Minecraft is undoubtedly one of the most popular games in the world. After its release, Minecraft birthed a new kind of gaming genre called sandbox games, where players could create, modify, or destroy their environment. And today, you can play a number of sandbox games like Minecraft. For those unaware, Minecraft is available on a multitude of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and the best consoles out there. However, even after many years, the game has not been developed for Google’s Chrome OS. But there is nothing to worry about as Chrome OS now supports Android and Linux. That means you can install and play Minecraft on your Chromebook without much friction. So, let’s go ahead and check out the steps for Minecraft installation on Chromebook.
Before we begin, there are a few things that I want to clarify. You can run Minecraft on Chromebook without enabling Developer Mode in ChromeOS and installing Crouton. Also, you can get it running on the Stable channel. The only thing you should keep in mind is that you need Android or Linux support on your Chromebook.
- Install Minecraft Education Edition on Chromebook (Play Store Required)Install Minecraft: Java Edition on Chromebook (Linux Support Required)Play Classic Minecraft on School-issued Chromebooks
Install Minecraft Education Edition on Chromebook (Play Store Required)
Minecraft has introduced an Education Edition for Chromebook users to promote creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills. The game is primarily aimed at students who want to play Minecraft on their Chromebooks. However, the game is available on the Play Store as an Android app, so you still have to contact your school administrator to enable Google Play from their side. With all that said, here is how to begin.
Open the Play Store, search for Minecraft: Education Edition (Free) and install the game. That’s it.
Keep in mind that students have 10 free logins. Post that, you will have to buy a subscription using the link here. Moreover, you will have to use your school account to log in to Minecraft.
Install Minecraft: Java Edition on Chromebook (Linux Support Required)
You can now install and play the latest Minecraft 1.19 update on your Chromebook using this method. I tested Minecraft 1.19 on my Intel-based Chromebook, and it worked like a charm. That said, you must have Linux support on your Chromebook to install and play the Minecraft 1.19 update.
Once you are in the “Developers” menu, click on “Turn on” next to the “Linux development environment (Beta)” section.
Once Linux is installed, open the Linux Terminal. To do that, press the search key on the keyboard, type “terminal“, and open it. You can also open the App Drawer and look for “Linux apps”. There, you will find “Terminal”.
Now, run the below command. This will update your Linux to the latest build.
After updating the Linux build, download the Minecraft.deb file (Debian/Ubuntu) from the official website. After that, move the file to the “Linux files” section inside the Files app.
Now, double-click on the downloaded file and click on the “Install” button. Within a few minutes, Minecraft will be installed on your Chromebook.
Now, to play Minecraft, press the Search key on the keyboard and search for “minecraft”. Finally, open “Minecraft Launcher”. You can also navigate to Linux apps in the App Drawer and open “Minecraft Launcher”.
Next, log in with your Mojang or Microsoft account.
After that, click on “Play Demo” at the bottom, and it will start downloading the latest release and install the update itself. The app will close after the installation and will automatically reopen. In case that does not happen, open “Minecraft Launcher” from the App Drawer manually.
Finally, Minecraft will open up on your Chromebook and will be ready to play. Simply click on “Play Demo World” and off you go to the gameplay.
The game runs fine with WASD key controls, and mouse sensitivity is also good. However, if you want to adjust the sensitivity, navigate to “Options -> Mouse Settings” and change the sensitivity to “Hyperspeed”. Now, you can play Minecraft on Chromebook smoothly and without any jitter.
Apart from that, make sure to enable the below flag if you want to lock the mouse pointer while playing Minecraft on Chromebook. Just copy and paste it into the address bar of the Chrome browser and hit Enter. Then, enable it via the drop-down menu and restart your Chromebook.
chrome://flags/#exo-pointer-lock
13. In case you face any installation error, open the Terminal app from the App Drawer. After that, run the below Linux command to install the Java Development Kit. Finally, install the Minecraft.deb file normally from the Files app.
Play Classic Minecraft on School-issued Chromebooks
Mojang Studios has released the Classic version of Minecraft on the web, which can be played using any browser. That means you can play Minecraft even on school-issued Chromebooks. However, you will just have 32 blocks to build with, that too in a very old-school interface. It will surely make you remember the 2009 Minecraft interface. But the best part is that WASD controls work in the browser and the game is playable without major lag. There is also a multiplayer option where you can invite up to 9 players. With all that said, here is how you can play the Minecraft Classic on your Chromebook.
- Here is a little snippet of the Minecraft Classic gameplay on Chrome OS.
