The Minecraft Free Trial, Explained (Limits by Platform)

The Minecraft free trial is real and official: you download it from minecraft.net/en-us/free-trial, sign in with a Microsoft account, and launch — a three-step flow as of the 2026 version of the page. What you get depends heavily on edition and platform. The Java Edition demo gives you 5 in-game days — about 100 minutes of play, though it varies by device — in a preset Survival world. Bedrock trials cover Windows 10/11, PlayStation, and Android (via a separate app), each with its own restrictions.

The short answer to "how long is the trial?": Java is about 100 minutes. Bedrock's exact current duration is less certain — a commonly cited figure is 90 minutes per world before the world locks, but the community wiki flags that as needing testing, so treat it as approximate. Below is every limit, labeled by edition and platform, dated to 2026. If you're weighing whether to buy afterward, see is Minecraft free? for the full pricing picture.

Minecraft trial limits at a glance

Minecraft trial: how long on Java Edition

The Java demo runs on Windows 10/11, macOS, and Linux (including Debian and Arch builds) and lasts 5 in-game days — about 100 minutes on average, per the official page, which notes it varies by device. The community wiki's Demo Mode documentation spells out the rest:

• You play a preset world — seed -343522682, known as "North Carolina" — not a fresh random world.
• It's locked to Survival, and commands are disabled. Opening the world to LAN can expose commands and game modes, but it does not remove the timer.
• Public servers are blocked. LAN play allows only one demo account, with the player name fixed as "Player".
• The demo can use resource packs and mods.
• Resetting the demo world resets the timer — you lose progress but get your ~100 minutes back.

After the timer expires, you can still move around the world, but interactions are restricted. The demo mode itself dates back to Java 1.3.1 (snapshot 12w16a). Whether your demo world carries over if you later buy Java Edition is not confirmed — don't count on it.

Bedrock trial on Windows 10/11

The official trial page links a Bedrock trial for Windows 10/11. The community wiki (2026) lays out the limits:

• World settings are mostly locked — difficulty, world name, and file management are available; the rest are not. (Bedrock 26.10 exposed more settings and social controls in the trial.)
• The trial uses a fixed seed, 1193926712 (changed in Bedrock 1.18.30).
• Achievements are permanently disabled in trial worlds.
• The Marketplace and Dressing Room are browsable, but purchases are blocked; free Dressing Room items are usable.
• The Editor showed up in the trial as of Bedrock 1.21.50.
• The wiki states trial multiplayer, including LAN, is unavailable — though it notes PlayStation split-screen is possible.

The exact duration is the fuzzy part: "90 minutes per world, then the world locks" is commonly cited, but the wiki itself tags it as needing testing. Whether the allowance is per world, per install, or per account is also not confirmed, and neither is whether Windows trial worlds carry over to the full game.

Minecraft Trial on Android (the separate app)

Android doesn't use the main Minecraft app for the trial — it's a separate Google Play app called Minecraft Trial, published by Mojang (listing updated July 9, 2026). Per the listing:

• Free and time-limited; Survival mode only. Creative and multiplayer are called out as full-game features.
• Works offline, single-player.
• "Trial worlds do not transfer to the full game." This is the one platform with an explicit, confirmed carryover answer — and it's no.

Google Play reviews (anecdotal) echo the same frustrations across trials: the timer, the locked settings and preset spawn, and the post-lock state where you "can't place or break anything, only explore."

PlayStation, and platforms without a listed trial

The official page links a PlayStation trial, but that's about all that's verifiable: the duration, any PS4 vs PS5 differences, and whether trial worlds carry over are all unconfirmed. As noted above, the wiki mentions split-screen is possible on the PlayStation trial even though other trial multiplayer isn't.

As of 2026, the official trial page does not list trials for Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or iOS/iPadOS. That doesn't prove none exist through other channels, but there's nothing on the official page. (Legacy console editions historically had demos — tutorial world, no saves, no online multiplayer, local split-screen only — but those are a different, older thing; don't confuse them with today's trials.)

If your platform has no trial, there are other legitimate free routes — how to play Minecraft for free covers them, and schools may have access via Minecraft Education Edition.

What happens when the trial expires

• Java: you can keep moving around the world, but interactions are restricted. Resetting the demo world restarts the timer from zero (with a fresh world).
• Bedrock/Android: per player reports, once a world locks you can explore but not place or break blocks. Exact lock behavior isn't fully documented.

What carries over if you buy the full game

Only Android has a documented answer. For everywhere else, assume your trial world may not survive the upgrade and don't sink hours into a build you'd hate to lose.

FAQ: Minecraft demo vs. trial, Java vs. Bedrock

Is the Minecraft demo the same as the free trial?

Effectively yes — "demo" is the older Java-side term (Demo Mode, since Java 1.3.1), while the official site now calls everything the free trial. Same idea: time-limited, restricted play.

Which trial should I pick, Java or Bedrock?

If you're on macOS or Linux, Java is your only option. On Windows you can try either; Java's ~100 minutes is the better-documented allowance, and it uniquely allows resource packs and mods even in the demo. Bedrock's trial is the one to try if you want a feel for the edition consoles and mobile run.

Can I play multiplayer in the trial?

Mostly no. Java blocks public servers (LAN is limited to one demo account). The wiki says Bedrock trial multiplayer, including LAN, is unavailable — with PlayStation split-screen as the noted exception.