Use the in-game settings to add friends in Minecraft Java (Image via Mojang Studios) The second and free method to play Minecraft with a friend involves hosting your own LAN server.

You can play Minecraft solo, but it's much more fun with friends. Here's how to play multiplayer in Minecraft: Java Edition.

Those who have played Minecraft for some time are likely familiar with the pause menu. One of the menu's buttons is labeled "Open to LAN," but what exactly does it do?

It was such an obvious oversight that I didn't realise you couldn't share your single-player world over the LAN games until recently. And now I'll never miss it: Mojang have just enabled in a ...