Private Minecraft servers for families
Your child plays. You decide who can join.
A private Minecraft world for your child and the friends you approve. No port forwarding, no strangers joining, and no control panel for your child to find.
$14.99 a month after the trial. We email you before the first charge, and canceling takes one click.
Your world
brightfox42.guardedservers.com
Jayden_04
Try it. This is the only way anyone can join.
- 14 day free trial
- No port forwarding
- Java and Bedrock
- Cancel in one click
How it works
Three steps, and we handle two of them.
- Step 1
Create the world
Name the world and choose whether commands are turned on. We build the server and give you one address to share. There is nothing to install, no ports to forward, and no config files.
- Step 2
Friends request access
Anyone who enters your address is denied until you approve them. You receive an email with the username they play under and the time they tried to join.
- Step 3
You approve or deny
Approve or deny each request in your dashboard. Approved players can join whenever they like, everyone else stays out, and nobody is told who made the decision.
Where the controls live
The controls are in your account, not on the server.
Most Minecraft hosts give you a server control panel, and sooner or later your child has the password. This service works differently. The list of who can join is stored in your account, and nothing inside the game can change it.
You approve players, review playtime and decide whether commands are turned on. Your child has no account to sign in to.
- No file manager
- No server console
- No version picker
- No port forwarding
- No public server listing
- No login for your child
Where they play
One world, both editions of the game.
A child on a laptop and a friend on a tablet can build in the same world at the same time. There is nothing to configure to make this work.
Java Edition
Windows, Mac and Linux.
Bedrock Edition
iPad, iPhone, Android and Windows.
In the same world
Cross-play is already set up for you.
Compared
The four ways families usually do this.
Each of these works. They differ on one question: who controls access to the world.
| What is being compared | Guarded Servers | Standard host | Realms | Public server |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who controls access | You, from your account | Anyone with panel access | The world owner | No one in particular |
| Admin panel your child could reach | None | Yes | Limited | Controlled by others |
| Setup | Under two minutes | Ports, configs, files | Quick | None |
| Java and Bedrock together | Included | You configure it | One at a time | Varies |
| Backups you can restore | Nightly, seven days kept | Usually costs extra | Recent only | None |
| Strangers can join | Never | If misconfigured | No | By design |
Pricing
One plan. Two ways to pay.
- A private world for your child
- As many approved players as you want
- Daily backups, kept for seven days
- Java and Bedrock in the same world
- Commands turned on or off, your choice
- Pause or cancel in one click
Both plans include the same 14 day free trial. Your card is not charged until day 15, and we email you three days beforehand.
Common questions
Answered before you sign up.
Can my child change who is allowed in?
No. Approvals happen in your account, and your child does not have access to it. Even with commands turned on, there is no in-game command that edits the approved player list, because that list is not stored on the server.
Can they use commands?
Yes, if you turn them on. Commands let a player change the time of day, switch to creative mode and spawn items. This is a normal part of learning the game, and you can turn commands off again at any time.
Do their friends need to buy anything?
Only the copy of Minecraft they already own. There is no second account to create and nothing to install. They enter the address, you approve them, and they can play.
What happens if the world gets wrecked?
We back up the world every night and keep the last seven days. Restoring to an earlier day takes one click.
Do you moderate chat?
No. We do not read, filter or monitor what players say to each other. The protection here is the approval list: your child only plays with people you have approved, and you can remove anyone at any time.
Can I pause it during the school year?
Yes. Pausing stops billing and saves the world exactly as it was. You can also cancel in one click, and every charge comes with a receipt.
Set it up today. Your child can play in minutes.
Start 14 day free trialNo charge for 14 days. Cancel anytime.