Mojang Studios announces Minecraft Preview, replacing Bedrock Edition beta program

The Minecraft: Bedrock Edition beta program is a great way for interested Minecraft players to experience what’s coming next to Mojang Studios’ legendary survival game. However, the current iteration of the beta comes with several compromises, including being limited to certain platforms and not letting players enjoy the official Minecraft release simultaneously. On Monday, Mojang Studios announced Minecraft Preview, which will eventually replace the older beta program in its entirety.

Minecraft Preview will be a separate game to Minecraft: Bedrock Edition. This means it can arrive on more platforms than the current beta program, which is only available on Xbox, Windows, and Android devices. It also means that players will be able to participate in testing early Minecraft releases and the official Minecraft release on the same device simultaneously, while the current beta program requires that you constantly enroll and unenroll from the program to go back and forth.

Mojang Studios is first releasing Minecraft Preview on Windows and iOS devices. This is the first time early builds of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition have been available on iOS devices, which should include a sizeable pool of players that play on their phones or tablets. Over time, Minecraft Preview will become available on more Minecraft: Bedrock Edition platforms, which means even PlayStation and Nintendo Switch players may be able to participate in testing upcoming updates to one of the best Xbox games you can play.

Minecraft Preview will go through iOS TestFlight, meaning limited spots will be available for players to sign up. On Xbox and Windows, Minecraft Preview will be given for free to Minecraft: Bedrock Edition owners, and will be included in Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and the Minecraft Launcher. Features like Realms, cross-play, the Minecraft Marketplace, and Achievements won’t be available in Minecraft Preview, as it’s essentially the old beta program but spun out into a separate game.

While Minecraft: Bedrock Edition will continue to receive normal beta builds (like the most recent beta), Minecraft Preview will eventually replace the program as a more accessible and convenient way to experiment with what’s coming next to Minecraft. This includes future content updates like The Wild Update, which is slated to arrive later in 2022.

Players can sign up now to gain access to Minecraft Preview on iOS, with Windows following shortly after. Xbox and other platforms will begin to arrive later this year. Once Minecraft Preview is available everywhere the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition beta program is, the old beta will be retired.