Top 5 differences between Minecraft Bedrock and Java in 2024

One of the most unique parts of Minecraft is that there are two completely different versions of the game being maintained by Mojang. The original version of the title, now known as Java Edition, was made by Notch. Bedrock, on the other hand, is a more modern version, created using Pocket Edition as a base after Microsoft purchased Mojang.

While both of these versions might be named Minecraft, they're very distinct from one another. This article lists five of the biggest differences between Bedrock and Java.

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Biggest differences between Minecraft Bedrock and Java as of 2024

5) Player information

Java Edition's debug screen (Image via Mojang)

One of the most powerful features that Java Edition survival players have access to is Minecraft's debug screen. This menu allows players to see useful information, such as a specific biome, local light level and difficulty, coordinates, and directional facing.

Unfortunately, Bedrock players don't have access to almost any of this information. The most that can be enabled from within a world's settings menus is the player's coordinates and a day counter. While coordinates are one of the most important pieces of information, local light level and specific biome are also very handy.

Lacking this information makes it much harder to build the same sorts of efficient Minecraft farms on Bedrock as on Java, which is why it's the fifth biggest difference between them.

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4) Crossplay

Crossplay between consoles is easy on Bedrock (Images via Nintendo and Microsoft)

Multiplayer is one of the best aspects of Minecraft. Solo survival is fun, but playing with friends on a server, be it a survival, roleplay, or minigame server, is always a great way to kill time. This is what makes Bedrock's access to crossplay such a major difference between the two editions of the game.

Since all versions of Bedrock are exactly the same in terms of gameplay features, they can all play together. This means that players on Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Xbox, and Windows PC can all play together. Meanwhile, Java players can only play with other Java users.

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3) Hosting private games

The multiplayer settings on a world in Bedrock (Image via Mojang)

Another huge difference in multiplayer between Bedrock and Java Editions is how easy it is to play privately with friends.

Bedrock players only need to switch a multiplayer toggle in their Minecraft settings and then invite friends. Meanwhile, Java Edition players need to find the most recent server jar, set up a batch file to run it with the proper settings, and open up a router port to allow friends to connect. It's a much more technical process, which makes multiplayer much more of a hassle on Java.

This fundamental difficulty in accessing such an important part of the game is what lands this difference so high on the list.

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2) Redstone

Minecraft redstone is one of the most important systems in the game. It allows players to automate the sorting and storage of items, the gathering of resources, and many other miscellaneous useful things. This is why it's so surprising that redstone is so different between the two versions of the title.

The biggest example of how redstone is different is quasi-connectivity. This is a Java-exclusive bug-turned-feautre that allows pistons, dispensers, and droppers to be powered by anything that would power the block above them. It does not matter what that block actually is. This has formed the backbone of much of Java redstone and allows for more compact and complex machines.

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1) Optimization

Java users tend to run lower render distances due to differences in optimization (Image via Mojang)

By far, the biggest difference between Java and Bedrock is their level of optimization. Java Edition runs quite poorly, at least by default, while Bedrock runs much better and is able to run on consoles and mobile devices as well as PCs.

However, Java Edition can actually be improved using optimization Minecraft mods, at which point it will run much better than Bedrock.

What makes this the biggest difference between Java and Bedrock is that it demonstrates just how totally unique the two versions are. They may share a name, visuals, and many features, but their DNA is incredibly different, which ends up making them entirely different games. It also shows off just how powerful Java's access to mods is when it comes to making up for the title's shortcomings.