How to download the Minecraft Beta: Step-by-step guide

Joining the Beta for Minecraft essentially means that the player will be directly contributing to the game's development. In addition to receiving and experiencing a tonne of new content in Minecraft, players can provide direct feedback to Mojang when encountering bugs, glitches, or game crashes.

Many games release Beta versions with planned features for a future update to get direct feedback on their games. Mojang also does the same with Minecraft, and this way, players can experience all the new content ahead of the release.

Minecraft Java Edition's Beta is also often referred to as Snapshots, which are essentially the testing versions of the update. Players can download Snapshots by enabling them in the Minecraft Launcher.

How to download the Minecraft Beta: Step-by-step guide

On Java Edition (PC):

1. Open the Minecraft Launcher
2. Select 'Launch Options'
3. Select 'Enable Snapshots'
4. Select the latest Snapshot by clicking the arrow next to the Play button on the main tab.

On Xbox One/Windows 10:

1. Go to the Store app on Xbox One or a Windows 10 PC.
2. Search for the Xbox Insider Hub app.
3. Download and install Xbox Insider Hub.
4. Launch the Xbox Insider Hub.
5. Navigate to Insider content > Minecraft Beta.
6. Select Join.

On Android:

1. Purchase the game on the Google Play Store.
2. Click the Join Beta link and then click the 'Become a Tester' button.
3. Wait for an update to show up on the Google Play Store.
4. Play the game.

The Beta versions of Minecraft can be extremely rough as the upcoming update is still in development and will probably have a tonne of bugs and glitches. However, it is a good way to gather feedback and let players enjoy new content ahead of time in Minecraft.