Although Minecraft fans have various means to play Java Edition for free, including the game's demo as well as Minecraft Classic, these options are limited.

You'll need a Microsoft account to download Minecraft but that's no sweat to do. Choosing between the two versions, Java and ...

Players who have not played Minecraft for a while, but have the game downloaded, can simply update the game to get the latest version (1.16) through the Minecraft Java Edition Launcher.

If you missed your chance the first time around, Mojang has allowed more players to redeem their free copy of Minecraft on Windows 10 if they already own the Java Edition.

Mojang Studios have announced the Minecraft PC Bundle, a package deal that will give Xbox Game Pass for PC users access to both the Java Edition and the Bedrock Edition of Minecraft.

To be more specific, the two versions are Java Edition and Bedrock Edition, and they'll both be available via Xbox's Game Pass for PC service from November 2, 2021.