In an effort to complete its mission of full cross-play functionality, Minecraft players on PS4 will receive the Bedrock Update already available on other platforms. This will enable cross-play among all versions of the game, spanning Xbox, PS4, Switch, Windows 10, iOS, Android, and Gear VR. Microsoft said players should expect to be greeted by an update the next time they log into the game beginning tomorrow. The new update is free forever.
Additionally, this will grant PS4 players access to the Minecraft Marketplace, an in-game store with available worlds, skins, mini-games, and mash-up packs for purchase. These and other purchases will now transcend all versions of the game someone may play, as purchases will be tied to players' Microsoft accounts.
With Sony's platform now onboard for Minecraft cross-play, it becomes one of a small handful of games to offer such a feature, along with Dauntless, Rocket League, Fortnite, Smite, Paladins, Realm Royale, and most recently Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
It wasn't long ago when Sony was publicly resistant to the idea of allowing cross-play, a stance that led to many criticisms of the company. At one point in 2018, Microsoft and Nintendo even co-released a trailer depicting the fun players could have with Xbox-Switch cross-play for Minecraft. This "Better Together" trailer went viral and according to some, threw a bit of business-world shade at Sony who was then determined not to participate. Now, after finally jumping in, a similar trailer has been released to celebrate the trifecta of console platforms coming together.
It was Fortnite that broke the barrier at the height of its powers, something perhaps only Fortnite could've done, and since then we've seen a trickling in of more cross-play games. It appears as though the next generation will feature more cross-play games than ever before now that it's trending upward and is generally only seen as a goodwill move from all involved platform companies.
