Minecraft Java Edition will finally let you party up with your pals, without the need for mods

Minecraft's Java Edition has long been the go-to for PC players, owing to how moddable it is in comparison to its Bedrock counterpart. However, getting a clean multiplayer experience has long necessitated the use of third-party addons, with the Essential Mod in particular living up to its namesake. Now, though, Mojang Studios is bringing these social sensibilities directly to the Java Edition, adding not only a new friends list system, but perhaps more importantly direct Minecraft peer-to-peer connectivity.

Minecraft 26.2 Snapshot 7 has arrived, and huge changes are afoot in the multiplayer game. Your closed off little Minecraft seed can now be opened up to visitors, thanks to the addition of a new 'Multiplayer Options' menu. From here, you can either invite your pals to your world, or bug your buddies to let you in until they either yield, or block you - it's fine, I didn't want to come over, anyway.

Of course, to find your friends you're going to need a friends list, which Mojang has also helpfully implemented in this update. Whether you're at the title screen or in the pause menu, you can simply whack the new 'Friends' button to have a peek at what everyone's up to. As a heads up, though, this only works with friends who have the Java Edition. It's wild to me that such a fundamental social feature is only just now coming to Java, but I suppose Mojang's never really felt the need to.

For the longest time, Essential Mod has been fundamental to playing Java Edition with pals. The fact it has free world hosting, saving you a few bucks on private servers, already made it a must-use. While most of its social elements have now been rendered moot by the Minecraft update, I can still see it being used by those who already have existing servers. As native P2P connectivity is a fledgling feature, Essential could still be a fall-back just in case it has teething issues.

There's also the fact that, right now, the only way to access Java Edition's new social features is through the Minecraft Snapshot preview system. So, if you'd rather stick to the live patch, then keep hold of Essential for now. However, if you're keen to take the new friends list and multiplayer options for a test drive, then our linked guide will tell you exactly what you need to do to get involved.