How to Play Split-Screen & Other Online Methods on Minecraft Xbox 360

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Can you play LAN on the 360 edition? Find out here!

Written by Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: July 16, 2025 Fact Checked

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Playing Split-Screen

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Online Multiplayer

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Minecraft LAN Parties

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Does 360 support Realms?

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Cross-compatibility

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Video

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Q&A

Setting up a multiplayer game of Minecraft on your Xbox 360 is a piece of cake, and there are multiple ways to do so. You can play with up to three other players on the same TV via a split-screen match, or you can play online with other Xbox 360 users in your Friends list if you have an Xbox Live Gold membership. In this article, we explain how to do so, while also diving into the possibilities of other online methods. Read on to learn how to get a multiplayer game of Minecraft going with friends!

A Guide to Playing Split-Screen on Minecraft Xbox 360

Connect your Xbox 360 to an TV via an HDMI or five-prong component cable.
Turn on your console and up to 4 controllers.
Check your resolution in the Display HDTV Settings to ensure it’s 720p.
Sign your controllers in.
Open Minecraft, select the world you wish to play, and open it.
Press Start on the controllers when prompted.

Section 1 of 5:

How to Play Split-Screen on Minecraft Xbox 360

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Turn on your console and any controllers. You'll need at least two controllers—one for you and one for a friend—to play split-screen on your Xbox 360.^{[1]
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- You can have up to four players (including yourself) in Minecraft split-screen.
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Check your TV's display resolution. You'll need to have your Xbox 360 connected to a TV that is at least 720p. You cannot play split-screen if you are playing on an old standard definition TV. You can check your current output resolution by navigating to Settings → System → Console Settings → Display → HDTV Settings. The "Current Setting" needs to be set to 720p or higher, as any other setting will prevent split-screen from working.
- Your 360 must also be connected to the TV via either component cable (five-prong) or HDMI cable.
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Sign in the extra controllers. Your controller should already be signed in, but you'll need to sign the other controller(s) into accounts of their own. To do so:^{[2]
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- Press the Guide button (the Xbox logo in the middle of the controller).
- Select Sign In
- Select a profile, or select Create Profile and create a new profile by following the on-screen steps.
- Repeat this process for up to two more controllers.
Place the Minecraft disc in the console and close the CD tray, or select the Minecraft game from your game library by scrolling over to the Games tab, selecting My Games, and selecting Minecraft there.
It's a grey button at the top of the Minecraft main page.^{[3]
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Select a world. Navigate to the world you want to play in, select the world, then select Load. This will open the world in question.^{[4]
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- To create a new world, head to the Create tab and select Create New World.
Once the world loads, press the Select button, which is the triangle-shaped button to the right of the "Guide" button.^{[5]
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When you see a prompt to press Start appear on the screen, press Start on the second controller again. You should see the screen split in half, with the original controller's user at the top of the screen and the second controller's user at the bottom of the screen.
Press Start twice on up to two more controllers to add them to the match.
If a player needs to leave, they can do so by pressing the Start button and selecting Exit Game from the menu, at which point their screen section will disappear from the TV.

Section 2 of 5:

How to Play Online Multiplayer on Minecraft Xbox 360

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Get Xbox Live Gold. You will need an Xbox Live Gold account to play online with other people. Gold accounts cost a monthly fee. If you don't have a Gold account, you can still play locally with others via split-screen.^{[6]
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- You may be able to play on Xbox Live for free for a few days if you recently set up your account, as Microsoft typically offers free trials for new members.
If your controller isn't signed into your Xbox Live account, you'll also need to sign in by pressing the Guide button, pressing X, and selecting your Xbox Live Gold account.
You can only play Minecraft for Xbox 360 online with people who are on your Friends list. You cannot join random servers. Instead, you'll have to either create a world and invite friends to join, or join a friend's world.
Place the disc in the console, then close the CD tray. If you own a digital copy, select the Minecraft game from your game library by scrolling over to the Games tab, selecting My Games, and selecting Minecraft.
It's a grey button at the top of the Minecraft main page.
If you see a world that doesn't belong to you listed here, one of your friends is hosting an online game.^{[7]
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Select the hosted game world to join it. As long as the game isn't full, you'll be able to join immediately.^{[8]
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Create your own game. Select a game world, then check the "Online" box in the middle of the page.
- You can also select the Create tab and then select Create New World to set up a new world.
If you want to invite specific friends without others being able to join your game, select More Options on the world setup page, then check the "Invite Only" box.
You can choose any of the world creation options, as well as input a seed or leave it blank for a random seed.
Once you've got your world running, your friends will be able to join from their world lists if the game is not set to "Invite Only". If it is, you'll need to send game invites to the friends you want to play with by opening your friends list, selecting the friend you want to play with, and selecting Invite to Game.

Section 3 of 5:

Can you play through local area network (LAN) on Minecraft Xbox 360?

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No, Minecraft Xbox 360 doesn’t support LAN games. Although the Xbox 360 has LAN capabilities, the 360 edition of Minecraft wasn’t created with that in mind, only split-screen. But you can play LAN games on the current and next-generation Xbox consoles, like the Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X. It’s a simple process, too:^{[9]
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- Connect the consoles via Category 5+ Ethernet cables, then connect the cables to the router.
- Open Minecraft, click the Pencil icon on the world you want to play, then select the Multiplayer tab and enable Multiplayer and Visible to LAN Players.

Section 4 of 5:

Can you play Realms on Minecraft Xbox 360?

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You can’t play Realms on Minecraft Xbox 360, as that edition doesn’t support them. The 360 Edition is a special edition of Minecraft that has more limited features than Bedrock and Java, as it was designed for an older console. One of those limitations is that you can’t access Realms, which are personal multiplayer servers between friends.^{[10]
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- Realms are available on all of the Xbox consoles following the 360, though, including the Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X.

Section 5 of 5:

Is Minecraft Xbox 360 cross-compatible?

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Cross-compatibility is only available on the Java and Bedrock editions. These editions are only available on current and next-generation consoles, like the Xbox One, the Xbox Series S|X, the PlayStation 4 and 5, and PC. Even then, you’re only able to play with players who have the same edition, so Bedrock players aren’t able to play with Java players.^{[11]
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Can you play multiplayer without Xbox Live?

Community Answer

In order to play Minecraft online, you'll need an Xbox Live Gold account. You can play local splitscreen without any Xbox Live accounts.

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Why isn't it letting a second player join when I hit the "start" button?

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If you don't have all the correct settings, it won't work. Click these things on your xbox (in this order) - settings - system - console settings - display - current settings - then select either 720p, 1080p, or 1080i.

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Can you play splitscreen without an HDTV?

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No, it is not possible to play splitscreen unless your TV is capable of at least 720p. You can play online without an HDTV.

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