BedrockOnLinux runs the Windows Minecraft Bedrock edition on Linux

What BedrockOnLinux actually is

Mojang ships the Bedrock edition for Windows, consoles, and phones, and Linux players have long been pointed at the Java edition instead. BedrockOnLinux installs and runs the Windows version of Minecraft Bedrock on Linux directly. The launcher downloads the game from the Microsoft Store with your own account, sets up the runtime, and starts it, with no Windows install, no second machine, and nothing to compile. Signing in happens inside Minecraft exactly as it does on Windows, so Friends, invitations, public servers, Realms, and the Marketplace work as documented, and nothing passes through a third-party server. Playing without an account is also supported: single-player worlds and LAN games work offline, and only the online features are out of reach. One gap the README states plainly: achievements show up in the game but stay locked for now.

Installing: five package formats

The releases page carries builds for every common Linux packaging style, and the README maps each to its target:

./BedrockOnLinux-*-x86_64.AppImage
sudo apt install ./bedrock-on-linux_*_amd64.deb
sudo dnf install ./bedrock-on-linux-*.x86_64.rpm
flatpak install --user ./BedrockOnLinux-*-x86_64.flatpak
nix run github:Wyze3306/BedrockOnLinux

The AppImage suits most desktops, the .deb covers Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, and LMDE, the .rpm covers Fedora and Nobara, and the Flatpak targets atomic systems such as Bazzite. On NixOS or any system with Nix, nix run tries the launcher without installing anything, and the README shows a flake snippet for adding it declaratively to environment.systemPackages. The project distributes a nightly build alongside tagged releases, which sat at v2.2.6 and v2.2.7 at review time, with the last push on 2026-09-17.

First play: two sign-ins, then PLAY

The first run asks for your Microsoft account twice, and the README explains why: once to download the game from the Microsoft Store, which needs a session of its own, and once to play online. Use the same account for both; the launcher offers the second sign-in right after the first, and again if a download needs it. Then pick Minecraft or Minecraft Preview, choose a version, and hit PLAY. The first launch downloads the game and everything it needs, so it takes a while, and after that starts are immediate. Older versions can be installed too, which the README calls out as handy when a server has not updated yet. Controller play is built in: the d-pad or left stick moves the highlight, A selects, B goes back, the shoulder buttons change tabs, and Start plays. Tools includes a Create direct launch shortcut action that adds a Minecraft Bedrock entry to your app menu or to Steam, which is the documented route for Steam Deck.

What you need before downloading

The requirements list is short and hardware-honest. You need a 64-bit Linux desktop that is reasonably up to date, a graphics card and driver with Vulkan support, which the README paraphrases as anything from the last few years running the driver your distribution ships, and enough free disk space for the game and its runtime, a few gigabytes. You also need a Microsoft account that owns Minecraft, because the game downloads under your own licence. That last point is the boundary of the whole project: it is a launcher for people who already bought the game, not a way around buying it. Steam Deck owners tick every box by default, which is why the direct launch shortcut exists as a first-class feature rather than a workaround.

doctor and repair: the maintenance story

When something is off, the README says to start with the built-in check:

bedrock-on-linux doctor

The doctor command inspects your system and reports what is wrong, which turns most support questions into a paste of its output. If the game itself misbehaves after an update or a crash, the repair command rebuilds the Windows environment without touching your worlds, so a broken runtime never costs you saves. Logs are one click away in Settings, and the same commands are reachable from the AppImage and Flatpak builds through their own entry point. When self-service fails, the README routes you to Discord or the issue tracker, and asks for the launcher version, distribution, GPU, and log, with an explicit never attach your account details.

The supply chain: signed, reproducible, no game files

For a launcher that handles a store credential, the provenance story is unusually complete. Everything is built from source by a public, reproducible pipeline, and each release is signed, with the details in docs/BUILD.md. The launcher ships no Minecraft game files at all: the game downloads from Microsoft servers under your licence, handled by the Xodus component, so you must own Minecraft and its terms still apply. The project is MIT-licensed while the components it bundles keep their own licences, and the README states it is independent, not affiliated with or supported by Mojang or Microsoft. Reproducible builds and signed releases are the two controls that make the official-source warning verifiable rather than decorative, since a tampered build would stop matching the public pipeline output.

Alternatives and the edge cases

The other Linux route is the mcpelauncher family, which launches the Android edition of Bedrock through a native Linux port instead of the Windows edition. The difference in approach is what gets downloaded: the Android build from its own channel versus the Windows build straight from the Microsoft Store pipeline, and BedrockOnLinux bets on the latter so that store-driven features and versions match what Windows players see. A full Windows virtual machine is the heavyweight alternative, buying total compatibility at the cost of RAM, disk, a Windows licence, and GPU passthrough friction that a Vulkan-native launcher avoids. Edge cases to weigh: achievements staying locked, the two-sign-in flow confusing anyone expecting one prompt, and the first-launch download size, which the README only describes as a few gigabytes with the runtime included.

Editorial conclusion

BedrockOnLinux fits Linux desktop and Steam Deck players who own Minecraft Bedrock and want the Windows edition with full online play, from Friends and servers to Realms and the Marketplace. Skip it if you would rather not hand a Microsoft sign-in to a third-party launcher, or if your GPU lacks Vulkan support. Run bedrock-on-linux doctor first, and note that achievements appear in the game but stay locked for now.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

1. Issues
2. Project website
3. README
4. Releases
5. Wyze3306/BedrockOnLinux on GitHub