How Many Minecraft Realms Can You Own?
As a passionate Minecraft player and content creator, this question comes up a lot – "how many Realms can I own at once?" The short answer is you can only own one Realm at a time. However, you can switch between Realms easily and each Realm allows multiple worlds. So let‘s dive deeper into everything you need to know about Realms limits.
The One Realm Limit
Realms serve as Mojang‘s official multiplayer hosting solution. For $7.99 per month, you get a personal private server supporting up to 10 simultaneous players. The key phrase there though is "a Realm". No matter what edition or platform, Minecraft permits just one active Realms subscription per account.
This makes sense from a business perspective. Realms provide reliable hosting and simplified management at a very reasonable price. Allowing multiple Realms per person would quickly become unfeasible. It also reduces server hopping and encourages more persistent multiplayer environments.
So if you want to setup different servers for different groups of friends, you will need separate Minecraft accounts. An exception is server switching through world slotting (covered next).
Realm Switching Through World Slots
While limited to one Realm, each subscription contains slots for up to three different world saves. This means you can have multiple multiplayer environments within a single Realms account. The worlds can be any combination of survival, creative, adventure, or flat preset types.
Having three world slots makes Realms more dynamic. Some examples of how players utilize them:
- Primary survival world and a creative builder world
- Rotation between three different survival worlds
To change the active Realms world, simply load the save and click "Activate". This becomes the world players enter by default. Old worlds remain safely stored while inactive.
So in summary – no on multiple simultaneous Realms, but yes on easy Realm switching through world slotting.
Bedrock Edition Offers Realm+ Upgrade
Realms availability works slightly differently between Minecraft‘s Java and Bedrock editions. Specifically when it comes to player counts.
| Edition | Basic Tier | Upgraded Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Java | Up to 10 players | None |
| Bedrock | Up to 2 players | "Realms Plus" with up to 10 players |
For Java Realms, the standard $7.99subscription automatically supports 10 players. However Bedrock edition starts players on a cheaper $3.99 Basic plan allowing only 2 players. You need to manually upgrade to "Realms Plus" match Java‘s superior player count.
An advantage Bedrock offers is family plans allowing up to 10 accounts grouped under the Realm owner. But for max players simultaneously online, Java Realms are better from the outset.
What About Server Hopping Workarounds?
A quick Google search may show options for owning multiple Realms through workarounds. For example using different accounts or platforms. However progress does not carry over between accounts or editions. Owning duplicate realms violates the Minecraft EULA. Any world switching would still need to happen within a single account.
There are better ways to play with more groups! Instead consider a free server host for bigger communities. Or make new friends to fill your 10 available player spots!
Cost Breakdown Across Realm Plans
Let‘s discuss Minecraft Realm pricing in more detail. First up, here‘s a comparison of monthly and prepaid subscriptions:
| Billing Cycle | Duration | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Plan | Recurring every 30 days | $7.99 per month |
| Prepaid Plan | One-time purchase |
|
- Monthly plans have the highest long-term cost at $95.88 per year
- Yearly prepaid plans offer ~15% savings at $35.99 for 365 days
- Prepaid plans still limited to the same 10 player cap
For context, unofficial 3rd party hosts often charge $5+ per gigabyte of RAM. A 10 player server usually needs at least 4GB ($20/month). This makes Minecraft Realms a great value even at full monthly pricing.
As mentioned earlier, Bedrock edition starts cheaper but upgrades are required unlock max player counts. Here‘s a full pricing comparison:
| Edition | Free Trial | Basic Plan | Upgraded "Plus" Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java | 30 days | $7.99/month, 10 players | N/A |
| Bedrock | 30 days | $3.99/month, 2 players | $7.99/month, 10 players |
While multiple simultaneous Realms aren‘t allowed, the pricing remains affordable even for active groups and server switching.
What Happens If You Cancel? Can Worlds Be Kept?
A benefit of Realms is worlds persist even after canceled subscriptions. You retain full access to download the world data as long as it remains within the 18 month grace period before deletion.
However, expired Realms cannot be played on actively except by re-activating the subscription. So if you want to take a break from hosting, be sure to backup your worlds!
To download world save data:
- Click "Configuration"
- Choose world to download
- Click the arrow icon to save the ZIP file
Summarizing The Realm Ownership Limits
While restricted to one live Realm, there are still plenty of flexible options for enjoying Minecraft multiplayer. Here‘s a quick summary:
- Can only own one active Realm at once
- Each Realm provides up to 3 world slots
- Slotting lets you easily switch worlds
- Added Bedrock edition family plans
- Fair pricing, especially compared to 3rd party hosts
- Worlds can be downloaded even after expired
Hopefully this gives you a detailed overview of how Realm ownership works and tactics for fitting more multiplayer fun within the limits! Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions. Happy crafting!
