In context: For those who have played Minecraft for years, it's the gift that keeps on giving. Its vibrant modding community continuously crafts new content and features while the folks over at Mojang launch new updates at semi-regular intervals. All in all, it's a very meaty content package -- but it is also in a strange spot, being a title with two similar but entirely separate versions: Bedrock and Java Edition.

Java is, by and large, the more powerful and feature-rich version of Minecraft, but it lacks the compatibility and cross-play support of its Bedrock cousin. Furthermore, Bedrock Edition comes packaged with microtransactions, RTX support, and a handful of other exclusive functions (not to mention a broader set of supported devices).

Historically, you've had to choose between the two versions, but that will no longer be the case soon. Later today, these two separate Editions will only be sold as a bundle, dubbed "Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition." The price is still the same $26.95 it has been for years, but you won't have to (or even be able to) purchase these versions separately.

Minecraft's Bedrock Edition with RTX turned on.

To be clear, that does not mean Java and Bedrock are losing their distinct identities -- while you can't buy them separately, you can certainly play them separately. They will both appear in the Minecraft Launcher, and you can choose which version you wish to launch at will. This is presumably one of the key reasons Microsoft forced Minecraft players to migrate their Mojang accounts to Microsoft Accounts a few weeks ago.

If you already own either Minecraft Bedrock or Java Edition, you'll automatically get the other version for free. The relevant version should appear in your Minecraft Launcher soon, but if it does not, be sure to reach out to Microsoft's support team for assistance (and migrate your account if you haven't already).

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