Minecraft, one of the biggest games in the world, with an audience of millions. Loved and adored around the world.
A movie that’s likely given a whole new wave of players an interest in it too. How hard could it be for me to start playing with my son now he’s shown an interest?
Well……apparently way more difficult than pretty much any other game in the world. How on earth is Minecraft so hard to access in 2025?
It took me buying the game 3 times to actually get what I wanted, and whilst not all solely Mincraft issues (Sony have a part to play, too). It’s no wonder the series is worth billions, if everyone is so bewildered about how to actually start playing.
The goal
My goal was simple. Play Minecraft split-screen with my son. He’s become very interested in Minecraft and I’ve been really looking forward to the day arriving where we can start something together.
This was it! Easy.
So, all I wanted was a simple way of playing together in the same world on the PC. He could site on my knee or beside me, and we could go to town on our first proper gaming adventure.
I’m not sure who was more excited, truth be told. But Minecraft was able to stifle that pretty swiftly…..
PC means no split-screen
What? …..Yep.
Aside from the confusion of what version I needed (Java or Bedrock). I then found that you can’t actually do local co-op using split-screen on PC.
I distinctly remember being able to do this on the Xbox 360, something like 15 years ago. You’ll have to pardon me for expecting such a fundamental part of the game being present on the PC version in 2025.
It turns out, you need to work some magic between devices, LAN or Xbox Live and different accounts. All viable, but not for me with my 5 year-old son who doesn’t have his own devices for these things.
I don’t need the hassle of some kind of special trick or multiple devices, just to let him experience the game for the first time. Longer-term, sure. But right now, that’s just ludicrous.
Some quick searches online showed me how problematic this has been for years. So I don’t expect it to be resolved any time soon. But there goes £15 essentially down the drain and no further to being able to achieve the basic goal.
Console is the way
The same searches showing me that PC isn’t the way forward for splitscreen Minecraft play also said the console version is the only way to do it.
You know what? That’s fine. Controllers on the PS5 in the living room, no problem at all. Not happy to have to buy it again, but I’ll take it on the chin, this will be quick and we’ll get going in no time.
Correct…..kind of.
Bought the game in the store on the PS App and set it to download. We collected the PS5 controller and a USB PS4 controller for him to use. Controllers working on the console, all good. Here we go!
“Cannot use PS4 controller for PS5 game”. Ok, if this was Spiderman 2 or something, sure, I get that. But for Minecraft? This isn’t exactly a “PS5 game” is it?
Few attempts, no joy. But…..we’d downloaded and opened the game, so suddenly it’s no longer eligible for refund. Now this is all Sony and the Playstation. But let me tell you, this is the most disappointed I’ve been since I found out I couldn’t do splitscreen on PC.
I’ll wrestle with Sony later, but if you think I’m buying another £60 controller to just play Minecraft, you’re sadly mistaken.
What a joke. There’s nothing the PS4 controller wouldn’t be able to doso far as I can tell.
That’s another £15 if you want to keep count. So 2 copies of the game I can’t use, not useless to me, but useless to achieving a very basic goal. £30 in and nothing to show for it, other than a son growing impatient and concerned they might not be able to play after I’d promised we could.
Switch it up
My only other option is the Nintendo Switch. Of which the version naturally costs more (£20) to run on the worst hardware in the house.
I have controllers, it’s in the TV. We take the plunge.
It worked! We got into Minecraft, together, finally.
Now it runs fine, and it’s going to last us and give us all the anticipated joy. In fact, as he gets older and the console becomes more obselete, I can see him adopting it and making it his own. I’m fine with all of this, happy even.
This is arguably the least optimal combination of game/hardware available to us. But at least we’re in and he had a blast the first time we played. Plus, there’s a free Super Mario world to try which he’s going to love.
Come on, Minecraft
I’m now £50 in the hole to be able to play what I expected to be the single most accessible game in the world. Sure there’s an argument that the bonding and memories are priceless. And he had the time of his life. He’s so excited about what else we can do, and I can see his brain working overtime with excitement.
But how on earth have Microsoft/Mojang been able to get away with this for so long? Why are players so apathetic to it that the standard responses online are “yeah, you can’t do that on PC, you need to buy a console version”?.
I expected this game of all games, to be the most smooth-sailing, easy to access experience. It’s 2025, Minecraft is one of the biggest, most played games in the world.
Yes, Sony screwed me over on the PS5 bit. But if I wasn’t fortunate enough to have had the consoles to hand, our little adventure would have been dead in the water.
Why oh why can’t we local splitscreen on PC? Come on, Minecraft. What are you doing?
Lets not get started on Microsoft accounts, realms and being able to play our world together anywhere else…..My Minecraft experience thus far has been soured by things that just shouldn’t be issues.
What’s the odds things will change any time soon?