Crossplay is available to Minecraft players on any console. However, it has its limitations. Console players can typically only connect to sponsored servers, Minecraft realms, or by connecting to games created by people on their friend list. Luckily, it is possible to get around these limitations and connect to any server you want with a little bit of extra work. Server owners can also go the extra mile and set up their Java server to allow anyone to connect regardless of version or console. Here's our guide to connecting to any server with any console. Also, how to set your own server to allow crossplay.
Connecting via Xbox
Console players may find it difficult to connect to a server hosted elsewhere. You will need trick your console to allow you to connect to the server. Close any games you are currently running on your console and open up your network settings.
From your network settings, enter the advanced settings window then click on the DNS settings option. Next, change the IPv4 DNS Settings to Manual. This will take you to a screen where you can enter a new Primary DNS. Change the numbers to 104.238.130.180. Then confirm the change. You will be taken on to another screen to configure Secondary DNS. Confirm by setting the numbers in the boxes to either 1.1.1. or 8.8.8.8. To get a good connection to your server, you may need to switch between the Secondary DNS options several times.
Go ahead and restart your console and open up Minecraft. Navigate to the Server List in Minecraft. Click on any server that has the message "Join To Open Server List" below its name. It doesn't matter which one you choose. Instead of joining the server you chose, you will be taken to a new screen with several options. You can choose the Connect to a server option at the top. The screen will allow you to enter the IP address or port of the server that you want to join. We recommend you enable the Add server list option to save time and allow you to join again later.
Connecting via Nintendo Switch
You will need to trick your Switch to connect to the server, just like with the Xbox version. Hanma's blog Log out of your Microsoft account to open Minecraft. Once you have logged out, close the game and open your Switch's connection settings. Click on the Change Settings option to select the WiFi network that you wish to connect to the server.
Scroll down to DNS Settings in the network settings screen. You can change the setting from Automatic to Manual. This will open the settings menu with two new options. Change the Primary DNS setting for 104.238.130.180, and the Secondary DNS setting for 1.1.1.1 and 8.8.8.8.8. You may need to switch between these two Secondary DNS numbers if you are having trouble connecting. Save these settings and start up Minecraft.
After Minecraft has been loaded on your Switch's screen, log back into Microsoft. Once you have logged in, you'll be able open Multiplayer and navigate to the Server List. You can click on any server that's available. It doesn’t matter which one.
Instead of connecting to the server that you have chosen, you will see a new menu with many options. Click on the top option, Connect to Server. You will be able add the IP address and port number for the server you want. We recommend that you enable the Add to Server List option so that you don't have to enter this information every time you want join.
This process is notoriously picky. You may have to switch the Secondary DNS numbers around, log in and out of your Microsoft account, or try clicking on some of the other server options first before you can finally connect.
Connecting via PlayStation
Sony has made it extremely difficult to connect non-sponsored Bedrock servers. You will need to set up a LAN on another device, preferably a PC, in order to do this. You will need to download and run Phantom on a PC connected to the same network as your PlayStation. You can download Phantom to your desktop and then open a command prompt. To do this, hit Windows + X to open a context menu with the command promp option or search for it in the search bar on your computer.
Drag the Phantom software from earlier into the command prompt and hit the enter key. This will get the software started. To automatically fill the prompt, use the up-arrow key on the keyboard or drag the software to the command prompt. This time, instead of hitting enter and running the command, you need to add a space, then type in the IP and port of the server you want to join and press enter. The IP and port must be connected to a colon for the software to work. The command should look something like this: "...\Desktop\phantom (1).exe" play.gamepur.com:25565
After setting up Phantom on your PC you can connect to it with your PlayStation. Open Minecraft and go to the Friends tab. Scroll down to the end of the list. You will see a LAN Game called Remote Server. Click on the LAN Game to join the server you want to play on.
Crossplay Server Configuration
Paper
To allow anyone to join your server, regardless of version and console, you will need to be able to install a few plugins. You will need a server API capable of running these plugins in order to install them. For your server to be able to run, we recommend the latest version Paper. Paper is a fork of Spigot (which is itself a fork of Bukkit) that is designed to cut down on server lag, increase performance, and create a stable platform for large communities, while still running all of the plugins available for other Bukkit forks. It can be easily optimized to ensure your server runs as smoothly as possible.
Installing Paper will depend on how you are hosting your server. Shockbyte or Apex can assist you with installation and will also have guides to help you. You can also set it up on your own computer.
Geyser and Floodgate
Geyser and Floodgate will be essential for any server wanting to enable crossplay. The plugins allow players from Bedrock to join a Java-based server and make use if any plugins they have installed. Geyser allows players access the server without any setup. Floodgate handles player authentication, allowing more people to join the server without having to set up any accounts with Microsoft or Mojang.
It is easy to set Geyser and Floodgate up. Download the plugins via GeyserMC. Drag the.jar files to your server's plug-ins folder. To generate the configuration files, restart the server. These files will need to be edited slightly in order for other players to join the server via Bedrock. If you aren't comfortable with editing the config files yourself, Geyser provides an online editor for the configuration files to make it a little easier. Just be sure to replace the old config files with the new ones you are downloading.
After the server is back up and running, go back to your plugins folder and find the newly created GeyserMC folder. Open it and edit Geyser’s configuration.yml file according to your server's specifications. We recommend that you change Remote port numbers and Bedrock port numbers so they match your server's port. By default, it is 25565. You should also change remote port address from 25565 to 127.0.0.1. Also, change floodgate's authtype.
Once you have made these changes to your config files, you can reboot the server to allow the changes to take place. Any console can now join your server.
ViaVersion/ViaBackwards/ViaRewind
ViaVersion is a very useful set of plugins that every server should have installed, especially if you want to enable crossplay. ViaVersion lets players join the server regardless of whether they are using a different version Minecraft. If your server is running version 1.16.4, players who are still running version 1.13.2 can still play and join. This is especially useful if your server runs an older version and you want players who are using the latest stable release of the software to be connected.
Installing ViaVersion is easy; just download each of the plugin .jars, drop them into your server's plugins folder, and restart the server. Like with all plugins, the server will generate new config files for the plugins when it starts back up and you can make any changes you feel are necessary.