Minecraft plays properly on Linux, but it’s unlikely to be easily installed using your Linux distribution’s package management. How to prepare your Linux system for Minecraft is provided below.
For this procedure, we used Ubuntu 20.04.4, which is where our concrete examples originate from. However, the procedure will be essentially the same across all Linux distributions.
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Setup Exclusive Graphics Drivers
Since Minecraft is a 3D program, having effective 3D drivers installed is advantageous. The usual open-source graphics drivers offered by your Linux distribution operate just well with Intel graphics, even if they aren’t as powerful as NVIDIA or AMD graphics.
You should probably install the closed-source NVIDIA or AMD graphics drivers if you have NVIDIA or AMD GPUs. To search for applications in Ubuntu, just press the “Super” key (on most keyboards, it’s the key with the Windows logo). Click the “Additional Drivers” shortcut after typing “drivers” to get the relevant control panel. If the NVIDIA or AMD binary driver isn’t already chosen in the Software & Updates box, choose it and install it.
Related: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050, MX550, and MX570 GPUs for laptops get Linux-supported drivers
If you use another Linux distribution, look out for installation instructions for the NVIDIA or AMD binary drivers online. Although you can run Minecraft with the default open-source drivers, the performance will be better with the commercial drivers.
Choose and Install a Java Runtime
Java has to be installed because it is typically not included with Linux distributions. Here, you have two options. The majority of Linux distributions provide software repositories that allow for the simple installation of the OpenJDK open-source Java version. Oracle also offers its own Java runtime. Although the Oracle Java runtime does contain some closed-source technology that may enhance graphics performance, the OpenJDK and Oracle Java runtimes are essentially similar.
Although we have experience utilizing OpenJDK with Minecraft on Linux, the Minecraft project still advises using Oracle’s Java runtime. Although the official Oracle Java runtime and OpenJDK are steadily catching up, you could still prefer it for the time being.
This package ought to be available in the software repository of your Linux distribution if you wish to test the OpenJDK runtime. Simply launch the software management program on your desktop to complete the installation. Install the most recent OpenJDK runtime by opening the Ubuntu Software Center by clicking the shopping bag symbol on the dock and typing “OpenJDK.” On other Linux distributions, the procedure is the same: use the program management tool, look for OpenJDK, and install the most recent runtime.
If you wish to use Oracle’s Java runtime, you can get it at Java.com. However, you probably don’t want to.
Oracle used to offer simple-to-install Java packages for Ubuntu and other Linux distributions, but they generally ceased doing this in favor of pushing OpenJDK. For ease of installation, you should generally utilize Oracle Java packages given by other Linux users. There is a PPA with a Java installer package for Ubuntu users that will download and install the Java files from Oracle.
Open a terminal by clicking the Dash icon, typing “Terminal,” and then selecting the Terminal shortcut. Then, to utilize the PPA, enter the following commands, one at a time:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:linuxuprising/java -y
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install oracle-java17-installer oracle-java17-set-default
Tip: Enter after selecting “Ok” with the Tab key in the terminal. When navigating between “Yes” and “No,” use the arrow keys.
Download and Run Minecraft on Ubuntu or Debian
After that, get Minecraft. If you’re running Ubuntu or another Debian-based distribution, go to Minecraft’s official download page and click the “Debian or Debian-Based Distributions” link.
To install the Minecraft launcher, double-click the downloaded DEB file.
Start the launcher like any other software on your PC. At this point, Minecraft Launcher will download and install certain game assets, so please wait a moment. After it is finished, you will be requested to log in using a Microsoft or Mojang Account.
Reminder: Legacy Mojang accounts must switch to Microsoft accounts under pressure from Microsoft. The Mojang account option was still available as of March 2022, although it will probably be gone shortly.
If you have the game, simply click the “Play” button, and the launcher will take care of downloading and playing Minecraft for you. Updates for Minecraft will also be handled through the launcher. Alternatively, you might try the demo.
If you play Minecraft on another platform, such as Windows, you may transfer your saves to your Linux system.
