Mojang offers more free copies of Minecraft on Windows 10 for Java Edition owners

By Zachary Boddy
last updated

The more Minecraft, the better.

Minecraft tower
Minecraft tower (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Minecraft is a massive open world sandbox available on many platforms.
  • Windows 10 has the legacy Java Edition as well as the modern Bedrock Edition.
  • If you bought the Java Edition before October 19, 2018, you can redeem a free copy of the Bedrock Edition.
  • You can also buy the Windows 10 edition directly from Microsoft for $20. (opens in new tab)

Mojang came out on Twitter today to gently announce some surprising, yet welcome news. For those of you who bought the Java Edition of Minecraft before October 19, 2018, you can once again redeem a free copy of the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft on Windows 10 just by logging into your account. There may be a limited number of free copies available this time around, so make sure to take advantage of this quickly if you missed it the first time around.

If you're not sure how to redeem your free copy, we've outlined all the steps in our quick guide here. Just a couple minutes of your time could make you the proud owner of yet another copy of Minecraft.

Minecraft: Bedrock Edition is the modern foundation that almost all versions of Minecraft are now built upon today. While the Java Edition on PC is still a great place to play Minecraft and has fantastic features like full mod support, it does miss out on some of the best things about the Bedrock Edition. Those playing the Bedrock Edition get full multiplayer support with players from other platforms, or Realms and private servers, and play a more efficient game that looks and plays the same everywhere.

Minecraft Bedrock EditionAvailable everywhere

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Minecraft

A game you can play anywhere with anyone.

The only thing that could make Minecraft even better is if you could play it in more places. Wait, you can? That's right because Minecraft is available on almost every platform imaginable like Xbox, Windows 10, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. Get it everywhere, play it anywhere.

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.

3 Comments
  • I can see wanting to redeem the copy. I can't see the Java edition players wanting to switch though. Mojang at some point wants to stop supporting Java though.
  • I don't think there's any intention to fully stop supporting the Java Edition in the future. It still holds an important place in the Minecraft lineup. But the Bedrock can evolve and change in ways the Java Edition just can't. No reason to not play both!
  • Keep also in mind: Java can do many things that Bedrock cannot as well.
    More than just mods.
    In Bedrock, you cannot freely make your own skins, textures, sounds, language files, models, datapacks, loot tables, shaders, etc. and freely distribute them.
    There is also the multiplayer diversity in servers through the Java edition!
    There are also many features exclusive to Java now.
    There are a load of issues also with Bedrock, especially with Redstone.
    Or on Multiplayer servers, there's a lack of chat capabilities.
    Many other downsides too, but thr point is, Bedrock is not superior.
    It's simply removing the control from the user to the company. Am I biased? Yep. Java 4evah!