Today I would like to introduce to you Minecraft Realms. I am going to explain to you how it works, what is the current price. How does it work with mods, also if you can get them for free? How it works on Xbox One, and I would like to say a few words about the rumors of a free trial. Everything about this service. And in the end, I am going to give you my honest review.
I know that this is not a fun part to begin with. But this has been lately the most asked question surrounding this topic. So what have the current Minecraft Realms cost? Well, that depends. Each platform on which you can play Minecraft is slightly different. But right below this, I will post pricing. And if you skip a few paragraphs, I will talk about the free trials and if there is an option to play for free.
Minecraft realms price for the regular version
Unlike the Java edition, you have only two options.
Two Friends [3 players in total]
Ten Friends [11 players in total]
Unlike Java edition, here are only these two options. If you are not sure about how many friends you are going to end up playing, I would advise you to get the package for two friends. You can invite a lot more of them, but only two of them will be able to play at the same time. You can always cancel your subscription, and next month, buy the one for ten friends.
Realms cost for Java Edition
In Java edition, all the subscription will allow you to play with ten other players or less. They have four different subscription plans.
Recurring monthly
One time charge for 30 days
One time charge for 90 days
One time charge for180 days
The cheapest subscription, if you calculate it for each month, is the one time charge for 180 days. But the price difference between monthly recurring subscription and the 180 days one is almost nothing. For the recurring subscription, you are going to pay €7.19 monthly. And for the 180 days package, you are going to pay €7.165. But unlike the recurring subscription, which you can cancel any time you like, you won’t be able to cancel the 180 days subscription. With that being said, I am going to make an easy peasy call and recommend you the recurring monthly membership. It is pretty much the best price possible, and it has the best terms because you can cancel any time you want.
Which version do I have? Regular or Java?
If you are playing on your smartphone or Xbox One or PS and newly windows 10, you have the regular version of Minecraft. But if you are playing on PC with different windows than win 10, Mac and also Linux, you are playing Minecraft: Java Edition. So choose your Realms subscription accordingly to the version of Minecraft you are playing!
What are Realms?
For those of you who have no idea what this is, I am going to explain what these Realms are briefly. Realms are Minecraft servers, which are run by Microsoft, and on these servers, depending on the package you bought, you can play with two other players or up to ten different players. Your world will be accessible online, even when you are offline.
These servers are the most secured ones on there. Only people that can join the server other than you are the ones you have invited to the world. Why buy this subscription? These servers have the best uptime stats I have ever seen, and you can play on this server the way you like. You can create whatever you want and with whoever you want. And you don’t have to worry if the server is going to be accessible or not also if you are going to lose your progress or not.
Are Minecraft realms free of any charge, is it possible?
When you are on the Minecraft realms page, it shows you that you have on java edition and also the regular one option of a free trial. But these buttons are outdated. Since I have tried from my home IP and also from other countries, and I have never been offered a free trial. And trust me, I have clicked all the links. I have also done my research for this. And so far, there has been zero information about free trials in the year 2019. But there is a way how to play on realms for free.
Who can play Minecraft Realms Free of charge
Basically, everyone but the owner of the Realm can play for free. The only person who has to pay the realm subscription is the owner. All the other players, who were invited to the server, don’t have to pay anything.
Minecraft realms mods policy
Unfortunately, at this time, these servers are not supporting any mods or what so ever. Their servers have a vast collection of custom worlds from other Realm Minecraft players. But if you would like to mod your own Minecraft world with other players or your friends, you will have to look at other alternatives. There are countless of other providers who can sell you a Minecraft server, but none of them are held to the Realm standard. So you have to decide what is essential for you too. Either it is going to be the quality of the server or the option to use mods.
Yes, Realms are not for free. But private Minecraft servers are also not free. And let’s be honest here. Microsoft provides Realms and lets me tell you. They have the best customer support, and most probably, they are offering the best connection possible, unlike their alternatives.
My Review
I have been using Minecraft Realms with my friends for quite a while. Before we found out about this, we have been using several other companies that have provided servers for this game. But truth to be told. They were not up 24/7. We have experienced lags and even worse things. And I can’t say that all other providers of serves for this game are bad, but most of them are. They are there to made money from this. And they don’t care about the players. But I can’t say that about Microsoft. Ever since we switched to Realms, all of the headaches went away. I don’t worry anymore, that we might lose all the data. Or why I can connect and friend of mine can’t.
The other benefit of this is that these servers are made and optimized for Minecraft client alone. Everything from uploading the world, or customizing things is super easy, and there is almost anything that you can do wrong. Unlike setting up your server or editing one, which is stressful, and it usually does not end up the way you like.
Is there a downside? Yes, there is. I have talked about this briefly in the beginning. The sad part is that you cant use mods, and so far, there has been zero support from Microsoft about mods. Modifications are a big part of Minecraft, but they are yet not available at these servers, and there is a good chance that they also won’t be in 2020.
And I almost forgot to mention, the best part about having your Realm is that only people you have invited can play. You can invite up to two hundred other gamers or your friends. But only ten of them can play at the same time. If you want to remove one of those gamers, you will be able to remove the players quickly and block him from connecting again. All of this is user-friendly. And one last thing I would like to mention, your server is automatically backed up for safety, so no more worrying is needed when using this service.
Minecraft Realms FAQ
I am going to answer here frequently asked questions surrounding Minecraft Realms. If your question was not answered in this article nor this FAQ, please contact me, I will try to help you.
Do I need any specific settings to play Realms?
Yes, but only if you have a child account. For those players who have child accounts, need their parents to consent to play in Realms. You will need to set up in your account that you can join multiplayer games and also that you can create and join clubs, both of these options have to be allowed.
What are these clubs?
Think of it as a facebook group. The club is an online meeting point of members of your Realm. You can share posts, videos, photos, even comments. Each club is automatically created with your Realm. But for players of Minecraft Jave Edition, I have quite some bad news. Clubs are not available in your version, unfortunately.
How can you add friends to clubs?
All of the players, who were invited to the Realm, are automatically added to the club.
I am playing on Windows 10, what version of Realms I have to buy?
I have discussed this earlier. But that will depend on the edition of the game you are playing. If you have bought your Minecraft through Windows 10 store, you will need to buy Minecraft Realms. But if you have purchased Minecraft if Java Edition, you will need to go to the minecraft.net and order reals for Minecraft Java Edition.
Can I join realms with an older version?
Unfortunately, no, you have to run the most recent update of Minecraft to play on Realms. And snapshot releases are also not supported by Realms.
Can I upload or export map?
Yes, you can do both. Exporting Minecraft maps from Realms is quite easy, and you can download the map any time until your subscription expires. A few months ago, you were still able to download the world even after the subscription has expired. But I have not tested it again yet, so if you are going to risk this, it is your own risk. But probably you will still be able to do this since after you renew your Realm, you should have access again to your worlds.
Uploading maps have few restrictions. But they are not that serious. You won’t be able to upload a map that has 5Gb or more. Other than that, you can upload almost anything. If you want to use a world template from the marketplace, you can. But you should create a new world with that template. And that upload that world to your Minecraft Realm.
My last thoughts
What I love about this is the cross-platform playing. This is a real step up for Microsoft. For years we were limited by the console or the pc, but now we can play across several platforms, which makes this a lot more fun. I think that this is a step forward for Microsoft and gaming in general. Yes, Minecraft Realms are missing moderation and also some tools to admin the server. But this is an outstanding service, and the truly one mistake that it has is the missing of modding. This is a massive part of this game. Hopefully, they will add mods in the future.
