Minecraft on PlayStation gives you Mojang's featured servers and no way to type an address. Two workarounds get past that on both PS5 and PS4, one of them has a PlayStation-specific quirk that most guides skip, and both need PlayStation Plus. Here is the whole picture.
Why PlayStation hides the Add Server screen
Bedrock on phones, tablets and Windows has an Add Server button. The PlayStation builds do not. The Servers tab shows partner servers only, and nothing on that screen leads to a custom address. So every working method below smuggles your server in through something the console already shows: worlds on the local network, or the featured list itself.
First: sign in with a Microsoft account
Before either method, open Minecraft on the PlayStation and sign in to a Microsoft account from the main menu. PlayStation is the one console where this is easy to skip, and without it the game refuses all online play, including featured servers, which looks exactly like a broken workaround. You also need an active PlayStation Plus subscription, covered below.
Method 1: BedrockTogether, a phone app on the same Wi-Fi (recommended)
BedrockTogether is a free iOS and Android app that runs on your phone and appears to the console as a Minecraft world on your home network. Join that world and you are transferred to the real server. No PC, no DNS, no router settings, and nothing changes on the PlayStation.
What you need
- A PS4, PS4 Pro, PS5, PS5 Digital Edition or PS5 Pro with Minecraft.
- An iPhone, iPad or Android phone with BedrockTogether installed.
- Both devices on the same Wi-Fi: not a guest network, not mobile data, no VPN.
- The server address and port. Hosted servers are usually not on the default
19132, so copy the exact number from the host's panel.
Step by step on the phone
- Open BedrockTogether and stay on the PlayStation · Xbox tab.
- Enter the address in the IP field and the port in the Port field.
- Tap Watch Ad and Run. The app confirms it can reach the server and starts broadcasting.
- Keep the app open and the phone awake until you have joined.
IP: yourname.spawnfort.host Port: 25600
Step by step on the PS5 or PS4
- Launch Minecraft and open Play.
- Open the Worlds tab (older builds show it under Friends, then LAN Games). Your server is listed as a local world.
- Select it and you are transferred to the real server.
Why the server shows up as a LAN world
Minecraft always lists worlds it can discover on the local network; that is how two consoles in one house play together without any setup. The app advertises itself as one of those worlds and hands the connection over the moment the console joins. The free app saves two servers and shows an ad per run; an ad-free version is sold from its Info screen.
Method 2: BedrockConnect DNS (no phone needed)
BedrockConnect runs a DNS server and a Minecraft server together. Point the console's DNS at it and the featured servers' hostnames resolve to BedrockConnect instead, so tapping one opens a server-list menu where you type any address. It is saved for next time. Use this when no phone is available.
Set a manual DNS on the PS5
- Settings, then Network, then Settings, then Set Up Internet Connection.
- Select the network you use, then Advanced Settings.
- DNS Settings: Manual. Primary DNS
104.238.130.180, secondary DNS8.8.8.8. Leave everything else on Automatic. - Save and let the console test the connection.
Set a manual DNS on the PS4
- Settings, then Network, then Set Up Internet Connection.
- Choose Wi-Fi or LAN cable, then Custom.
- IP Address Settings Automatic, DHCP Host Name Do Not Specify, DNS Settings Manual.
- Primary DNS
104.238.130.180, secondary DNS8.8.8.8. MTU Automatic, Proxy Do Not Use. - Test the connection.
Open the hidden server list
Launch Minecraft, go to Play, then Servers, and pick one of the featured servers BedrockConnect intercepts: The Hive, Lifeboat, Mineville, Galaxite or Enchanted. The BedrockConnect menu loads instead. Choose Add Server, enter the address and port, and connect.
The PlayStation-specific DNS problem
This is the part most guides leave out. PlayStation consoles sometimes refuse to redirect through the main BedrockConnect instance: the featured servers load normally and the menu never appears, or the console reports the connection as failed. The project's own readme gives PlayStation a different primary DNS for exactly this reason. If the main address does not work on your PS5 or PS4, replace it with 45.55.68.52 and try again. The other instances in the table below are further fallbacks.
| Primary DNS | Run by / region | Notes |
|---|---|---|
104.238.130.180 | Pugmatt (main), US | Start here on Xbox and Switch. |
45.55.68.52 | PlayStation alternate, US | The README's fix when PS4/PS5 misbehave on the main one. |
134.255.231.119 | ZAP-Hosting, Germany | European option. |
82.22.36.200 | AlbieBH, Switzerland | European option. |
87.106.68.173 | AlbieBH, UK | European option. |
185.169.180.190 | hasankayra04, Turkey | Fallback. |
57.128.153.204 | AdrianJoeK, UK | Has been offline for stretches; check status first. |
bcstatus.xyz shows which instances are live right now.
Put the DNS back afterwards
While the manual DNS is set, a volunteer-run server answers your console's domain lookups. Keep the 8.8.8.8 secondary so PSN and the store keep working, and switch DNS back to Automatic when you are done playing.
Method 3: Friend-broadcast bots (last resort)
Add a bot account as a friend, join its game from the Friends tab, and its "world" transfers you to a server. This still exists but is the least dependable option: BedrockConnect's public bots are switched off until further notice, and the community bots that remain fill up at Xbox Live's 1,000-friend cap. Only worth trying when both methods above are unavailable.
Can PS5 and PC play Minecraft together?
PS5 with Bedrock on Windows: built in
The Windows version from the Microsoft Store is Bedrock Edition, the same edition as the PlayStation. Friends-list invites, Realms and any Bedrock server are shared with zero setup. If your PC friend has "Minecraft for Windows", you are already cross-platform.
PS5 with Java Edition: Geyser on the server
If your PC friend plays Java Edition (the classic launcher version where mods live), the two games speak different protocols. The bridge is GeyserMC on the server, which translates Bedrock to Java in real time, plus Floodgate so you sign in with your Microsoft account instead of buying Java. The PlayStation then joins the Geyser port through either method above. On SpawnFort, crossplay is one checkbox at server creation and both plugins are wired up for you.
Do you need PlayStation Plus?
Yes. Online multiplayer in Minecraft on PS4 and PS5, including featured servers, Realms and anything you join through the methods above, needs an active PlayStation Plus subscription. Singleplayer and split-screen on the same console do not. A lapsed subscription is a common reason a correct setup still refuses to join.
When it does not work
| What you see | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Nothing in the Worlds / LAN Games list | Phone and console on different networks (guest Wi-Fi, mobile data, VPN) or router client isolation. Put both on the main Wi-Fi. On iOS, allow the Local Network permission for BedrockTogether. |
| Server appears, then disappears | The phone app was suspended. Keep it in the foreground; on Android exclude it from battery optimisation. |
| “Unable to connect to world” | The transfer worked and the target refused you: wrong port, server offline, whitelist, or a Java server without Geyser. |
| Featured servers load normally, no BedrockConnect menu | Swap the primary DNS to 45.55.68.52, restart the console, and try a different featured server. |
| Cannot reach PSN after the DNS change | The instance is down or the secondary DNS is missing. Set 8.8.8.8 as secondary, or go back to Automatic. |
| Everything looks right but online play is refused | Sign in to a Microsoft account inside Minecraft and check PlayStation Plus is active. |
PS5 vs PS4: any difference?
None that matters. Both run the same Bedrock build with the same featured list, both work with BedrockTogether, and both show the same DNS quirk. The only practical difference is where the DNS fields sit in the system menus, covered above. Xbox behaves the same as PlayStation minus the DNS quirk; the Switch is the different one, because it never shows LAN worlds, which is why it has its own guide.
Whichever method you settle on, it wants a plain, stable address and port. A hosted server gives you one that stays the same when someone's home IP changes.