Minecraft For Chromebooks Exits Early Access - Here Are The Machines It'll Run On
It's only a slight exaggeration to say that "Minecraft" is one of the most ubiquitous video games ever made. You name a modern platform, you can play "Minecraft" on it, and if you can't, the odds are good you'll be able to play it sooner or later. Case in point, as of today, the Chromebook build of "Minecraft" has officially exited its early access period, providing one more personal computing device you can play the game on.
"Minecraft" is now available natively via the Google Play store on Chromebook devices. Instead of using third-party software to run the Android version of the game, you can download and play it normally. Specifically, it's "Minecraft: Bedrock Edition," the same base version of "Minecraft" that's playable on every other platform, with cross-platform play fully supported. There are no tangible differences between the Chromebook version of "Minecraft" and any other version, as it also includes the most recent "Trails & Tales" update. The only thing you'll need to remember is if you have a world going in a different version of "Minecraft," you will need to start up a new world when you begin the Chromebook version.
Recommended specs
As with any video game, if you want to play "Minecraft" on your Chromebook device, its components must be sufficiently powerful. That said, "Minecraft," at least at its lowest settings, has never been a prohibitively advanced game, so even some older Chromebooks should be able to run it.
According to "Minecraft's" official Chromebook FAQ, the recommended specs for an ideal performance include one of the following processors: AMD Ryzen 3 3250C, Intel Celeron N4500, Intel i3-7130U, Mediatek Kompanio 500 (MT8183), or Qualcomm SC7180. Additionally, you'll need 4 GB of RAM and at least 1 GB of storage for installation. If you don't meet the recommended specs, you still may meet the minimum specs if you have an AMD A4-9120C, Intel Celeron N4000, Intel 3865U, or Intel m3-8100Y processor. Either way, you'll need to run the latest version of ChromeOS, version 111.
Those of you who were already playing the Android version of "Minecraft" on a Chromebook can upgrade to the Chromebook version for $13.00 USD. If you don't have the Android version, you will need to pay $19.99 to get the Chromebook version, though you will also get the Android version with it.