How to Play Minecraft Multiplayer: From Setup to First Adventure

Learning how to play Minecraft Multiplayer brings up a whole new perspective on creativity, teamwork, and you can experience a whole new world of massive structures, challenges, and more to play with your online friends. Regardless of where you are connecting, whether it's a LAN network or a public server, delving into the multiplayer mode can transform you into a team or a social player.

Hence, if you're still one of those who have yet to invite your friends to explore the pixelated world or join the public servers to get into a new adventure, this article will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to play Minecraft Multiplayer. Moreover, we'll also discuss all the connection issues you might face in the journey, and how you can tackle them quite easily.

Can you Play Multiplayer in Minecraft?

To answer how to play in Minecraft multiplayer straightforwardly, it is possible to hop onto a server with your friends. For both Java and Bedrock editions, there are several ways you can implement to either host or join a multiplayer world for your friends to enjoy.

How to Play Minecraft Multiplayer?

As mentioned earlier, there are a few steps to follow if you want to play Minecraft Multiplayer and enjoy it with your friends. While a few processes are the same for the two versions of Minecraft: Java and Bedrock, the rest of them are a little bit different from each other. That said, here are the straightforward ways you must follow to play the multiplayer mode in Minecraft:

Join a Public Server

If you don't have any friends to enjoy the pixelated open world with, and you want to make new friends, joining a public server is the best option to play multiplayer in Minecraft. However, do note that there's no guarantee the server you opt to join will be secure. Hence, we recommend that you

Here's how to enter the Public server:

• Select a server from the official server list.
• Then turn on Minecraft from the in-game client.
• Now, for the Java edition, navigate to the Multiplayer screen and then add the server name and address along with the port.
• On the other hand, for the Bedrock edition, navigate to the servers tab and choose your preferred server after firing up the title.

Host a Private Server

Hosting a Private Server in online Minecraft is the easiest way to avoid any unwanted intruders in your servers, unlike the public ones. There are two different processes you can follow to host your servers after you know how to play Minecraft Multiplayer:

Java Edition

For the Java Edition, here's how to host a server:

• Make sure you have the latest version of JDK (Java Development Kit) installed.
• Download the server.jar file from the official website of Minecraft.
• Make a new folder to keep all your files organised.
• Move the server.jar into a new folder.

• Open the command prompt in Windows or Terminal in macOS.
• Use the cd command to change your directory to the server folder you created.
• Run the server for the first time by typing java -jar server.jar --nogui.
• The file named eula.txt will be generated, and open this with a text editor to change eula = false to eula = true. Make sure to save the file.
• Type -jar server.jar --nogui to start again.
• Open Multiplayer and click “Direct Connect” and use “localhost” as the server address.

Bedrock Edition

For the Bedrock Edition, here are the steps to follow after you know how to play Minecraft multiplayer:

• Navigate to the Minecraft Bedrock server download page and download the preferred edition, either Windows or Ubuntu.
• Extract the contents of the ZIP file to a new folder and name it “Minecraft Server” to avoid any confusion in the future.
• Run the bedrock_server.exe file to start the server on your Windows PC.
• In order to allow your friends to join, find your router's IP address and log in to the settings.
• Forward the port to 19132 for TCP and UDP protocols.
• Give your friends the public IP address and the port number to add this server to their favourites list.

Apart from these, you can also enable the LAN option after creating a new world if you want your local friends to join private servers. Meanwhile, you can also add

Troubleshooting Common Issues

While playing Minecraft Multiplayer, you can experience a plethora of common issues, such as lag, disconnections, desync, voice-chat, in-game client, and many more. However, you don't have to worry, as this section of this article will discuss how to troubleshoot the aforementioned common issues after you know how to play online multiplayer in Minecraft:

Lag and High Ping Issue

Lag and high-ping issues are one of the most common issues while playing the multiplayer mode in Minecraft. Here are some fixes you can do to troubleshoot this issue:

• Get a wired Ethernet to get a flawless connection.
• Close all the background applications that are using the internet.
• If you're entering a public server or a friend's server, make sure the location is close to where you reside.
• Get a high-speed internet connection.

Desync Issue

Desync is another common issue that Minecraft players face while playing in multiplayer mode. Here's how to resolve it:

• Get a high-speed internet connection.
• Check for any updates or bug fixes to resolve.
• Reinstall the game.

NAT Issue

The NAT type might affect your overall gameplay experience by denying the connection to multiplayer servers. Here's how to resolve it:

• Enable your Universal Plug and Play (UPnP).
• If that doesn't work out, use the port forwarding method and use specific port numbers.

Disconnection Issue

If you're having problems connecting to any public or private servers, here's how to tackle the issue:

• Update the network drivers.
• Make sure you have a stable internet connection.
• Disable all the power-saving settings.
• Check the server status if there are any issues from the client side.

Voice Chat Problem

If you're having a conversation with your friends on online servers, here's how to troubleshoot the issue:

• Opt for any third-party voice-chat applications, such as TeamSpeak or Discord.
• Verify Windows Microphone settings.
• Check if any other application is conflicting with your microphone device.

In-game Client Issue

• Check if there are any client issues which is denying your connections.
• Update your Graphics Drivers.
• Lower your resolution to resolve the in-game or stuttering issue.
• Lastly, if any of the aforementioned problems don't help to resolve the issue, perform a clean Windows boot. This might resolve the issue completely.

So, these are the solutions to fix any infamous issues after knowing how to play Minecraft Multiplayer.