Minecraft Unified Launcher is now available, offers access to Minecraft and Minecraft Dungeons on PC

News
By Zachary Boddy
published

No longer will players need two separate launchers to play.

Minecraft Dungeons Unified Launcher
Minecraft Dungeons Unified Launcher (Image credit: Mojang Studios | Twitter)

What you need to know

  • Minecraft: Java Edition and Minecraft Dungeons both have their own launchers that are required on PC.
  • With a new update rolling out today to everyone today, the Minecraft: Java Edition launcher is now unified with Dungeons.
  • That means you can access and play both games from the same launcher, as well as switch between different accounts.
  • The old Minecraft Dungeons launcher can no longer access the game, requiring players to use the Unified Launcher.

Minecraft Dungeons is available on PC alongside other platforms like Xbox, PS4, Switch, and Xbox Cloud Gaming (Project xCloud), and can be accessed through either Xbox Game Pass for PC or its own dedicated launcher. As of today, the latter is no longer an option, as the Minecraft: Java Edition and Minecraft Dungeons launchers are being unified. The Minecraft Unified Launcher is a free update that is finishing its rollout to all players today, and allows players to access both Minecraft: Java Edition and Minecraft Dungeons from the same place, with both Mojang and Microsoft Accounts.

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This change has been available to many people for some time now, but today marks the end of the old Minecraft Dungeons launcher. Starting today, players will no longer be able to play Minecraft Dungeons through the old standalone launcher, and will instead need to use the freshly updated Minecraft Unified Launcher. If you're concerned about other changes being made here, this is what you need to know:

  • Your save files will not be affected. The Minecraft Unified Launcher reads save information from the same place as the old Minecraft Dungeons launcher, so you're Minecraft Dungeons saves will not be affected.
  • You still need to purchase both games separately. If you didn't own one or both games already, or if you're playing Minecraft or Minecraft Dungeons through the Windows 10 / Xbox Game Pass for PC version, this won't affect that. Both games will still need to be purchased and owned through the Minecraft Unified Launcher.
  • You can sign in to your Microsoft and Mojang Accounts. Mojang Studios is migrating all Mojang Accounts to Microsoft Accounts, but the change hasn't happened yet. Until then, you can still sign-in to both accounts to play your games. You'll need to manually switch accounts to play if you purchased one game using your Mojang Account and the other with your Microsoft Account.
  • This update is for the Minecraft: Java Edition launcher. The Minecraft Dungeons launcher is being phased out. If you only had Minecraft Dungeons, you'll need to install the Minecraft Unified Launcher from Mojang Studios' website.

All-in-all, this really doesn't change much for players. That being said, it's still nice to reduce how many launchers are necessary to play our games, and this does continue Mojang Studios' steady effort to merge with all of Microsoft's services and accounts.

If you're playing either of these games on PC, be sure to invest in one of the Best Gaming Headsets for PC.

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Zachary Boddy
Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.