What are the best Minecraft servers? We’ve jumped into some of the many multiplayer servers around to find the best, friendliest, and most fun of them all. Joining any one of the varied Minecraft servers in this list will invite you into a magical world full of like-minded fans, builders, redstone masters, and survival experts. Minecraft worlds are infinite, so what better than sharing one with others?
While vanilla, single-player Minecraft is still one of the best games ever, there’s nothing better than jumping into a world with friends and creating a world together. The servers below aren’t just for builders, though, and there’s something for you whether you want Minecraft mods, parkour, PVP, or a number of other things. So, dive into the expansive world of multiplayer with these incredible Minecraft servers, or head to the bottom of the list if you need to know about hosting your own Minecraft server.
Here is a list of the best Minecraft servers to join in 2024:
Mineville
Server IP address: Bedrock only
Game modes: Skyblock, high school, prison, dungeons, city.
Mineville is no longer available on Java edition, but remains on of the five featured Bedrock servers, available directly through the Bedrock menu. With an ever-changing roster of game modes, there’s always something fresh in Mineville, with the current story revolving around High School. Other RPGs remain open, like city living and prison escape, while the new mode drops you right into a classic American high school, where you can become teachers pet and attend classes and clubs. Of course, if role-playing isn’t for you, then there’s always Skyblock.
The Hive
Server IP address: Bedrock only
Game modes: Minigames
As one of the largest and best Minecraft bedrock servers around, there will always be something fun for you to do in HiveMC. From hide and seek to survival games, HiveMC covers all sorts of genres. What’s more, this highly engaged community is coming up with new minigames – and maps to house them – all the time. To stay up to date with all the latest updates, check out their website. Sadly, HiveMC is no longer available in the Minecraft Java edition.
Lifeboat Network
Server IP address: play.lbsg.net
Game modes: Creative, Survival, minigames, prison, PvE, PvP, Skyblock
Lifeboat Network is one of the most consistently popular Minecraft Bedrock servers around. Full to the brim with your choice of game modes, there is always something to do – and with thousands of players online at a time, there’s usually someone to do it with, too. Lifeboat is also featured on Minecraft’s official server list, so it’s as safe as it can be (though total safety can never be guaranteed, so always be careful interacting with strangers online!).
The Sandlot
Server IP address: server.sandlotminecraft.com
Bedrock IP and port: server.sandlotminecraft.com, 19132
Game modes: Survival, PvP, creative, parkour, skyblock, adventure.
For parents looking for a safe space for younger children, you can’t go wrong with The Sandlot. This cross-play, multi-mode, and family-friendly server was set up by a parent for this very purpose, and has a series of rules to keep this a safe and happy environment for all.
Alongside the security of this server, you also have all the best aspects of a fun and thriving multiplayer experience, including everything from creative mode to PvP modes, and even an easier survival mode for those younger players. This mode plays out a little more like the best life games, allowing you to peacefully spend your time in a job, such as a farmer, in order to earn money to spend at the mall. On the other side of the coin though, a spectacular hard mode respawns you in a random location every time you die, so there really is something for every Minecraft player in The Sandlot.
Skyblock
Server IP address: skyblock.net
Bedrock IP and port: bedrock.skyblock.net, 19132
Gamemodes: Skyblock
Yep, that’s right, the official Skyblock server. If you’ve been playing Minecraft for more than five minutes, you’ve most likely heard of Skyblock, even if you’ve never tried it. Available as a downloadable, single-player Minecraft map or mod, Skyblock starts you on a small, floating island, with just grass, a single tree, and a chest with a few essentials to start your life with. Use the tree’s saplings to farm more wood, expand your island with it, use Minecraft’s spawning mechanics to harvest food from animals, and start to make your way to other distant islands.
The official Skyblock server has all of that and more, as you can play with friends, invite other’s to your island, or visit others as you build your very own city in the sky from nothing. You can even choose to change your own Skyblock’s biome to something entirely new, like in the image above.
DonutSMP
Server IP address: donutsmp.net
Bedrock IP and Port: donutsmp.net, 19132
Game modes: Vanilla Minecraft, Survival (SMP)
DonutSMP bills itself as a ‘hardcore’ Minecraft server in which the focus has always been on survival multiplayer, or SMP. The goal in such servers is to become the wealthiest player on the server, but beyond this the rules can vary widely. In DonutSMP’s hardcore case, the rules are minimal: griefing, stealing, and killing are all allowed, and just to raise the stakes, if you die, there’s a time limit before you can rejoin.
That’s not to say it’s total lawlessness, however – the website makes a number of stipulations to maintain a friendly community and to keep the socio-capitalist Darwinism fair, such as no hacks, abusing bugs, unfair UI advantages, and so on. Many multiplayer modes are supported, but DonutSMP earned its name for its stripped-back, vanilla Minecraft approach to the experience. If you just want to compete against others with no bells or whistles – and you back your combat skills – this is the place for you.
Sahara
Server IP address: play.saharaserver.com
Game modes: SMP
We actually found this cute little server a few years back, and, now in its fifth season, Sahara has an incredibly friendly player base across its seasonal and permanent survival servers. Some of the other servers on this list can have many players online at once, and if that’s a little overwhelming for you or you’d rather not deal with the performance issues that can cause, Sahara is a wonderful, welcoming server where everyone feels like family.
You must be whitelisted before joining, which you can do over on the Sahara server Discord, and the team are great at keeping on top of players and behavior, making this a safe and friendly place with no PvP and a strict no stealing policy. Based on the popular YouTube SMP Hermitcraft, Sahara is simply a friendly, mostly-vanilla survival server, with an expanding shopping district with player-run shops catering to all your in-game needs, however far into the current season you join.
Lovercraft
Server IP address: mj.loverfella.com
Game modes: SMP, prison, PvE, Skyblock
Not quite as romantic as it sounds, Lovercraft is actually just the SMP server started by YouTuber LoverFella, but despite the normal amount of Minecraft romance, Lovercraft remain one of the most popular around. This entirely custom server used custom mobs and other custom plugins, runs a unique economy, and even utilizes its own rune mechanic, so take a look at the servers rules before joining. But, rest assured, it’s worth the homework.
BadWolfMC
Server IP address: play.badwolfmc.com
Bedrock IP and port: play.badwolfmc.com, 19132
Game modes: Survival, creative, skyblock, minigames, economy.
BadWolfMC is only for you if you’re over 18, I’m afraid. If you are, then this is the perfect place to let loose if you want to avoid mingling with kids online. When we say this is an adult server, we don’t mean like that, it’s just an inclusive community for like-minded adults to play Minecraft together – and maybe let out a few light swears. Of course, the usual server rules still apply, so it’s as safe a place as any other Minecraft server, features a bunch of the best Minecraft game modes, and some stunning community builds.
Advancius Network
Server IP address: mc.advancius.net
Bedrock IP and port: mc.advancius.net, 19132
Game modes: Skyblock, bed wars, prison, survival, tower defense, party games, and more.
Advancius Network prides itself on being entirely free-to-play, despite having over 20 game modes to choose from and crossplay between Java and Bedrock editions. As such, its entirely free ranking system is based purely on skill and not the ability to purchase rank, so this is the perfect place for you if you have a competitive streak. This popular server can host up to 400 players in total, and usually has at least 100 other players in-game at any time. If you’re a bit nervous about joining a new server, Advancius makes it easy with regular welcoming events hosted by server staff.
OneBlock MC
Server IP address: play.oneblockmc.com
Bedrock server IP address: bedrock.oneblockmc.com
Game modes: Survival, Oneblock
OneBlock MC is a popular, ever-changing cross-play server that receives regular updates to the available content. Most recently was the launch of a new OneBlock world, OneBlock Nexus, a planetary exploration OneBlock experience. In the survival SMP, meanwhile, pets have been introduced, and we can’t really think of a better reason to join a new server than that.
MCC Island
Server IP address: play.mccisland.net
Game modes: Minigames, Parkour
MCC, or Minecraft Championship, is a well-known event in the Minecraft community, bringing YouTubers together to compete in a series of PvP and parkour minigames. Created by NoxCrew – the iconic makers of some of the best Minecraft maps – the competition and its world, puzzles, and games, are gloriously built. While you might not be able to participate alongside your favorite content creators in the event itself, you can join MCC Island, a multiplayer server featuring MCC minigames and more.
Following a closed beta period, MCC Island is now available for everyone in open early access, and all you need to do to join is enter the IP address into your Minecraft multiplayer section, ensuring you are on version 1.19.4+.
Complex Gaming
Server IP address: hub.mc-complex.com
Game modes: Pixelmon, Skyblock, Factions, Prison, Hunger Games, Survival, Creative, Minigames
Complex Gaming is another very popular Minecraft server with a great variety of game modes, including survival, PvP, and PvE. While the hunger games, skyblock mode, and the spectacular creative realm come highly recommended, Complex Gaming – like Pixelmoncraft above – also has a version of Pixelmon, which is especially popular, allowing you to catch and trade hundreds of Pokemon.
To enable some of these game modes, including Pixelmon, you first need to install a modpack. Although this takes a little more effort, it also means that whenever you don’t feel like joining the multiplayer server, you can still play Pixelmon in solo mode. If you’re looking for an epic environment to catch your first Pixelmon, try using our list of the best Minecraft seeds.
Verdux
This small server is the perfect place to see out your latest Minecraft build ideas alongside other like-minded players. Make new friends, build or buy from in-game shops to exchange resources with others, claim your own piece of land to do with what you wish, and even protect it from other players if you want. Verdux is essentially all the freedom and relaxation of your own Minecraft world, but with the bonus of a few other players to bring the world to life. Verdux is a case of quality over quantity.
Manacube
Server IP address: play.manacube.com
Game modes: Parkour, Survival, PvP, Creative, Skyblock, Factions, Prison
Manacube is one of the only large Minecraft factions servers with minimal ‘pay to win’ elements, thanks to its recently balanced shop. It’s also got a vast Minecraft Skyblock server, plus survival, parkour, and creative servers.
Manacube is especially well-known for its excellent parkour gameplay. If you’re looking for something a little different, its Islands game mode tasks you with surviving on a mostly-submerged island – while staying away from the poisonous water. Or there’s Olympus, a prison-based server where you’re assigned your own personal plots of land, ranking up as you make money, gaining access to new, more profitable areas.
Hypixel
Server IP address: mc.hypixel.net
Game modes: Minigames, Sky Wars, Hunger Games, Hardcore, Parkour
No list of the best Minecraft servers is complete without the largest and most famous one: Hypixel. Hypixel is still the most popular Minecraft server in 2023, undoubtedly thanks to its many game modes, including Cops and Crims, Duels, and a Murder Mystery.
Their SkyWars game mode is a precarious PvP take on the classic Minecraft Skyblock server. There’s a dazzling variety here, making the Hypixel Minecraft server a great place to laugh with your blocky pals.
InsanityCraft
Server IP address: sm.insanitycraft.net
Game modes: Survival, Skyblock, Factions, SMP, Lifesteal, Prison, Crossplay, PvP, Pixelmon, Bedrock
Purportedly one of the oldest and largest Minecraft networks in the world, InsanityCraft has been running since 2012. It offers many games and game modes, but is most famous for Factions, Survival (SMP), and Skyblock. It runs frequent events in all of these and has made plenty of thoughtful quality-of-life tweaks to enhance the fun, such as custom classes and a large number of commands and plugins. Its website has an online store selling cosmetics and in-game upgrades, and also offers a handy Wiki to get you up to speed on how the server runs each game.
Vortex Network
Server IP address: sm.vortexnetwork.net
Game modes: Prison, Skyblock, Survival, Pixelmon
Vortex is a well-supported server network that regularly sees around 2,000 concurrent players. Its core game modes are Prison, Skyblock, Survival, and Pixelmon, all of which receive regular updates and unique content. The distinctive selling point of the Vortex Network, however, is its space theme: its users are called astronauts and its custom maps and assets are typically based among the stars, in impressive space stations and star cruisers. Look no further if you’re after a cosmic twist and high-quality support for these game modes.
Netherite
Server IP address: play.netherite.gg
Game modes: Survival, Lifesteal, Skyblock, with crossplay and Bedrock
Founded in 2022, Netherite is a new server that’s nonetheless making a splash, having racked up concurrent populations near 1,000 players. Priding itself on quality and innovation, its aim is to offer the best experience in its core games of Survival, Lifesteal, and Skyblock. It updates these games regularly, following a seasonal model, and is compatible with Minecraft version 1.20.
Penguin.GG
Server IP address: sm.penguin.gg
Game modes: Skyblock, Survival
Another rapidly up-and-coming new server network, Penguin.GG was launched in 2022 by Minecraft YouTuber SB737+ with a focus on delivering a quality version of the popular Skyblock game mode. Less than a year later, it regularly sees concurrent player populations around 1,300, and has now added Survival SMP to its offering. It’s well supported with many custom additions to its modes both in-game and out, including custom ranks and purchasable items via an online store.
Minr
Server IP address: zero.minr.org
Game modes: Parkour, Minigames
Minr is one of the oldest Minecraft servers around, meaning there are years of content and builds to explore. Including a mix of parkour and adventure, Minr is filled with challenges for all difficulties that will keep you busy visit after visit.
MineSuperior
MineSuperior is another popular Minecraft server comprising a variety of gameplay styles, including survival, Towny, and Skyblock. Over 2,000 players are allowed on the server at any one time, and the concurrent number of players is often over 1,000, so there’s a vibrant, active community waiting for you to join them.
MineSuperior receives regular updates as well, so there’s always something to keep you coming back – as well as all those friends you make – and you’ll never feel like your time on the server has run its course.
The Mining Dead
Server IP address: hub.miningdead.com
Game modes: Survival, Role-playing, PvP
PvP and PvE combine in this server-wide recreation of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Fight, craft, and survive on the enormous map, fighting off walkers and other players alike. Much of the action plays out like a Minecraft version of DayZ, with players doing whatever it takes to make it out alive – a Minecraft survival server on a whole new scale. The Mining Dead also features key locations from TV series like The Prison, Woodbury, and Alexandria.
Grand Theft Minecart
Server IP address: gtm.network
Game modes: Role-playing, Survival, PvP
Grand Theft Minecart brings two of the biggest games on PC together: Minecraft and Grand Theft Auto. Not old enough to walk into a brick-and-mortar branch of GAME to let loose on Los Santos with Trevor and chums? With houses to own, weapons to shoot, and pesky policemen to evade, you can have a fantastic recreation of the GTA experience here – making this one of the best Minecraft servers out there.
Minewind
Server IP address: server.minewind.com
Game modes: sSurvival, PvP, Hardcore, Minigames
Do not expect a particularly pleasant experience on the Minewind server. Instead, you get the ultimate playground for griefers, player-killing, and deception. Your goal is simple: try to survive for as long as possible – this is still Minecraft, after all – but you will also be up against endless Minecraft mobs, double-crossers, and killers.
Minescape
Server IP address: minescape.me
Game modes: Role-playing, Survival
RuneScape fans can now experience leveling their skills to 99 in Minecraft on this meticulously built Minecraft RPG server, designed to look and feel like one of the best free MMOs. Two years of tremendous effort have culminated in a very faithful reproduction of all the locations, mobs, and skills in RuneScape – Minescape has taken inspiration from both OSRS and RS3, so players of both should feel right at home.
PirateCraft
Server IP address: mc.piratemc.com
Game modes: Role-playing, Survival, PvP
If you think our list of the best pirate games isn’t blocky enough, then Piratecraft is for you. Sail, build, and plunder in PirateCraft, a server dedicated to the golden age of scurvy and theft. One of the most ambitious servers we’ve played on, Piratecraft even has a fully-functioning ship-to-ship combat mechanic. As with all Minecraft ideas of such magnitude, it’s a little clunky, but it works. Ships can be built and sailed across the seas, and cannons can be mounted to the hull and used to blast away enemy vessels.
On land, a simple but functional economy replicates the trade and booty of the period, and players can create their own Minecraft houses, and Minecraft builds on ‘safe zones’ to bunk and store treasures. Safe Zones are protected from griefers, meaning you can build as much as you like without fear of others trashing your masterpieces.
Piratecraft’s salty setting makes it one of the building game‘s best roleplay servers. Of course, if you’re roleplaying a pirate, there’s going to be some grief involved, and provided the owner is in a Safe Zone, other players can siege them. Attackers can destroy ‘soft’ blocks and generally make a nuisance of themselves until they either walk away or the defender surrenders. Similarly, ships can be stolen, provided the owner is not on board at the time. So if you’re looking for a PvP Minecraft server with a twist, this could be the buried treasure you seek.
Minecraft Middle-Earth
Server IP address: build.mcmiddleearth.com
Game modes: Creative
If ever there were a classic world that would inevitably end up immortalized in textured blocks, it was Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. This as-yet incomplete project is primarily based on Peter Jackson’s cinematic vision of Middle-Earth. You can help push forward with the building of the world of men, elves, and creatures of shorter stature, so long as you follow the rules. Easily one of the most ambitious Minecraft builds to date.
WesterosCraft
Server IP address: mc.westeroscraft.com
Game modes: Creative
If Middle-earth is our classic fantasy Minecraft server, then WesterosCraft is our modern great. From the Wall to The Red Keep at King’s Landing, WesterosCraft is a vast server with many of Game of Thrones’ landmarks recreated in astonishing detail. Most areas are built from the TV show designs, making much of this server like a trip inside HBO’s vision of the fantasy world. Kings Landing is especially awe-inspiring.
Like Minecraft Middle-Earth, it is still a work in progress, with work currently being done to the Lannister bastion of Casterly Rock. Should you know your Winterfell from your Dreadfort, you can join in and help prop up the next house of death and tyranny.
Ranch n Craft
Server IP address: mc.ranchncraft.com
Game modes: Role-playing, Survival, Economy, Minigames
Line dancing, horse taming, and farming: Ranch n Craft is one of the best Minecraft servers if you want to drop the shootouts and saloon brawls of other Wild West-themed servers and stick to the simplicities of country life. With tons of equestrian-based features unique to the server, it is ideal for Minecrafters who feel most at home in the saddle.
Users can claim land and start their own ranches, breed horses, and farm crops to their heart’s content. What’s more, Ranch n Craft is one of the most peaceful servers out there, with its mostly griefer-free community and an army of helpful moderators.
OPLegends
Server IP address: play.oplegends.com
Game modes: Prison, Skyblock, Role-playing
It’s no wonder OPLegends is as popular as it is when you consider that this is a crossplay Minecraft server, available on both Java and Bedrock editions, with Prison and Skyblock gameplay and regular game updates. If prison servers are your thing, then OPLegends is undoubtedly up there with the best, with new prisons maps on a regular basis, with their own themed activities. At the moment, you can experience prison is space, thanks to the server’s Neptune map.
Minehut
Server IP address: mc.minehut.com
Game modes: Unlimited
Minehut isn’t a server per se, but rather a server provider that enables anyone to set up and customize their very own Minecraft server. This means you can find new servers operating any established game mode, from SMP and factions to roleplay and parkour, or pioneering entirely new ones. The IP address above will lead you to the Minehut lobby, where you can browse these many servers to find your latest flavor.
If you’ve got the itch to run your own game, Minehut operates a freemium model. The basic free server offers unlimited plugin slots – which is pretty cool – but has more restrictions elsewhere, with a max population of ten players and only 1GB of RAM to operate. It’s more of a way to experiment than anything else. If you’re serious about launching your server, you can upgrade it by purchasing one of Minehut’s payment plans. For those who might want to do so, the real advantage of the platform, or so say its providers, is visibility: they claim 250,000 users browse its lobby every month. Plenty more information is available on the Minehut website.
How do I join a Minecraft server?
To join a Minecraft server, first, find a server you like the sound of – like any of the ones mentioned above – and grab the IP address. Start the game, click ‘multiplayer’, then ‘add a server’. Next, pop the IP address into the ‘server address’ box and name the server anything you like – the latter is just how it appears in your list.
Now, make sure you click ‘done’ before heading back to your server list and finding your desired server. Hit the ‘join server’ button, and you will find yourself in a new, wonderful world of blocks and people who like said blocks. If you’d rather just start a new world with a few friends instead, check out our guide to Minecraft hosting.
How to join a Minecraft Bedrock server
Joining a partnered Minecraft server in Bedrock edition is far simpler, but your choices are more limited. Upon launching the bedrock version of the game, scroll across from the ‘Worlds’ tab to the ‘Servers’ tab, where you will see the seven Bedrock edition servers available to you, including some of those above. You can jump in and out at will, so why not try them all?
If you want to join a non-partnered Bedrock server, however, you must be playing on PC, and need the Bedrock IP address and Port ID. Scroll to the bottom of the partnered server list, and click the ‘Add Server’ button, before entering the IP and Port details. The Bedrock port is always 19132 or 19133, so if you want to try a server that’s not on our list, you can always give it a shot!
Now you know all the best Minecraft servers for either Java or Bedrock edition, you’ll never get bored of the king of sandbox games – if there were possible in the first place. Not only is there plenty of non-vanilla content in the form of servers, maps, mods, and Minecraft texture packs to keep your world feeling fresh.
Even if you’re playing alone, the vanilla game keeps getting regular content updates, further cementing Minecraft as one of the best PC games ever. You can find out more about Minecraft Sniffers and camels, as well as how to use the Minecraft brush when trying a bit of archaeology.
Additional contributions by Richard Scott-Jones