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Minecraft Earth beta opens to Android users

The AR mobile game has extended its beta from iOS.

Corinne Reichert Senior Editor
Corinne Reichert (she/her) grew up in Sydney, Australia and moved to California in 2019. She holds degrees in law and communications, and currently writes news, analysis and features for CNET across the topics of electric vehicles, broadband networks, mobile devices, big tech, artificial intelligence, home technology and entertainment. In her spare time, she watches soccer games and F1 races, and goes to Disneyland as often as possible.
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  • I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
Corinne Reichert
2 min read
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Your device needs to be running Android 7 or higher to play. 

Microsoft, Minecraft

Minecraft Earth has now opened up its beta to Android users. On Thursday, Minecraft Earth tweeted that it's rolling out the Android beta, which is invite only, in five cities. 

"The Android beta is finally here! We're hard at work rolling out the update in five cities: Seattle, London, Tokyo, Stockholm, and Mexico City. Happy crafting everyone!" reads the tweet from the Minecraft Earth account. On Monday, Minecraft said it would be rolling out the Android update throughout the week.

If you've been invited to join the beta, you'll need to log in at least once every seven days to key your account active, Minecraft said. Your device needs to be running Android 7 or higher to play, and you also have to be 18 or older. The beta was released to iPhone users with iOS 10 or higher last month

Like Pokemon Go, Minecraft Earth is an augmented reality mobile game where players can explore the real world and build within it using Minecraft blocks. It was officially revealed in May, with Microsoft showing off gameplay in a trailer.

Watch this: Mojang demos Minecraft Earth for the first time

To sign up, you'll also need a Microsoft or Xbox Live account and app store login. By signing up for the beta, you can get a free skin for Minecraft Earth and Minecraft Bedrock.

According to CNET sister site GameSpot, you can explore the Minecraft Earth world to find treasure chests, block clusters and mobs called "Toppables." You can build permanent structures on Build Plates, and, by coming across an Adventure, you can also experience a full Minecraft overlay where you can collect resources and dispatch mobs.

Multiplayer capabilities are also expected in the future.

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Originally published Aug. 22.
Update, Aug. 30: Adds more details on availability of the Minecraft Earth beta.