Minecraft Bedrock Edition, the version of the game that supports crossplay between Windows, consoles, and phones, has never officially come to Mac. A fan project called Blockintosh changes that, letting you run Bedrock Edition natively on Apple Silicon, with full crossplay with Windows, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. Behind it is a 22-year-old self-taught developer known online as @multision.

A gap that has existed since 2017

Bedrock Edition was created in 2017 by merging the mobile Pocket Edition with the console ports of the game. Its code was written from the start for Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Android, and iOS, with no thought given to macOS, even though Apple computers with Apple Silicon chips have easily handled Minecraft's hardware requirements since 2020. Java Edition has run on Mac without trouble for years, but it's Bedrock Edition that forms the backbone of the game's crossplay ecosystem, which includes downloads for consoles and phones, the Marketplace, and shared servers with players outside of PC.

Mac owners were shut out of that ecosystem: they could only play Java Edition, cut off from seasonal skins, Marketplace add-ons, and crossplay with consoles or phones. Blockintosh fills that gap by running Bedrock Edition files (which require a legitimately purchased copy of the game) directly on Apple Silicon processors, with no need to install Windows in a virtual machine.

Its own launcher with controller support

The project includes a custom launcher that manages game installations and worlds, much like the official launcher on Windows. Features already shown off include:

  • full crossplay with players on Windows, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC
  • native controller support
  • access to the Minecraft Marketplace
  • integration with the Xbox friends list
  • support for Bedrock mods and add-ons

The project's creator, who goes by Marceline on X, wrote when presenting the launcher: "Minecraft Bedrock Edition is completely cross-platform. This means if your friends are on Nintendo Switch, Xbox, or PC, you can jump in with them."

Not the first attempt

Blockintosh isn't the first community project to tackle this problem. mcpelauncher has been around for years, running the Android version of Bedrock Edition on Linux and macOS through a compatibility layer that mimics the Android environment, and it requires a copy of the game bought on Google Play. Blockintosh aims for something different: native integration with the Apple Silicon ecosystem, a launcher similar to the official one on Windows, and full Xbox Live support, rather than just recreating the mobile version on a computer.

The early build still has bugs

Blockintosh is only in early preview. The creator has said that online status in the game doesn't work properly, which makes it harder to send and receive invites or show up as available to friends, but joining multiplayer through a world code or a direct invite works without problems. Testers report feedback and bugs on the project's Discord server, which is also where further launcher updates are handled.

A niche platform, big significance for the ecosystem

Steam data shows Mac makes up only about 2% of gaming PCs, but for Mojang and Microsoft every piece of Bedrock Edition's crossplay network counts, especially in the competition with Roblox for younger players. The project is neither supported nor approved by Mojang Studios, and it doesn't get around the requirement to own a legitimate copy of the game. It uses Bedrock Edition files that you need your own license for, much like when you download Minecraft Java Edition to your computer.

What's next

Blockintosh is under active development, and further features and fixes are set to reach Discord testers in the coming weeks. Mojang Studios hasn't commented on the fan project so far.

Sources