While some Minecraft players may remember the days when playing multiplayer took some legwork, Mojang has made playing with friends incredibly simple and accessible since the beta days.

You can play Minecraft solo, but it's much more fun with friends. Here's how to play multiplayer in Minecraft: Java Edition.

Setting up a multiplayer game in Minecraft is a simple process, but it varies slightly based on which platform you're using and the location of other players.

"Minecraft" offers cross-platform play for both versions of the game — Bedrock and Java — but you can only play with users who own the same version.

Rather than enrolling in a dedicated beta program, Minecraft: Java Edition allows you to select a slice of pre-release software for you to try.