Minecraft, in all of its different forms and spinoffs, is one of the most popular games of all time. Players of all ages have been enjoying it since its official debut back in 2011. If you or your child have a Chromebook and you’re wondering if you can play Minecraft on it, the answer is yes. Minecraft’s developers and publishers have been working hard to make the title playable on as many different devices as possible, and this includes Chromebooks. There are a couple of ways to get Minecraft running on a Chromebook.
READ MORE: The best Chromebooks you can buy
QUICK ANSWER
You can run Minecraft on a Chromebook by installing Minecraft: Education Edition from the Google Play Store or installing PojavLauncher from the Play Store to run the full version. Alternatively, you can install Minecraft Java Edition using the Linux app support in Chrome OS.
JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS
Installing Minecraft: Education Edition from Google Play Store
Many Chromebooks support running Android apps through the Google Play Store. Chromebooks released in and after 2017 support Android apps directly. Some older Chromebooks have also got the feature via updates. We have a complete guide to running Android apps on a Chromebook, but we will include the basic steps in the instructions below.
As of now, the Android version of the full Minecraft game isn’t available for Chromebooks. However, you can download and install Minecraft: Education Edition on your Chromebook from the Play Store. It’s not the same, but it is a more student-centric version of the game. You will need a subscription through the education email address to run this version post-installation.
Before you start, make sure your Chromebook has the latest version of Chrome OS. Open the Settings app by clicking the time at the right bottom corner of the screen, on the status bar, and clicking the Settings cog.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Select the Apps option. If your Chromebook supports Google Play Store, you will see the option listed on the Apps screen. Click the Turn on button next to the Google Play Store option.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Open the Google Play Store from the dock/taskbar or via search. Look for Minecraft: Education Edition by searching for it. Click on the Install button.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
It’ll take some time, but Minecraft: Education Edition will eventually finish installing. Launch it by clicking the Open button on the Play Store screen. You can also open it by looking for it in search.
HOOK IT UP: How to connect a Chromebook to a monitor
Using Linux app support to install Minecraft Java Edition
Joe Hindy / Android Authority
This is the Minecraft Java Edition for Linux and will only work on x86 systems. If you have an ARM-based Chromebook, this method will not work for you. Also, note that your Chromebook will need to support Linux apps for this method to work.
Open the Settings app on your Chromebook and open the advanced settings by clicking the Advanced tab in the left navigation pane. Click the Developers tab under advanced settings. There will be a tab that says Linux development environment in the right pane. Click the Turn on button under it.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
An installation window will show up. Click Next. Select the disk size according to your preference on the following screen and click Install.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
It will take some time, but the installation will finish, and a terminal window will open. Update your Linux environment to the latest version by typing in the command below. Hit Enter once you type it in.
Code
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Head over to the Minecraft downloads page, and download the Debian / Ubuntu version by clicking on Minecraft.deb. Find it in your Downloads folder and copy the file by pressing Ctrl + C or right-click and Copy.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Open the Linux files folder from the left navigation pane, and paste it into the folder. Double-click the file to run.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
In the window that appears, click Install. It’ll take a few seconds, and the installation will finish. Click OK to close the window.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Look for Minecraft Launcher in the search tab, and click it to launch. You can then log in with your Minecraft account and start playing.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Installing Minecraft using PojavLauncher (ARM and x86)
Curtis Joe / Android Authority
If your Chromebook has an ARM chipset, i.e., it runs on a CPU not from Intel or AMD, the Linux method will not work for you. In that case, you will need to install PojavLauncher, which helps run the Android version of Minecraft on ARM-based and x86-based Chromebooks.
Open the Settings app on your Chromebook by clicking on the time at the right bottom corner of the screen, on the status bar, and clicking the Settings icon.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Click on the Apps tab. If your Chromebook supports Google Play Store, you will see the option listed on the Apps screen. Click the Turn on button next to the Google Play Store option.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Open the Google Play Store from the dock/taskbar or via search. Search for PojavLauncher, and open it in the Play Store by clicking on the search result. Click the Install button.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Once installed, run PojavLauncher. Grant it storage permission when prompted.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
It will download and install the files needed to run Minecraft and then give you the option to log in to Minecraft.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
FAQs
It depends upon the kind of Chromebook you have, but most Chromebooks will be able to play Minecraft at 30 FPS at an acceptable resolution.
The Android version of Minecraft, also known as Minecraft Pocket Edition, is the bedrock version. It can be run on Chromebooks using PojavLauncher, even though the official Minecraft Pocket Edition app is unavailable.
Minecraft is a paid game, so there’s no legal way to get it for free. All these methods will ask you to log in to a Minecraft account that already has a purchase associated with it.
