The Best Minecraft Servers in 2025

The popularity and ubiquity of Minecraft have waned slightly in the almost 15 years since its initial release, but no amount of changing tides in the tastes of young gamers can take away from the fact that it remains the single-best-selling video game of all time. Beyond its commercial success, Minecraft also continues to play an important role as one of the most impressive and intuitive tools for players to learn about game creation, with many of the more gifted Minecraft players and map makers going on to host their own servers for the game. Minecraft is fun enough on its own, but it can be even more fun when joining with others, with the following being some of the better and more welcoming servers for the game in 2025.

Java vs. Bedrock

The multiplayer servers for Minecraft will differ depending on which version of the game players happen to be using. While Java Minecraft is arguably better for PC and features more robust creation tools (along with the ability to install mods), Bedrock Minecraft is generally better for cross-platform play and for use on non-PC devices like iPads or the Nintendo Switch. Regardless of which version of Minecraft you happen to be playing, there are plenty of great servers available for each.

• Game Types — Mini-Games
• Game Version — Bedrock

As far as Bedrock-specific Minecraft servers go, The Hive is one of the largest and most popular, and its popularity makes a lot of sense when you see how many different activities are on offer. In addition to plenty of fun mini-games, The Hive has a bustling community that's always working to improve and innovate, bringing new maps, new activities, and more to the server.

• IP Address — play.lbsg.net
• Game Types — Creative, Survival, Skyblock
• Game Version — Java, Bedrock

Lifeboat continues to be one of the most popular Minecraft servers, whether playing Java or Bedrock, with thousands of players online at any given time and plenty of activities to keep them busy. A large part of Lifeboat's popularity can be attributed to its place on the game's official server list, which also means it tends to be a safe place for Minecraft players to interact free of toxicity or inappropriate behavior.

• IP Address — skyblock.net (Java); bedrock.skyblock.net, 19132 (Bedrock)
• Game Types — Skyblock
• Game Version — Java, Bedrock

Skyblock was such a popular server that its game type became commonplace in a lot of the other best Minecraft servers, and it remains one of the most popular locations for players to aggregate, thanks to its place as the originator. You begin on an island with just a tree and a chest, and from there can build a growing city in the sky where you can invite friends to come visit, build, collaborate, or start offshoot cities of their own.

• IP Address — sm.insanitycraft.net
• Game Types — Factions, Skyblock, Survival
• Game Version — Java

The Insanity Craft server has been around almost as long as Minecraft itself, first coming online in 2012 and remaining one of the most popular Java servers there is. Insanity Craft features a plethora of different game modes for players to engage in, with the most popular being its Survival and Factions modes, and it even has its own in-game shop for server-specific cosmetics and upgrades.

• IP Address — minescape.me
• Game Types — RPG
• Game Version — Java

Fans of the classic MMORPG Runescape went through the painstaking process of recreating the game's world (and many of its quests) in Minecraft, and the end result is Minescape. One of Minecraft's most impressive renditions of another game, Minescape is every bit the immersive RPG as Runescape, and it's arguably one of the best RPG experiences to be had in Minecraft.

• IP Address — play.badwolfmc.com (Java); play.badwolfmc.com, 19132 (Bedrock)
• Game Types — Survival, Skyblock, Creative
• Game Version — Java, Bedrock

Billed as the only "Adults Only" server for Minecraft, BadWolfMC is a place for players 18 and up to gather and be able to enjoy the game without needing to worry about interacting with younger players. To even get access to BadWolfMC, you'll need to apply, and the "Adults Only" moniker is simply for age verification purposes and not for any kind of NSFW content. Rather, BadWolfMC is geared toward being a place where adult Minecraft players can build, hang out, and play without needing to monitor their interactions with others as closely.

• IP Address — play.oplegends.com
• Game Types — Prison, Skyblock, RPG
• Game Version — Java, Bedrock

Both one of the best and one of the most popular Minecraft servers, OPLegends is a crossplay server that's joinable on both Java and Bedrock and features a ton of popular game types like Skyblock, Prison, Role-playing, and more. The server's popularity has also helped it retain an excellent creator community that's always generating new and exciting maps to use for any of its available game modes.

• IP Address — play.mccisland.net
• Game Types — Mini-Games, Parkour
• Game Version — Java

The Minecraft Championship server (otherwise known as MCC) was originally created as a place for popular Minecraft content creators to meet and compete in plenty of hilarious and exciting PvP mini-games, and it's since grown to become one of the most popular servers around since its transformation into MCC Island. It's worth noting that the server maps are created by a veritable "who's who" of Minecraft content creators, and the MCC Island server is now open for all players in Early Access.

• IP Address — server.sandlotminecraft.com (Java); server.sandlotminecraft.com, 19132 (Bedrock)
• Game Types — Survival, PvP, Parkour
• Game Version — Java, Bedrock

The counterpoint to BadWolfMC, The Sandlot is a "kids only" Minecraft server where younger players can freely gather and interact in a safe environment. Accordingly, there are a ton of popular game types available in The Sandlot, and it's even cross-play between Java and Bedrock versions (meaning you can access it on just about any device that can play Minecraft). One of the more exciting aspects of The Sandlot is that it features a more beginner-friendly Survival mode aimed at letting younger players get used to the mechanics while playing with others.

• IP Address — mc.hypixel.net
• Game Types — Hardcore, Parkour, Sky Wars, Other
• Game Version — Java

Perhaps the best Minecraft server there is in 2025, Hypixel remains one of the most popular places for players to gather and play together, and also happens to be the single largest server in the game. Hypixel features an almost dizzying array of game modes, and even without crossplay between Java and Bedrock, it continues to maintain one of the strongest online communities in Minecraft.