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Free Minecraft Server for 5 Friends: What Actually Works

Last checked: 7 October 2026

If you are all in one house, use Open to LAN: it is free and built in. If you are not, you have three free routes: one friend runs the server on their PC and shares it through a tunnel such as playit.gg, which works only while that PC is on; a free host such as Minehut or Aternos, which runs it for you with less memory and some waiting; or a free host built for friend groups. Realms is the paid option, at $7.99 USD a month for you and 10 players at a time, as of 7 October 2026.

The short answer

For a group of 3 to 6 friends on Minecraft: Java Edition, here is how each option compares, with prices and limits as of 7 October 2026:

OptionCostWho can joinWhen the host is offlineCatch
Open to LANFreeSame home network onlyWorld closes when the host quitsHost’s PC runs the game and the world at once
Tunnel (playit.gg)Free tier; Premium $3 a monthAnyone with the addressOffline when the host’s PC is offHost installs a server and the playit agent; the PC’s memory and upload speed set the limit
Minehut free planFree; ads on the site10 player slotsSleeps when empty, wakes when a player joins1 GB of RAM; plugins allowed
AternosFree; ads pay for itUnlimited slotsStops after a countdown; someone presses startStart queue when busy; RAM set by Aternos
Realms for Java$7.99 USD a monthYou + 10 at a timeStays onlineNo mods or plugins
ShulkerboxesFreeOnly players on your list, by defaultSleeps when empty, wakes when a friend joins, ready in about a minuteUS, Spain, Germany, Mexico and Brazil only, invite-only; Paper with homes and /tpa, no modpacks or custom plugins

Pick by where your friends are. All in one house: LAN. Spread out, and one friend has a good PC that can stay on: a tunnel. Spread out, and nobody wants to leave a PC running: a free host. Willing to pay one subscription and want no waiting at all: Realms.

Looking for an invite button? As of 7 October 2026, the Java Edition friends list can add friends and show who is online, but it cannot join a friend’s world: Mojang removed that in 26.2 Pre-Release 1. See where the invite button went.

LAN: free, but one network only

Open to LAN is built into Java Edition. In a singleplayer world, open the pause menu, choose Open to LAN, and pick the game mode and whether commands are allowed. Friends on the same Wi-Fi or router see the world appear in their server list. If you do not set a port, the game picks one at random and shows it in chat.

The limit is in the name: LAN reaches only devices on the same local network. A friend across town cannot join without extra software, and the world exists only while the host is playing. For five people in one room, it is the simplest option there is.

A tunnel: your PC, their internet

A tunnel lets friends reach a server running on your own PC without port forwarding. playit.gg is the best known. As of 7 October 2026, its site lists Minecraft Java under its free tier, offers Premium for $3 a month, and says “Only you run the agent, your players just connect.”

The limits come from your PC, not the tunnel. The server runs only while that computer is on and the agent is running, so friends cannot play while you are away unless you leave it on. Your PC has to run the server, and often your own game, at once, and your home upload speed carries everyone’s traffic. For 5 friends on a decent PC and connection, that usually works for an evening; it is a poor fit for a world people drop into at different times.

More on this route, including CGNAT and other tools, is in playing without port forwarding.

Free hosts: Minehut and Aternos

A free host runs the server in a data centre, so nobody leaves a PC on.

Plans and limits as of 7 October 2026:

  • Minehut. The free Starter plan has 10 player slots and 1 GB of RAM, needs no credit card, and has no playtime limits. Servers sleep when empty and wake when a player joins. You can upload plugins from the dashboard. Its cookie notice says it shows ads to keep free servers free. The cheapest paid plan, Standard, has 2 GB of RAM for 600 credits a month.
  • Aternos. Free with no paid tier, and its homepage advertises unlimited slots. Aternos assigns RAM by server software and version: its help center’s example is 2,400 MB for a vanilla 1.20.1 server. When its system is full you wait in a queue to start, and an empty server stops after a countdown. Aternos blocks automated fetches, so these facts come from Internet Archive snapshots dated between 4 October 2025 and 25 August 2026, named in Sources.

What breaks at 5 players on 1 GB

Minehut gives its free servers 1 GB of RAM and says so plainly; it does not say how many players that suits. Aternos’s help center explains what the memory is for: data the server is working on, “for example active players or currently loaded chunks”. It adds that newer Minecraft versions and modded servers need more.

That is why five players feel different from two. Each player loads the chunks around them, up to the server’s view distance (10 by default). Five friends together share most of those chunks; five friends exploring in five directions load five separate areas. On a small memory budget, that shows up as:

  • chunks loading slowly at the edge of the map, especially while flying or riding fast;
  • blocks that reappear after you break them, and mobs that skip around;
  • lag spikes when someone runs a large farm;
  • in the worst case, the server stopping when it runs out of memory.

What helps: run Paper rather than vanilla (Aternos recommends Paper or Purpur for performance even with less memory), lower the view distance, stay closer together, and keep farms small. If the group grows past what the free plan handles, that is the point to upgrade or move.

Realms: the paid shortcut

As of 7 October 2026, Realms for Java costs $7.99 USD a month. It allows you plus 10 players at a time, up to 10,000 invited friends, and friends can play even when you are not online. The world stays online and backups are included. On Java Realms, mods and plugins cannot be installed.

Split five ways, that is about $1.60 each a month. If nobody wants to run anything and your group plays vanilla, it is the least fuss. If money is the point, the options above are free.

LAN vs server: which one for your group

  • Use LAN when everyone is in the same place and you play together, start to finish.
  • Use a tunnel when one friend has a strong PC, a good upload speed and is happy to be the host every session.
  • Use a free host when friends join at different times, or nobody wants to leave a PC on.
  • Use Realms when you want a server that is simply there and one person is happy to pay.

Whichever you choose, turn the whitelist on so only your group can join: see how to whitelist friends, and rules for a friends server. For more free options, see how to play with friends for free.

Where Shulkerboxes fits (and doesn't)

Shulkerboxes is built for a friend group like yours: only players on your list can join, and you can start a new world or upload one you already have.

Shulkerboxes is free Minecraft: Java Edition hosting for a friend group, with no ads, no credit card and no port forwarding. The server sleeps when empty and wakes when a friend joins, ready in about a minute, and friends can join while the owner is offline. It is invite-only with a waitlist and open in the US, Spain, Germany, Mexico and Brazil, and your saved world is yours to download. It is free because gameplay on every server is recorded and used to build de-identified AI training datasets that are licensed to other companies (full explanation). Servers run Paper with built-in homes and /tpa; modpacks and custom plugins are not supported, and Bedrock players cannot join, so if your group needs those, pick a host that supports them, such as Aternos.

Have an invite code? Enter it on the home page. No invite yet? Join the waitlist and we will save you a spot.

FAQ

What is the best free way to play Minecraft with 5 friends?

If you are all on one network, Open to LAN. If not, a free host such as Minehut or Aternos, or a tunnel such as playit.gg when one friend can leave a PC running. Realms is the paid option at $7.99 USD a month.

Can friends join a LAN world over the internet?

Not by itself. Open to LAN reaches only devices on the same local network. Friends elsewhere need a tunnel, port forwarding or a hosted server.

Is 1 GB of RAM enough for 5 players?

It can be for vanilla play when players stay near each other, but memory holds loaded chunks and active players, so five players exploring apart use much more. Expect slow chunk loading and lag first.

Is Realms worth it for 5 friends?

Realms for Java is $7.99 USD a month for you and 10 players at a time, about $1.60 each when split five ways. It stays online and needs no setup, but mods and plugins cannot be installed.

Does playit.gg cost money?

It has a free tier that includes Minecraft Java, and Premium costs $3 a month. Either way, the server runs on your own PC, so it is offline when that PC is off.

Does every friend need their own copy of Minecraft?

For a normal Java Edition server, yes. With online-mode=true, the default, the server checks every player against Minecraft’s account database.

Can I use the Java friends list to play with friends?

Not to play together, as of 7 October 2026. The friends list adds friends and shows their status, but joining a friend's world was removed in 26.2 Pre-Release 1 and 26.3 did not restore it. Use LAN, a mod such as Essential or e4mc, or a server.

Sources

The Minecraft Wiki, minecraft.net, playit.gg and Minehut pages were fetched on 7 October 2026. Aternos refused automated fetches that day, so its pages were read through the Internet Archive snapshots named below.

Written by the Shulkerboxes team.