Sometimes it can take as little as an hour. Likewise, you can have a server running on your PC as soon as you download Minecraft Java Edition, if you know how to set things up on your end.

The best Minecraft servers on Java and Bedrock can be hard to find, so we've dug them out for you, alongside instructions on how to host your own if you prefer to.

You still get to invite up to 10 Java Edition friends to join your private Realm server, 24/7 access to that server, and three World Slots, but Java Edition does not support Minecraft Marketplace.

Java Edition users of Minecraft will need Java installed. After doing that, you’ll need to download the version of Minecraft Forge that matches your server version.