Now that Windows 10 has hit the market, it should hopefully bring the opportunities for some new games with it, and the Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta is one of the first. This beta edition of the beloved game is optimized for Microsoft's latest OS, and you can get it for free if you've already bought Minecraft for PC or Mac.
Mojang, the Stockholm-based developer behind Minecraft, shared a blog post with information about how to try out the Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta. The process is short and simple, though you may have to wait a bit for your turn to upgrade.
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Once you have Windows 10 installed, visit Mojang's website and log into your account. On your profile page, you'll see a button that says "Redeem." Click on that button, and you'll be prompted to enter your Microsoft account username and password. This will lead to a series of instructions to let you download the beta client and start playing.
There's only one potential hitch; Because there are 20 million Minecraft players with the PC/Mac version of the game, Mojang is letting them upgrade on a rolling basis. If you don't see a "Redeem" button on your page, one will eventually come, but you may have to give it a few hours (or days), depending on Mojang's algorithms.
For those who don't already own Minecraft on PC or Mac, the Windows 10 Edition Beta is available on the Windows Store for $10.
If you upgrade to Windows 10 but would prefer not to become a beta tester, keep in mind that that's OK as well. The current version of Minecraft should work just as well on Windows 10 as it does on Windows 7 and 8. The Windows 10 version sports some new features, such as multiple control schemes and GameDVR gameplay recording, but you can still build structures and fight blocky foes just the same if you opt not to upgrade.
Having issues with Windows 10? Our sister site, Tom’s Hardware, has a team of staffers standing by in the forums to answer your questions 24/7.
Marshall Honorof is a senior writer for Tom's Guide. Contact him at mhonorof@tomsguide.com. Follow him @marshallhonorof. Follow us @tomsguide, on Facebook and on Google+.
