Minecraft Realms: Is It Worth the Investment?

[UPDATED] Minecraft is one of the most popular video games of all time, with millions of players around the world creating and exploring their own unique worlds. But for those who want to take their Minecraft experience to the next level, there’s Minecraft Realms – a subscription service that offers a wide range of benefits to players. But is it worth the investment? I have been subscribed since the world went into lockdown and wanted to share my experience.

What is Minecraft Realms?

First, let’s talk about what Minecraft Realms is. Minecraft Realms is a subscription service that allows players to create their own private servers for Minecraft. This means that you can invite your friends to play with you on your own server, without having to worry about other players intruding. This is by far the main reason people get a subscription. Players can create a persistent Minecraft world that exists even if they are not in it. Friends can drop in and out building, destroying, or role-playing. Realms also offer additional features such as automatic backups for peace of mind.

Some might find the 10-player limit a problem but my children never maxed out as different friends played together at different times.

Whilst one of the biggest benefits of Minecraft Realms is the ability to play with friends, it can also cause some upset. If one friend decides to go in and dynamite all your hard work, this can cause an issue so regular offline saves are advised.

Minecraft Realms also offers a wide range of free texture packs, which can be used to give your world a unique look. These packs are available to all subscribers and can be used to create everything from a medieval castle to a futuristic city.

The cost of Minecraft Realms varies depending on the subscription you choose. A monthly subscription in the UK costs £7.99 and in the US is $7.99, while a three-month subscription costs £22.99 / $22.99. This can be considered as a reasonable price, especially when compared to the cost of buying texture packs separately. Buying texture packs separately can cost between £2 and £5.

What’s the Catch

Minecraft Realms won’t be for everyone and there are a handful of reasons why this might be the case. Firstly, Realms can uninvite inactive players meaning players will need to re-invite players after a while. Realms are also more expensive than other hosting servers. However, this is mainly for PC players and you will need some technical know-how to set it up. The official Minecraft Realms servers are still not moddable which is an instant no for those involved in the Minecraft modding community.

Included Packs in Minecraft Realms

Subscriber to Realms Plus get access to the following packs:

• Mineville High School Roleplay
• Aquatic Life
• CampCraft
• Love Dropper
• Chroma Hills HD
• Juliette’s Manor
• Isles of Aeria
• Horror House
• Extreme Sky Block
• Tiny Footprints Texture Pack
• Pet Pack
• BOO!
• Stranded in Space
• Mine Zoo
• HeroFair
• Foodies
• One Chunk Challenge
• Ultimate Minigame Rush
• City Builder Mash-up
• Dr. Splice’s Lab Escape
• Relics of the Skies
• Restaurant Sim: Head Chef
• Cops and Robbers – Roleplay
• Dwarven Mining Company
• Adventures in FoxFang Ridge
• Cyber Space Team Pack
• Blitz Build
• Alien Worlds Texture Pack
• A Nightmare in Candyworld
• River Fortress
• Extreme Monster Trucks
• Birthstones
• Captain Crook’s Cove
• Fun with Fractals
• Giant’s Hideaway
• Halloween Hootenanny
• Honey Hill Farm
• Infinity Plumber
• Kimonos!
• Merlin’s Magical Motel
• Lucha Libra
• Mines & Magic
• Monsters vs. Robots
• Mummy Valley
• Obsidian Alley
• Pandas & Friends
• Pressure Point Battle Games
• Random Skies: Temple of Tunes
• SAMURAI Castle-MUTSUKIJO-
• Soccer Fever
• Space Craft
• Super! Dreamland
• Tropical Vacation
• Urban Misfits Skin Pack
• Winter Wonderland
• Elf Town

So for me and my family (and my children’s friends), Minecraft Realms was a great investment. The ability to have my children play with their friends, easily switch between game modes and access various free worlds and texture packs make it a great value for the price. It’s also a great way to make sure your world is always safe and accessible, with automatic backups. If you or a family member is an avid Minecraft player, Minecraft Realms is definitely worth considering.