Want to make a Minecraft server so you can play with your friends? It's easier than you'd think, thanks to numerous options that allow tons of flexibility.

Minecraft's most popular mega server, Hypixel, is a sprawling MMO server with just about any game mode type to fit a player's needs.

In Minecraft Java Edition, players can either jump into a world on their own and explore it, or they can join their friends in a multiplayer world and play together.

How to play with friends on Minecraft: Java Servers are the basic building block of Minecraft's multiplayer mode. Anyone playing together will need to be on the same server.