What you need to know about the native PS5 version of Minecraft

One of the things that makes Minecraft so popular and accessible is its many ports to multiple systems. It even made its way to ChromeOS and Apple TV. However, for some reason, there’s never been a native version of the game on PlayStation 5. Until now, that is.

As of yesterday, Mojang Studios has made its gaming behemoth Minecraft available on the console, although it is just a preview for now. In a recent post on the , the developer invites people to check out the PS5 version, which you can access if you have it for PS4 by “navigating to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Preview’ within the game.”

Quite why it’s taken this long to roll out a current-gen version of it on the Sony system is not clear, but it’s here now, and you can enjoy all the same benefits as the Xbox Series port. Well, almost all the benefits.

What you can and can’t do in the PS5 version of Minecraft

Even though it’s just a preview so far, you’ll still get access to Minecraft in its entirety. However, there are some things you won’t have until the final release. For example, Mojang says while there is multiplayer in the PS5 version, there’s no cross-play, except with the PS4. Also, for obvious reasons, you can’t play this port on previous-gen hardware.

However, you can cross-play if you use Realms – the subscription-based servers for Minecraft – which is available on the PlayStation 5 preview. But you don’t have access to the Minecraft Store currently, though you will get the new “Tricky Trials Update” with the download.

Essentially, this is a testing ground for running the game natively on the PS5, which is something the studio does quite often. As such, this particular build is likely to be “unstable” and “not representative of the final version quality.” With these previews, players are encouraged to send feedback and to the developer. As for when the full version will be getting a release, there’s no word on that yet.

Still pulling in millions of players after all this time, Minecraft recently celebrated its 15th birthday. I still remember the first time I played it, not long after it went into beta. It’s been quite the trajectory for the sandbox game that went from a single person’s passion project to dominating the video gaming landscape for the better part of a decade. Maybe its popularity has waned slightly over the years, but I will always find myself back in its blocky world from time to time.