Mojang is hoping that current Minecraft players will hardly notice the difference once they actually have the new launcher installed. Mojang says that it can be downloaded by anyone, but you'll need to either outright own the version you want to play or be a Game Pass subscriber. Update: There is now a free 'Minecraft Launcher' edition available to download on the Microsoft Store (opens in new tab).

Despite Mojang's efforts, there may be a bit of confusion for players during the initial transition to the unified launcher. However, a Minecraft Java owner on our team wasn't able to claim a download to the new launcher yet, even after migrating to a Microsoft account. I did also need to migrate my Mojang account to a Microsoft account.

The process was a bit fiddly for me, but I was able to download the new Windows application launcher by selecting 'Minecraft for Windows + Launcher' as my edition on either the Microsoft Store or Xbox PC application. As of today, your current Minecraft Launcher will prompt you to upgrade to an improved launcher version from the Xbox store (opens in new tab).

Previously, Minecraft PC players used the Minecraft Launcher to play Minecraft Java and the spinoff game Minecraft Dungeons, while Minecraft Bedrock was launched as a standalone application. 'If you really want both, try out Xbox Game Pass for PC and just hold tight for a little bit.' 'We're trying to not encourage people to buy both versions,' Aguilar-Gamez says.

Minecraft 1.17 windows 10