Back in June, Microsoft-owned developer Mojang confirmed that it was working on a version of its hit sandbox game Minecraft that would run natively on Sony"s PlayStation 5 console. This week, Mojang confirmed that Minecraft for the PS5 is now officially available to purchase and download from the PlayStation Store.
As explained by the developer in a blog post, the native PS5 version of Minecraft will allow gamers with that console to experience a much bigger render distance in the game, while also supporting both 4K resolution as well as 60fps frame rates. Of course, the PS5 version includes cross-play support with the other Minecraft ports.
For anyone who has never bought the PS4: Bedrock Edition of Minecraft, the PS5 version is priced at $19.99. However, if you have purchased the PS4 edition of the game, the PS5 native port is available for free. You will just need to sign into the PlayStation Store to get it. If you own the disk version of the PS4 port of Minecraft, you will have to insert that disk into the PS5 console to get your free digital copy.
While PS5 players can check out their own version of Minecraft, Mojang recently stated that support for playing the game via the PlayStation VR headset would end in March 2025.
Along with the release of the PS5 edition of Minecraft, Mojang also released a new free content update this week called Bundles of Bravery. It adds bundles to the game, which are basically in-game bags that let users have a mobile inventory of items.
The update also adds the Hardcore mode for gamers who play the Bedrock edition of Minecraft, which now includes the PS5 version. That means not only is the survival difficulty level very high, any character and world you create can permanently die. The update also adds hardcore realms that let up to 10 people play the game in that Hardcore mode.