How to join my son's (Switch) Minecraft game from PC?

January 13, 2019 11:38 AM

Is there a way for me to play Minecraft online with my son, if I'm playing on a PC (Win OS) and he's playing on Switch?

I don't like the multiplayer experience on Switch (my son plays Minecraft on Switch on our big screen TV).

I'd like to join his games from my computer. Is this possible? If so, how can I do it?

I've tried to sort out all of the different ways to do this but I get sort of confused with Bedrock. And apparently online multiplayer on Minecraft means purchasing a subscription?

I myself like Minecraft and have played it a ton on Wii U. I would like to try Minecraft on PC because Wii U doesn't really support redstone all that much (my contraptions only work about half of the time).

However, it would be good enough for me to be able to play with my son online on separate screens, me on PC, him on the Switch.

I've actually thought about buying a Switch for myself so I can more easily play using WiFi mode, but that's C$400 I don't have at the moment.

Thanks in advance!

posted by JamesBay to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

You need the Bedrock version for both devices... the Windows 10 version comes from the Windows Apps Store, the Java version won't work for this.

You'll need a separate Xbox Live account for each person who's going to play, then add each other in the Friends tab. You don't need to sign up for a server subscription if you're just going to play locally.

When your son logs into his world, you should see it in the Friends tab.
posted by Huck500 at 12:42 PM on January 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

I'm not sure Huck500's response is accurate for Switch, it seems accurate for XBox and PC though.
According to this reddit thread from late November 2018, the responses seem to indicate Switch doesn't support cross-platform LAN play like XBox does. Switches can play with other Switches, and Switch sounds like it can connect to official servers where any Bedrock Edition of minecraft can cross-play (excluding PS4). Official servers do cost money. Hopefully Huck is right and my information isn't though.
posted by Green With You at 12:56 PM on January 13, 2019

Response by poster: Huck500, Thanks! The Bedrock version on Win OS was confusing me. So, to recap:

1) Install Bedrock on my Win PC
2) Create an XBox live account for me
3) Login to Bedrock and choose "play online" (or something); wait
3) My son fires up MC on his Switch, chooses "play online" (or something)
4) Looks for me in "friends"
5) We play a new world; as well, we do these steps, but login one of us logs in to our own world and invites the other in "friends"

Is this all correct?

Also: does online play require purchasing an additional subscription of some kind?
posted by JamesBay at 1:00 PM on January 13, 2019

Response by poster: > Switches can play with other Switches, and Switch sounds like it can connect to official servers where any Bedrock Edition of minecraft can cross-play (excluding PS4). Official servers do cost money.

My son, 9, said "it costs money", although he's hazy on the details. Just trying to figure out who purchases a subscription. I guess if it's both of us it's not too big a deal, since I think the annual subscription is ten bucks or something like that.
posted by JamesBay at 1:02 PM on January 13, 2019

I can't verify that this works at the moment, but if you both log in with separate accounts and one of you enters a world, you should be able to go to the friends tab and join them.

The world can be changed to a multiplayer world (if it's not by default) by clicking on the edit button and choosing Multiplayer, maybe changing the Microsoft Account Settings to Friends Only.

You shouldn't need a subscription for local multiplayer, but I can't verify that right now... there's some conflicting information about needing a Nintendo Online account on the switch.
posted by Huck500 at 1:26 PM on January 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

Just an update, I successfully created a new Xbox Live ID and joined a world with myself on my switch... I did it with an Android device, but it should work with any Bedrock version of the game. Actually joining a game seems kind of janky, but if I got into a multiplayer world on the Switch and then paused, I could see my other account on the top right and send an invite. I do have Nintendo Online so I'm not sure if that's necessary, but doesn't hurt to try. I don't have any paid realms.
posted by Huck500 at 1:53 PM on January 13, 2019 [1 favorite]