Minecraft will happily match you with strangers all day. Playing with a specific person, which is what you want if that person is your partner, takes a couple of extra steps. They are below.
Before you start
You each need your own copy on your own phone. Minecraft is on both the App Store and Google Play, so it does not matter which of you is on iPhone and which is on Android.
It is free to download, so there is no reason for one of you to hold off and watch over the other's shoulder.
Step by step
- Install it on both phones. Do this before you sit down to play — first-launch downloads are always bigger than you expect.
- Host a world and let your partner join. This is the step that connects the two of you rather than putting you in a public lobby.
- Build, mine and explore together.
- Stay on a call while you set up the first time. Working out one game's friend system together takes five minutes; doing it over text takes half an hour.
When you cannot find each other
- Make sure you are both fully signed in, not playing as a guest — guest accounts are the most common reason a friend request never arrives.
- Check you have both got the app updated. A version gap can hide one of you from the other.
- Have the person creating the session send the invite rather than both of you searching at once.
- Restart the app on both phones before assuming something is broken.
Making Minecraft work as a couple thing
Once the setup is done, the question becomes whether you keep playing. Minecraft is built around playing with someone rather than beside them, and that shapes how to fit it into a week.
- Build, explore and survive in a shared world.
- Endless things to create and do side by side.
- Your world is truly joint — every block counts for both of you.
Give it a regular time rather than waiting for you both to feel like it. That single habit is what separates a game you play twice from one you play for months.
Similar games worth having installed
- Terraria — Terraria is a 2D sandbox adventure of digging, building, crafting and epic boss fights across a huge, procedurally generated world.
- PK XD — PK XD is a colourful social sandbox for exploring an open world, customising your avatar and home, and playing mini-games with friends.
- Sky: Children of the Light — Sky: Children of the Light, from the makers of Journey, is a serene social adventure about flying through beautiful realms and sharing light with others.
More of the same kind on our category page.
Where to go next
Whatever you decide about Minecraft, it is worth having one calm game in the rotation too. Ours is Our Flower Garden: a single garden you both tend, with no pressure to keep up.
- Can You Play Minecraft on One Phone?
- Is Minecraft Cross-Platform? iPhone & Android
- Is Minecraft Multiplayer? How to Play It Together
- How to Play 2 Player Games: The Challenge With Friends
- Our full list of the best mobile couple games
Frequently asked questions
- How do I play Minecraft with my partner?
- Install Minecraft on both phones, host a world and let your partner join, then start a session together. The friend step is what keeps you out of a public lobby.
- Can you play Minecraft with friends as well as your partner?
- Yes — the same friend system that connects the two of you works for a wider group, so Minecraft scales up on the nights you want company.
- Why can't my partner see me in Minecraft?
- Usually one of you is signed in as a guest, or one copy of the app is out of date. Sign in properly on both phones, update both, then send the invite from one side rather than searching from both.
- Do we need to be in the same room to play Minecraft?
- No. Minecraft plays online, so the two of you can be anywhere as long as you both have a connection.
