We want to buy an iMAC as a present for our grandson who is a fan of minecraft and want to play it there on the big screen instead of his iPad.

He wants to play the same multiplayer minecraft on the iMAC. Is this supported ? Is the minecraft software the same on iPad and on the mac? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks in advance!

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2 Answers

Minecraft is certainly available for Mac! You can see this if you visit the download page for the game, and under the "Desktop" section, select "Mac".

Although there are version differences between the desktop version of Minecraft and the iPad version (which is called Minecraft Pocket Edition), the foundation of the game is identical. Multiplayer is certainly available for the desktop version of the game.

Note that your grandson will need a Minecraft account for the desktop version (I'm not sure how Pocket Edition works, nor if you are able to use the same account information for both versions).

He wants to play the same multiplayer minecraft on the iMAC

According to this forum:

  • Minecraft (the java version) that runs in Windows 10 (or older versions of Windows, or on Macs) is not "cross-platform". It runs on PC's only.
  • Win10 ("Minecraft: Windows 10 Beta Edition") is "cross-platform". It runs on PC's, tablets, and smartphones that runs Windows 10.

  • Win10 is also compatible with PE. PE runs on Android and iOS tablets and smartphones.

  • Consoles (like the java version), are unique animals and can only play with themselves... Xbox (and PS4, and Wii U) can't play with any other editions due to different world sizes, etc. (in fact, Xbox 360's can't even play with Xbox Ones). Until, and unless, the (newer) consoles get infinite worlds they can't play with any of the other editions.

The multiplayer would be separate (independent of the Pocket Edition). Pocket Edition players will not be able to play with people on Macs - making the multiplayer completely separate.

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Yes, he will be able to play the game on the iMac. Minecraft is available for macOS, and runs fine.

He can certainly play multiplayer on the computer, but it will not be the same. The pocket edition of minecraft will not be able to play with the desktop version. However, if he wants to play multiplayer with someone who has the game on Mac or PC, he will be able to. The game has LAN functionality (you may need to adjust firewall first) to allow playing between computers, but iPads won't be able to join. He will have more multiplayer options on pc though, such as servers, but it will not let him play with friends on iPad.