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Java and Bedrock crossplay

Minecraft ships in two editions that normally cannot share a world. Java Edition runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Bedrock Edition runs on phones, tablets, the Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation, and the Windows 10 and 11 app. Crossplay closes that gap so a friend on a phone and a friend on a gaming PC walk around the same map together.

On Orca you do this with a Paper server running Geyser and Floodgate. Geyser translates Bedrock's network protocol into Java's so Bedrock clients can connect to a Java server. Floodgate lets those Bedrock players join without owning a separate Java account. Spin up a Paper server from hosting, add the two plugins, and one world is open to both editions.

What Geyser and Floodgate do

The server itself stays Java. The two plugins handle the edition gap so you do not run two separate worlds.

  • Geyser is a proxy that sits on your Paper server and translates the Bedrock protocol into Java, letting Bedrock clients connect to a Java world.
  • Floodgate works alongside Geyser so a Bedrock player joins with their Bedrock account, with no paid Java account required.
  • Both run as plugins on a Paper server. Ask Orca can install plugins onto a server you own, so you can have it add Geyser and Floodgate for you.
  • Java players keep joining the normal way on the usual Java port.

Set up a crossplay server

Start from a Paper server, since Geyser and Floodgate are Paper plugins.

  • Create a Paper server from hosting. Pick your version, region, and name, and it is live in about 30 seconds.
  • Add Geyser and Floodgate. You can drop the plugin jars in through the in-browser file manager, or ask Orca to install them onto the server.
  • Restart the server so the plugins load. Power controls keep your world safe when you stop and start.
  • Check the live console and logs to confirm Geyser started and is listening for Bedrock connections.

How Bedrock players connect

Bedrock joins over a different network path than Java, so a crossplay server needs a dedicated IP for the Bedrock side.

  • Bedrock needs a dedicated IP on the server.
  • Bedrock clients connect on UDP port 19132, the default Bedrock port.
  • In the Bedrock client, players add a server using that dedicated IP and port 19132.
  • Java players still connect on the standard Java port with the server address as usual.

Inviting friends across editions

Once Geyser and Floodgate are running, both editions share one player list, one world, and one set of rules.

Public invite pages let a friend join by link with separate steps for Java and Bedrock, so you can hand the right instructions to each side. See join a server for how invites and joining work.

Good to know

A few limits keep crossplay predictable.

  • Crossplay runs on Paper. Vanilla, Vanilla-flavored, and modded loader server types do not carry the Geyser and Floodgate setup.
  • Heavy mod content built for Java will not always render or behave the same for Bedrock clients coming through Geyser, since Bedrock renders the world differently.
  • Keep an eye on the live console after adding the plugins, so you catch any load errors early and can ask Orca to read the logs and diagnose them.

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