Minecraft Education Edition is Available On Chromebooks

In the midst of a new school year that could see students never stepping foot in a physical classroom, Microsoft is bringing Minecraft: Education Edition to Chromebooks.

Chrome OS Minecraft: Education Edition will allow cross-platform play on Windows, iPad, and Mac versions. Students will be able to socialize and collaborate on projects regardless of their device. Microsoft is also updating the game to include 11 new STEM lessons and a Minecraft world to teach students about bees and pollination. A new library of lesson plans and tagged learning abilities are part of the update too.

The company says Chrome OS, iPad and Windows devices will install the update automatically. Mac users will have to manually download the update. Schools that have Minecraft: Education Edition installed in their classrooms won't need to change their subscription. The company will include the Chrome OS version of Microsoft 365 Education A3 and A5 licenses.

Minecraft: Education Edition is available since 2016. It's not surprising that it's only being made available to Chromebooks this year. Google's computing platform is the leading one for education. According to the company there were more than 30 million Chromebooks that were in use at schools around the world as of the year 2019. B2PCONNECTIONS Chromebooks made up 60 percent of all laptops and tablets purchased in the US for classrooms for K-12 students in 2018. This release also offers Chrome OS users an official method of installing Minecraft without having to sideload the game onto their device.