How to play Minecraft on the Oculus Quest 2
Minecraft has become the world's best selling game since its launch, surpassing massive franchises such as Grand Theft Auto and Tetris!
So if you've got yourself a VR headset like the Meta Quest 2, you may be tempted to experience Minecraft in an even more personal, and immersive way – in virtual reality!
Can the Quest 2 run Minecraft natively, and if not, how can you play Minecraft in VR on your Quest 2? We're here with the answers…
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Minecraft VR is not natively available for the Quest 2, meaning you can't just head over to the Quest 2 app store, search for Minecraft, and download it on your VR headset, unfortunately.
There are some complicated ways to "hack" the original Java version of Minecraft to run on your Quest 2, but we want the full, modern Minecraft, right? With both single player and online play, and mods, and all the goodies – all in VR! And that's what you shall have.
Because there exists a workaround that you can use, in order to play the full, modern version of Minecraft, in VR, on the Quest; read on…
So if you've got yourself a VR headset like the Meta Quest 2, you may be tempted to experience Minecraft in an even more personal, and immersive way – in virtual reality!
Jump to:
- Is Minecraft available for the Oculus Quest 2?
- Can you play Minecraft on the Oculus Quest 2?
- What PC specs will I need to run Minecraft VR?
- How do you start playing Minecraft for Oculus?
- Can I use my existing Minecraft account on Oculus Quest 2?
- Is there a standalone Minecraft VR version for Oculus Quest 2?
- How can I record or stream my Minecraft VR gameplay?
Is Minecraft available for the Oculus Quest 2?
Minecraft VR is not natively available for the Quest 2, meaning you can't just head over to the Quest 2 app store, search for Minecraft, and download it on your VR headset, unfortunately.
There are some complicated ways to "hack" the original Java version of Minecraft to run on your Quest 2, but we want the full, modern Minecraft, right? With both single player and online play, and mods, and all the goodies – all in VR! And that's what you shall have.
Also see: Best Oculus Quest 2 games
Yes, you can use the Quest 2 to enjoy Minecraft in VR, but the game will not be running natively on it.
Instead, you'll need a Windows PC to do the heavy lifting here, as well as Minecraft for Windows installed on it.
Minecraft for Windows has a free update, aptly named Minecraft for Oculus, which you can then download, in order to launch Minecraft in VR when you're using your Quest 2 headset.
You can get Minecraft for Windows here.
Since your PC will be doing all the heavy lifting, you'll want to make sure that it's capable of running VR games. Minecraft may not be the most graphically-intensive game, but running it in VR, your PC will be doing over twice the processing.
Here are the recommended specs:
Use either Oculus Link or AirLink to connect your Quest 2 with your laptop or computer. You'll want to make sure your computer has the Oculus app for that, which you can download here (under Air Link and Link Cable).
Once the Oculus app is installed and running on your PC, and you've connected your headset to your PC also, you can launch Minecraft on that same PC, and it will run in VR on your Quest 2.
Now you can explore your favorite worlds in virtual reality, build new ones, play with friends online, and even use mods as you normally would. Have fun!
Yes, since you're playing the Windows version of Minecraft in VR, you will be using your existing account, and will not be required to make a new, special one for this.
Unfortunately there is no standalone version of Minecraft VR for the Quest 2, possibly because the headset is not capable of handling this particular game in terms of performance. With that in mind, we probably won't get a native Quest 2 version of Minecraft VR ever.
Can you play Minecraft on the Oculus Quest 2?
Yes, you can use the Quest 2 to enjoy Minecraft in VR, but the game will not be running natively on it.
Instead, you'll need a Windows PC to do the heavy lifting here, as well as Minecraft for Windows installed on it.
Minecraft for Windows has a free update, aptly named Minecraft for Oculus, which you can then download, in order to launch Minecraft in VR when you're using your Quest 2 headset.
You can get Minecraft for Windows here.
What PC specs will I need to run Minecraft VR?
Since your PC will be doing all the heavy lifting, you'll want to make sure that it's capable of running VR games. Minecraft may not be the most graphically-intensive game, but running it in VR, your PC will be doing over twice the processing.
- Intel i5-4590 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X or greater
- 8GB of RAM or more
- Windows 10 or 11
How do you start playing Minecraft for Oculus?
Use either Oculus Link or AirLink to connect your Quest 2 with your laptop or computer. You'll want to make sure your computer has the Oculus app for that, which you can download here (under Air Link and Link Cable).
Once the Oculus app is installed and running on your PC, and you've connected your headset to your PC also, you can launch Minecraft on that same PC, and it will run in VR on your Quest 2.
Now you can explore your favorite worlds in virtual reality, build new ones, play with friends online, and even use mods as you normally would. Have fun!
Can I use my existing Minecraft account on Oculus Quest 2?
Yes, since you're playing the Windows version of Minecraft in VR, you will be using your existing account, and will not be required to make a new, special one for this.
Is there a standalone Minecraft VR version for Oculus Quest 2?
Unfortunately there is no standalone version of Minecraft VR for the Quest 2, possibly because the headset is not capable of handling this particular game in terms of performance. With that in mind, we probably won't get a native Quest 2 version of Minecraft VR ever.
However, freelance developers have been able to get the old Java version of Minecraft running natively on the Quest 2, albeit the process can be pretty tricky, as Meta has made sideloading apps on the headset considerably harder as of late.
Simple – have your game running on your Windows PC, then press the Windows key + Alt + R.
This will start a video recording, using Windows' bult-in Xbox Gamebar. Press the same key combination to stop the recording. Obviously, this will record your Minecraft VR gameplay, just like it can record any gameplay that's occurring on your PC's screen.
The recorded video file can be found in the Videos > Capture folder.
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How can I record or stream my Minecraft VR gameplay?
Simple – have your game running on your Windows PC, then press the Windows key + Alt + R.
This will start a video recording, using Windows' bult-in Xbox Gamebar. Press the same key combination to stop the recording. Obviously, this will record your Minecraft VR gameplay, just like it can record any gameplay that's occurring on your PC's screen.
The recorded video file can be found in the Videos > Capture folder.
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