Minecraft Bedrock or Java - Which Should You Choose?

The Java and Bedrock editions of Minecraft each have their strengths and weaknesses, and we’d like to explore a few of them here. As a new customer, you might be wondering which would be best for your situation. The Java edition is generally seen as more robust and finished than the bedrock edition, but the bedrock edition also has some features that make it so you can’t substitute one version for the other. Let’s look at some examples.

The Bedrock edition of the game is used on a diverse range of operating systems and devices. This makes the game more portable and, in many ways, more easily accessible than the Java edition. However, users who are interested in modding the game and hosting their own servers for Minecraft generally prefer the Java edition over the bedrock edition.

 

Modding the game can add many new dimensions to the overall experience. Users can apply mods to both the server code and the client code. If a server is modded, the client will generally need to be modded as well in order to avoid compatibility issues. If the client is modded alone, users will generally be able to play by themselves without any issue.

Generally, server mods for the Java edition focus on adding administrative and logging features. The function of the server is to keep track of the game world so that it appears the same for all players. To contrast this, a modded game client can open up many new avenues for extending the game. There are mods that make it easier to edit the world, and people have also added new game mechanics through client modding. If this sort of feature seems appealing to you, the Java edition might be your best option.

Still, there are some drawbacks to the Java client. Some people report that it's too complicated to use. Additionally, setting up a server can be complicated (depending on the method and service used), and this can be frustrating for new players who want to start a game with their friends without investing a lot of time into the process.

This is where the Bedrock edition of Minecraft shines. It natively supports cross-platform gameplay, so you can download the game and immediately hop into a server with your friends. You can also use this feature to play with your friends who have different consoles. If your friend is on a PC and you have a PS4, you will still be able to play with them if you both have the bedrock edition. The disadvantage is the relative lack of server hosts and mods available, so it's a little more limited than the Java edition in terms of customization.

Parents and caregivers for children should also give the bedrock edition extra consideration. It has many of the same in-game features as the Java edition, but it also is the basis for the education edition of the game. The education edition includes various teaching resources that can be taken advantage of inside the classroom. This gives teachers a new avenue to teach concepts that might otherwise be too complicated for children to handle. One primary example of this is pixel art. The game's pixelated art style is very easy to pick up, and some children have had success using the resources provided in the education edition to learn in a new and interesting way.

There are other various features that make the Bedrock edition more desirable. Generally, it has less latency than the Java version. For some players, this can be a big deal. It includes support for resource packs, so you can modify the appearance of the world as much as you would like, and cheats are more readily accessible than they are on the Java version.

Ultimately, the decision is up to you. Generally, the bedrock edition is recommended for parents of small children, but the Java edition is generally seen as more extensible and robust.