online multiplayer mode and its playing area is almost boundless.
• Kiloblocks Lite –is the free version of Kiloblocks and is one of the most popular alternatives to Minecraft, available for  Android and iOS. It is a game inspired by the creative mode of the Mojang title, so there are no enemies to defeat, you can only build. The paid version costs € 4.49 and also allows you to save your progress.
• Block Craft 3D –is a free game for Android and iOS with 3D graphics similar to that of Minecraft; its purpose is to build objects and buildings to grow your virtual village.

If you would like to know more about the version of Minecraft for mobile devices with Android or iOS or the free alternatives, I recommend that you consult these topics in my guide on how to download Minecraft Pocket Edition for free.

Free Minecraft for consoles

If you have a video game console, you will be interested to know that you can download the free Minecraft demo through it as well. To do this, you must first make sure that the device has previously been connected to the internet.

For example, if you have an Xbox One, go to the Network> Network settings menu and press the Configure wireless network item to make the console connect to Wi-Fi. Otherwise, connect the console to the internet via an Ethernet cable. In case you need help, please refer to my tutorials dedicated to connecting the PS4 and Xbox One to the Internet.

After performing this preliminary step, to download the Minecraft demo, start the default virtual store of the same (for example, press the Store item in the top menu bar if you want to start the Microsoft Store on Xbox One ). Now locate the Minecraft card, via the internal search engine, and download its trial version by pressing the Install button.