Standard edition on an RG34XX SP (left) and the RGDS edition on an RG DS (right), sharing a LAN world. The RG DS lower screen is the companion.
Run a legally owned Android copy of Minecraft Bedrock natively on supported ARM Linux handhelds through PortMaster and the open-source minecraft-linux launcher. This is the first stable 2.x release. Knulli, muOS and ROCKNIX each have a physical reference device behind them; the 32-bit R36S/RK3326 path and the ArkOS family have none, and the RGDS second-screen companion is experimental. What is measured and what is merely built is set out in TESTING.md — nothing here is labelled Validated that a device has not done, and the physical acceptance matrix for the armhf path remains pending.
No game files are included. You must supply your own official Minecraft Bedrock Android APK(s) or sign in with your google account that owns Minecraft for direct access to any version you might want to try out.
NOT AN OFFICIAL MINECRAFT PRODUCT. NOT APPROVED BY OR ASSOCIATED WITH MOJANG OR MICROSOFT.
| Download | Who needs it |
|---|---|
| Standard edition | Normal single-screen PortMaster devices. Full launcher with login and Bedrock version download and play; supports aarch64 and armhf |
| RGDS edition | Experimental. Anbernic RG DS on ROCKNIX/Sway. Its not actively being developed anymore; arm64 only. Adds the second-screen companion, which is in early development |
| Windows APK helper | Downloads your own Google Play purchase in the correct arm64 format. Source and issues: mcbedrock-get |
| Linux APK helper | The same helper for x86_64 Linux. Download, chmod +x, run. Newest version: mcbedrock-get |
| Release notes | Short packaged release summary |
| Checksums | Verifies every published file |
Use the standard edition unless you own an RG DS and specifically want to help test the dual-screen companion. The standard edition intentionally redirects RGDS users to the separate RGDS package instead of silently installing experimental code.
| Firmware | Status |
|---|---|
| Knulli | Tested on an Anbernic RG34XX-SP |
| muOS | Tested on an Anbernic RG34XX-SP (2601.0 JACARANDA) |
| ROCKNIX | Tested on an Anbernic RG DS |
| Batocera | Should work — Knulli is a derivative — but untested |
| ArkOS / dArkOS / DarkOS RE | Not supported in this release. The code paths are present but no device has ever run them |
The port detects what it is running on and adapts by measured capability rather than by firmware name, so an unlisted system may well work. It will tell you what it found, and Self test in the launcher menu reports it without needing Minecraft installed. If you get it running somewhere not listed, a self-test paste in an issue is exactly what moves a firmware up this table.
The same caveat applies to the 32-bit armhf path for R36S/RK3326-class devices: it is built, tested against host fixtures, and carries the fixes that came out of the one field report there has ever been, but no 32-bit device has run it. Treat it as untested rather than broken, and please report what happens.
- A supported ARM Linux handheld with a working PortMaster installation.
- About 2 GB of free space for the port, runtime, and extracted game.
- Your own copy of Minecraft Bedrock for Android, bought from Google Play. You will sign in with the Google account that owns it. A copy bought anywhere else — a console store, or the PC edition — will not work here.
- The right build for your device:
| Your device | Build to download |
|---|---|
| Most 64-bit handhelds, including H700 devices and RGDS | 64-bit (arm64-v8a) |
| 32-bit R36S/RK3326-class firmware | 32-bit (armeabi-v7a) |
If you are not sure which you have, install the port and launch it once. It reports what it detected, and it does not need a Minecraft file to tell you.
Extract exactly one port archive at the root of the storage that contains your ROM folders:
| Firmware | Extract to |
|---|---|
| muOS | SD-card root, normally /mnt/mmc or /mnt/sdcard |
| Knulli | Share root or second SD-card root, the location containing roms/ and ports/ |
| ROCKNIX | Games-partition root, shown on-device as /storage/roms |
| R36S-class PortMaster setup | Storage root containing roms/ports/ |
The archive supplies launch entries under both roms/ports/ and ports/ so
the supported firmware layouts find the same payload. Refresh the Ports list,
then launch Minecraft Bedrock once. This creates the shared data folders.
There are two routes. Pick the first one if your device can use it.
Open Get APK from Google Play in the launcher menu. It signs you in on Google's own page, downloads the build you choose, validates it and installs it, all on the handheld. You need Wi-Fi, about 1.5 GB of free space for the one-time browser runtime, and the Google account that owns Minecraft.
This is a prototype and it is limited to 64-bit H700 devices on muOS, Knulli or Batocera — an RG34XX-SP, RG35XX-H/Plus/2024 and relatives. The tile is greyed out on anything else, which is not a bug: the sign-in browser needs a graphics path only those devices have been proven on. Everyone else uses the helper below.
Verified end to end on an RG34XX-SP running muOS 2601.0 JACARANDA on 2026-08-25: sign-in, download of the 1.16.221.01 split set, install, and a clean play session with working controls and sound.
On a Windows PC, use the helper — mcbedrock-get:
- Download the newest
mcbedrock-get-windows-*.zipfrom its releases page and unzip it, keeping all the files together in one folder. - Run
mcbedrock-get.exe. Windows will warn about an unknown publisher because the file is not code-signed; check it against the publishedSHA256SUMS.txtif you would rather be sure. - Press the button in step 1 of the window. It installs everything it needs by itself, including a copy of Ubuntu Linux — it explains what that involves and asks first. Expect one Windows administrator prompt, possibly a restart, and a few minutes of waiting.
- Press the button again to sign in with the Google account that owns Minecraft, on Google's own page. The helper never sees your password.
- Choose your device type, pick 1.16.221.01, and press Download. Keep every file it produces together.
See the complete Windows guide for signing out, 32-bit instructions, and troubleshooting.
Copy the full APK or every file from one split-set download into:
ports/minecraftbedrock-data/apk/
Launch the port, choose Install APK, select the detected set, and confirm. Installation can take several minutes. The progress screen now stays visible; do not power the device off while it is extracting.
The installer validates package identity, version, signing data, dependencies, and ABI before publishing anything. Mixed or incomplete sets are rejected, and a failed install leaves the original APKs and previous versions intact.
Open Versions, select the installed build, then choose Play. The launcher remembers the selection. After a successful install you may keep the APKs for recovery or delete them from the launcher with X.
| Version | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1.16.221.01 | Recommended | Newest version where the menus and text are the right size on a small screen, and it runs the most smoothly of anything tested |
| 1.21.51.01 | Usable | The newest version without the slow graphics engine, but its menus are much smaller. Only the original release qualifies — the 1.21.51.02 re-upload switched that engine back on |
| 1.18.30 and newer | Not worth trying | These use RenderDragon, a graphics engine handhelds are far too slow for. Expect severe stuttering, and small menus |
| 1.26 and newer | Will not work | Google now protects these in a way the launcher cannot open |
The launcher identifies installed versions from Android metadata and the game library hash, not from filenames. Exact status and evidence are in the compatibility registry.
- Play — start the selected version.
- Versions — select or remove installed game versions without deleting worlds.
- Install APK — install a validated full APK or complete split set.
- Get APK from Google Play — download your own purchase on the device. 64-bit H700 devices on muOS, Knulli or Batocera only; greyed out elsewhere.
- Settings — configure FPS cap, render distance, client ABI, UI scale, VSync, performance tuning, and FPS logging.
- Backup — archive and restore profiles, worlds, and launcher settings.
- Update port — install the correct edition/channel update over the current code while preserving shared data.
- Support bundle — create a local redacted diagnostic archive.
- Controller test — record the detected pad and inputs locally.
The RGDS edition adds a five-tab lower-screen companion with HUD, Chat, Items, Input, and Settings pages, live status, a local-world terrain map, touch routing, on-screen keyboard supervision, and SELECT screen swapping.
It is in early development. It works on the one RG DS it was built against, running ROCKNIX/Sway, and that is the whole of the evidence behind it. The companion is a lot of new machinery — a daemon on the lower panel, a telemetry bridge patched into the game client, a terrain worker reading the world database, and touch routing across two panels — and any of it can be wrong on a device or a firmware revision that has not been tried. Non-ROCKNIX RGDS systems are not supported at all.
The game itself runs the same way it does in the standard edition. What is experimental is everything on the lower screen. Reports are welcome and are how this gets better; if you want a dependable install, use the standard edition.
| Symptom | What to do |
|---|---|
| Installer says the set is incomplete | Copy every file from one single download. Do not mix files from downloads made on different days, or of different versions |
| Game installs but does not start | Confirm arm64-v8a for most 64-bit systems or armeabi-v7a for armhf firmware |
| Installation appears frozen | Wait for the progress stage to complete; large asset extraction can take several minutes |
| Tiny UI or heavy stutter | Select 1.16.221.01 and start with 30–40 FPS and 3–4 chunks |
| R36S reports no matching video mode | Use rc.3 or newer; the launcher now selects an actual connected DRM mode instead of assuming 640×480 |
| Buttons are wrong | Run Controller test, then include its redacted output in a device report |
| Black screen or failed relaunch | Reboot once, then create a Support bundle before changing files manually |
| Windows helper cannot find WSL | Install Ubuntu with wsl --install -d Ubuntu; set MCBEDROCK_WSL_DISTRO only when using a differently named Ubuntu distro |
| Windows helper hangs at “Passing your Google session” | Replace rc.3 with rc.4 or newer; rc.3 could loop in upstream interactive authentication until its five-minute timeout |
| Windows helper says Minecraft is for sale | Sign out and use the Google account that owns the Google Play Android edition |
See SUPPORT.md for report requirements. Never upload APKs,
extracted game libraries/assets, worlds, account data, private server details,
versions/, profiles/, or libminecraftpe.so.
Two smaller-console ports built from the same lineage, both software-rendered on hardware with no GPU at all:
- minecraft-bedrock-miyoo-mini-plus — Bedrock 1.2.20.2 on the Miyoo Mini Plus, drawn entirely on two 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 cores by Mesa llvmpipe.
- NanoCraft — Minecraft Pocket Edition 0.8.1 on the Anbernic RG Nano. On a single-core 55 MB console Bedrock manages 2.2 fps and crashes; Pocket Edition runs at 7.8 fps at the panel's native resolution.
- Testing evidence
- Release checklist
- Source build and patch information
- Legal notes and third-party notices
- Downloader safety policy: open source, no bypasses, no third-party handling of credentials, and the checks that enforce all three across both the on-device downloader and the mcbedrock-get helper
- Credits and contribution guide
VERSION is the release authority. Pinned containers build the standard
aarch64/armhf clients, RGDS client and companions, and the context bridge.
Release assembly creates deterministic edition archives, SPDX SBOMs, source
materials, checksums, and an edition-aware updater index. See the checklist
before promoting any prerelease to stable.
Port by:
MCPE - Open-source Bedrock launcher for Linux this project packages and adapts for handheld hardware. All credit for the core launcher and reverse-engineering work goes to MCPE developers. (https://github.com/minecraft-linux/mcpelauncher-manifest)
ImpressiveStay6355 - (Original r36s port this whole project was built on) (https://github.com/impressivestay6355-cmyk/mcpelauncher-r36s)
DankMiimer - (ARM Launcher + google sign in and ARM64 support).