For Minecraft Bedrock on Xbox, the cheapest official always-online server is Realms at $3.99 USD per month. That subscription covers the owner and two other players online at the same time. Realms Plus costs $7.99 USD per month and raises the simultaneous-player limit to the owner plus 10, while adding access to a rotating Marketplace Pass catalog.
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Those prices cover the Realm, not Xbox console online multiplayer. To play online from an Xbox console, Microsoft requires a qualifying Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium or Ultimate subscription, purchased separately. Your household’s total monthly cost can therefore include both a Realm plan and Game Pass.
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Official Minecraft server prices on Xbox
Minecraft on Xbox uses the Bedrock Edition. The official hosted-server products for Bedrock are called Realms and Realms Plus. Both are recurring monthly subscriptions priced in U.S. dollars in Minecraft’s 2026 listing.
| Option | Monthly price | Simultaneous players | World online when owner is away? | Marketplace Pass catalog | Setup and maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Realms for Bedrock | $3.99 USD/month | Owner plus two other players | Yes | No | Managed by Minecraft; no server hardware to maintain |
| Realms Plus for Bedrock | $7.99 USD/month | Owner plus 10 other players | Yes | Yes, rotating catalog | Managed by Minecraft; no server hardware to maintain |
| Bedrock Dedicated Server (self-hosted) | Not established by the official documentation | Depends on the installation and available resources | Only while your host computer or provider keeps it running | No Realms Plus catalog included | You provide hardware or hosting, electricity, internet and maintenance |
The two Realm tiers include invited friends playing at no additional Realm charge, free backups and three world slots. The simultaneous-player number is the important limit: Realms allows the owner and two guests at once, while Realms Plus allows the owner and 10 guests at once.
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What you get for $3.99: Realms for Bedrock
Realms is the least expensive official Xbox-compatible server. At $3.99 USD per month, it gives the subscription owner an always-online Bedrock world and room for two other players simultaneously. The world remains available to invited players even if the owner is not playing.
That makes the entry plan suitable for a small household or a couple of friends who mainly need a persistent world instead of a temporary session hosted from one person’s console. Friends do not need their own Realm subscription to join an invitation, although each player still needs Minecraft on a compatible Bedrock platform and, when playing through an Xbox console online, the qualifying Xbox multiplayer subscription described below.
Three world slots and backups
Realms includes three world slots and free backups. The slots let you keep more than one world associated with the Realm service rather than replacing your only world whenever you want to try a different map. Backups provide a way to recover an earlier state if a build is damaged or the world needs to be restored.
What you get for $7.99: Realms Plus
Realms Plus costs $7.99 USD per month. Its main capacity difference is the simultaneous-player allowance: the owner plus 10 other players, for 11 people online together under the stated limit. That is the practical choice for a larger group that would outgrow the two-guest Realms plan.
Realms Plus also adds access to a rotating Marketplace Pass catalog. The catalog is part of the subscription and is separate from the basic always-online hosting function. Both tiers still include free backups, three world slots and friends playing without a separate Realm fee.
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How much more is Plus?
The recurring difference between the listed plans is $4.00 per month before any applicable taxes or other subscriptions. If both prices stayed unchanged for 12 monthly payments, that difference would be $48 over a year; the listing is monthly, so this is a simple comparison of 12 payments, not a separate annual-billing price.
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Do you need both Realms and Xbox Game Pass?
Yes, they serve different purposes. Microsoft states that Realms is separate from Game Pass. A Realm pays for the hosted Minecraft world. Xbox console online multiplayer requires a qualifying Xbox Game Pass Essential, Premium or Ultimate plan, sold separately.
For example, an Xbox owner who subscribes to Realms for $3.99 per month may still need an eligible Game Pass plan for online console multiplayer. Buying Game Pass does not automatically provide a Realm, and buying a Realm does not replace the console’s online-multiplayer requirement.
Budgeting the combined cost
The exact household total depends on which Game Pass plan you already have and its price in your market. The Minecraft portion can be written as:
- Small group: $3.99 Realm + the household’s qualifying Xbox Game Pass subscription, if required for the console players.
- Larger group or Marketplace Pass users: $7.99 Realms Plus + the household’s qualifying Xbox Game Pass subscription, if required.
- Existing Game Pass member: add only the appropriate Realm price if the existing plan already satisfies the console multiplayer requirement.
Because Game Pass prices, taxes, currency conversion and regional promotions vary by market, those figures should be checked in the Xbox store for the account’s country rather than inferred from the U.S. Realm prices.
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Are Realms worlds really always online?
Yes. Minecraft’s official Realms description says: Your Minecraft Realm is always online, so your friends can play anytime.
The owner does not have to leave an Xbox running for invited players to enter the hosted world. That is the central difference between a Realm and a normal multiplayer world hosted directly from a player’s console.
Always online does not mean unlimited players. Realms remains limited to the owner plus two simultaneous guests, and Realms Plus to the owner plus 10 simultaneous guests. If more people are invited than the plan can host at once, the invitation does not increase the concurrent-player cap.
Is there a free trial?
An eligible first-time Realms Plus subscriber can start a 30-day free trial. After the trial, the subscription renews at the applicable recurring rate unless it is cancelled. The trial is tied to eligibility, so it should not be treated as a permanent free server or assumed to apply to every account.
Before starting the trial, note the renewal condition and record the account’s cancellation route. If you only want to test the service, cancel before the trial ends according to the subscription controls on the account; otherwise the plan continues at the then-applicable recurring Realms Plus rate.
Can you host a Bedrock server yourself?
Microsoft distributes Bedrock Dedicated Server as downloadable software, so self-hosting is possible in principle. The official documentation lists Windows Server 2016 or later as a requirement. This route is different from buying Realms: you operate the machine, network and software instead of paying Minecraft for a managed Realm.
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Costs you must account for
The official Bedrock Dedicated Server documentation does not publish one complete monthly total. Your real cost can include:
- A suitable computer or rented server that meets the software and world-performance needs.
- Electricity if the machine runs at home.
- Internet service and any bandwidth, upload or data-use charges imposed by your provider.
- Operating-system, security and Minecraft-server maintenance.
- Hosting-provider fees if you rent infrastructure instead of using your own computer.
- Backups, monitoring and recovery work that Realms handles as part of its managed service.
A computer you already own may make the cash outlay look low, but its electricity, networking and maintenance are still part of the cost. A rented instance introduces a predictable provider bill but does not remove administration.
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Microsoft’s Bedrock Dedicated Server documentation does not guarantee direct Xbox-console connectivity for every self-hosted setup. Network configuration, account behavior, platform compatibility and the way the server is exposed can affect whether your Xbox players can connect. Therefore, do not treat the downloadable software as a guaranteed $0 replacement for a Realm.
Self-hosting also changes the availability promise. The world is online only while your computer or rented server is powered, connected and running the server process. A power cut, reboot, internet outage or maintenance window can make it unavailable, whereas Realms is designed to remain online without the owner’s console.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which option is cheapest for your group?
Choose Realms when two guests are enough
At $3.99 per month, Realms is the lowest official price for an Xbox-compatible, always-online Bedrock world. It is the straightforward choice for the owner and up to two simultaneous friends, especially when nobody wants to administer a server.
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Choose Realms Plus for a larger group
Realms Plus costs $4 more per month than Realms but expands the simultaneous allowance from two guests to 10 and includes the rotating Marketplace Pass catalog. If your group regularly needs more than three people online counting the owner, the cheaper tier cannot solve that capacity limit.
Consider self-hosting only when you accept administration
Bedrock Dedicated Server can make sense if you already have a suitable Windows Server 2016-or-newer machine, understand networking and want control over the host. It is not automatically cheaper: Microsoft does not publish an all-in monthly price, and you assume electricity, internet, hardware, maintenance and connectivity risk.
Common cost mistakes to avoid
- Counting only the Realm price: the $3.99 or $7.99 figure does not include a qualifying Xbox Game Pass plan required for online console multiplayer.
- Confusing invitations with capacity: friends can play without their own Realm subscription, but the concurrent-player limit still applies.
- Assuming Plus is required for Marketplace purchases generally: the documented Plus benefit is access to its rotating Marketplace Pass catalog; the basic Realms plan does not include that catalog.
- Treating the trial as a one-time purchase: an eligible first-time Realms Plus trial renews at the applicable recurring rate unless cancelled.
- Calling self-hosting free: downloadable server software does not pay for the computer, power, network connection, upkeep or a hosting provider.
- Expecting every self-hosted server to accept Xbox connections: Microsoft does not provide a universal connectivity guarantee for every setup.
Bottom line for Xbox players
The lowest official cost is $3.99 USD per month for Realms, covering the owner and two simultaneous guests. Realms Plus is $7.99 USD per month for the owner and 10 guests, with Marketplace Pass access. Both keep the world online when the owner is away and include free backups and three world slots.
Plan for Xbox Game Pass separately: Microsoft requires a qualifying Essential, Premium or Ultimate plan for console online multiplayer. Self-hosting is available through Bedrock Dedicated Server on Windows Server 2016 or later, but its complete cost and Xbox connectivity depend on your hardware, network and maintenance choices rather than a published flat monthly rate.
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