How much is Minecraft Realms?
According to minecraft.net, Realms for Bedrock costs $3.99 a month (you + 2 friends), Realms Plus $7.99 a month (you + 10 friends), and Realms for Java $7.99 a month (you + 10 friends). Only the owner pays – the friends you invite join for free.
| Plan | Edition | Price (USD / month) | Players at once | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Realms | Bedrock | $3.99 | You + 2 | – |
| Realms Plus | Bedrock | $7.99 | You + 10 | Rotating catalog of Marketplace content |
| Realms for Java | Java | $7.99 | You + 10 | – |
Prices as listed on the official minecraft.net site in October 2026. Prices in other currencies depend on the country and the store (Microsoft Store, PlayStation Store, Nintendo eShop, Google Play, App Store), and Mojang can change them, so check the price in the game before you subscribe.
Bedrock and Java Realms are separate: a Bedrock Realm only accepts Bedrock players, a Java Realm only Java players.
What do you get with Realms Plus?
Realms Plus is a Bedrock Realm for up to 11 people at once (you + 10) bundled with access to a catalog of Marketplace content – worlds, skin packs, texture packs and mash-ups – that you can use while you're subscribed. The catalog rotates, so individual items can come and go.
What every Realm gives you:
- Always online – the Realm runs on Mojang's servers even when you're offline, so friends can play any time.
- Works on consoles out of the box – everyone joins from the "Realms" tab or by an invite link, on Xbox, PlayStation and Switch too. No addresses, no ports.
- No setup – you don't install, update or configure anything; Mojang keeps the Realm on the current version.
What can't you do on Realms?
Realms trades control for simplicity: there's no access to server files, no server console and no server.properties, and the number of players online is capped by your plan. For many groups that's fine – until it isn't.
Typical limits people run into:
- Player cap – 3 or 11 people online at once, depending on the plan. A bigger friend group or a small community won't fit.
- No file access – you can't edit
server.properties,permissions.jsonor the world folders, and you can't install addons the way you would on a dedicated server (uploading behavior and resource packs and enabling them in JSON files). - No server console – you manage everything through in-game menus.
- No choice of location – you can't pick where the Realm is hosted.
- Ongoing subscription – stop paying and the Realm stops running.
Realms vs your own Bedrock server: which is better?
Realms is the better pick for a few friends on consoles who just want to play; your own Bedrock server wins once you need more players, addons, file access or a server location close to your group.
| Realms / Realms Plus | Own Bedrock server (hosting) | |
|---|---|---|
| Players online at once | 3 or 11 | You set max-players; RAM is the real limit |
| Online 24/7 | Yes | Yes |
| Joining from consoles | Native, from the "Realms" tab | Through a friend or a DNS workaround |
| Joining from phone / Windows | Native | "Add Server" with address and port |
| Addons (behavior/resource packs) | Mostly Marketplace content | Any pack you upload |
Files, server.properties, console |
No | Full access |
| Backups | Managed by Mojang | Nightly automatic + manual, restore yourself |
| Server location | Not your choice | You pick it |
| Price | $3.99–$7.99 / month (USD) | On Spot.gg from $3.90 / month |
The one real advantage Realms has over any dedicated server is console joining. Consoles have no "Add Server" button, so on a dedicated server console players either join through a friend who's already on the server or use a DNS workaround – both explained in how to join a Minecraft server on Xbox, PS5 and Switch. If your whole group is on consoles and nobody wants to deal with that, Realms is honestly the easier choice.
Is Minecraft Realms worth it?
Realms is worth it for up to 3 or 11 players who play vanilla Bedrock, mostly on consoles, and don't want to touch any settings. It's not worth it if you're regularly hitting the player cap, want addons outside the Marketplace, or need to fix things through files and the console.
Choose Realms if:
- you're a family or a small friend group, mostly on Xbox, PlayStation or Switch,
- you play vanilla or with Marketplace content,
- you want zero setup.
Choose your own server if:
- more than 11 people want to be online at the same time,
- you want custom addons, your own world settings or a server for a Discord community,
- you want full backups you can restore yourself and access to every file,
- players are spread out and you want a server location near them.
How much does your own Bedrock server cost?
On Spot.gg a Minecraft Bedrock server costs from $3.90 a month with 2 GB of RAM, and $5.99 with 4 GB; the first 24 hours are free, with no card. Bedrock Dedicated Server is light, so 2 GB is enough for a few friends; with more players, a big world or several addons, go for 4 GB or more.
| Server | RAM (rough guide) | Price on Spot.gg |
|---|---|---|
| 2–5 players, no addons | 2 GB | $3.90 / month |
| 5–10 players or a few addons | 4 GB | $5.99 / month |
| Bigger group, large long-running world | 6 GB and up | see the Minecraft Bedrock hosting page |
You can change RAM and disk up or down later. Paid servers get an automatic backup every night, and you can make a manual backup any time in the "Backup" tab.
How do you move a Realm world to your own server?
Download the Realm world to your device, export it as an .mcworld file, then upload and unpack it into the server's worlds folder. Exporting works on Windows, Android and iOS; on consoles there's no export, so do this from a phone or PC signed in to the Realm owner's account.
- In the game, open the "Realms" tab, click the pencil icon next to your Realm and use the option to download the world ("Download World"). It appears in your local worlds.
- Next to the downloaded world, click the pencil icon and choose "Export World". You'll get an
.mcworldfile. - Rename the file from
.mcworldto.zip– it's a regular ZIP archive. - On Spot.gg, stop the server, open "Files" →
worlds, create a folder for the world (for examplerealm) and upload the.zipinto it. - Click "Extract" on the archive. The folder should now contain
level.datand thedbfolder directly inside it, not in another subfolder. - In
server.properties(in "Files"), setlevel-nameto the name of that folder (hererealm) and start the server.
If the server starts with an empty world, level-name doesn't match the folder name or the files ended up one level too deep. Worlds that use Marketplace content may not work fully on a dedicated server, because that content is tied to the subscription and the account that owns it.
FAQ
How much is Minecraft Realms per month?
According to minecraft.net (October 2026): $3.99 for Realms on Bedrock (you + 2), $7.99 for Realms Plus on Bedrock (you + 10) and $7.99 for Realms on Java (you + 10). Local prices depend on the store and country.
Do my friends have to pay for Realms?
No. Only the Realm owner pays the subscription. Invited friends join for free, as long as they have the right edition of the game and a Microsoft account.
How many players can join a Realm?
At once: you + 2 on basic Bedrock Realms, you + 10 on Realms Plus and on Java Realms. On your own server, the limit is max-players in server.properties and, in practice, the server's RAM.
Can I use addons on Realms?
Realms Plus includes Marketplace content. You don't get access to the Realm's files, so you can't install packs the way you do on a dedicated server, where you upload behavior and resource packs into the world folder and enable them in JSON files.
Is a Bedrock server cheaper than Realms?
It depends on the group. For 2–3 people, basic Realms is hard to beat on price. For a bigger group or addons, a server from $3.90 / month on Spot.gg gives you more players, full file access and backups you can restore yourself.
Can console players join my own Bedrock server?
Yes, but not with an "Add Server" button – consoles don't have one. They join through a friend who's already on the server or use a DNS workaround such as BedrockConnect. On Realms, consoles join natively.