When did Minecraft Pocket Edition come out?

Minecraft is almost as old as some of its player base, especially the newer ones. Released on May 17, 2009, it has been continuously updated to become what it is today. Since then, the game has expanded to become available on almost all platforms and devices.

One of the most played editions of the game is the Pocket Edition, which was released on August 16, 2011, for Xperia Play, October 7, 2011, for all other Android devices, and on November 17, 2011, for iOS/iPadOS.

In this article, we delve into the detailed history of Minecraft Pocket Edition and how to get it.

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Minecraft Pocket Edition release dates and more

In the early- and mid-2010s, when multiplayer gaming was not as popular, Minecraft quickly became one of the most played single-player games. Offering a huge world with a variety of features, it was the perfect game to play casually and have fun with friends and family.

With the release of the highly successful Pocket Edition in 2011, the game became available to a wider audience. Since the game demanded minimal resources and was enjoyable even at low frame rates, it gradually became one of the best games to play on a phone.

Pocket Edition is primarily the same game as the regular Bedrock Edition available on Windows PCs. The name "Pocket Edition" was given because it was designed for handheld devices that could fit in anyone's pockets.

Following the Android and iOS releases, the success led the developers to release the Pocket Edition for more handheld devices. Here’s a list of the release dates for Pocket Edition on other devices:

• Fire OS: September 13, 2012
• Windows Phone 8.1: December 10, 2014
• Windows 10 Mobile: February 22, 2017
• ChromeOS: September, 2016

Not too long ago, the game was renamed on all handheld devices to remove the "Pocket Edition" designation. This change was aptly made, as the existence of two names for the same game became a cause of confusion for many users.

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How to get Minecraft on portable devices

Here are the detailed steps for getting Pocket Edition on some of the more popular devices:

Android/iOS:

• Open the Google Play Store on Android or the Apple App Store on iOS/iPadOS.
• Search for Minecraft.
• The game should appear as one of the top results. Purchase the game and let the store download and install it. You may need to enter your device's password.

Nintendo Switch:

• Access the Nintendo eShop.
• Search for Minecraft.
• Select the game from the search results and purchase it.
• Once the transaction is complete, the game will start downloading.

Once downloaded, Nintendo Switch users can launch the game from the home screen.