It’s official. Microsoft has confirmed that the Minecraft Xbox One version release date is this Friday, September 5. Speculation surrounding the Minecraft Xbox One release date had been rampant since the developers sent the game for final certification.
Unlike the Minecraft PS4 version, which was sent back to the developers for some additional changes after its first “final” submission, the Minecraft Xbox One version was apparently ready to roll.
Presumably the developers were able to iron-out the issues with the PS4 version and implement the relevant code tweaks before sending the Xbox One version to Microsoft for final approval.
Starting this Friday, September 5, Xbox One owners can purchase and download Minecraft: Xbox One Edition as either a full-priced game for $19.99 USD, or as an upgrade from the Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition for $4.99.
Why upgrade from the Xbox 360 to the Minecraft Xbox One edition? Because bigger is better. Minecraft players on Xbox One will be able to play in worlds up to 36 times larger than on Xbox 360.
In addition, gamers will be able to transfer over all downloadable content previously purchased on Xbox 360 directly for use in the Minecraft Xbox One edition.
Once the content is migrated over to the Xbox One, gamers will then be able to explore their Minecraft worlds with four player split-screen co-op on a single console. For those with an Xbox Live Gold subscription, those worlds can be explored by up to eight players via Xbox Live.
To qualify for the $4.99 USD upgrade offer, players must own the retail disc or digital version of Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition and connect to Xbox Live with their account.
Technically the Minecraft Xbox One release date this Friday is already late. The game was originally scheduled to launch in August.
With that said, we’ve just barely begun the month of September, so the lateness truly is a technicality.
