Microsoft has announced some fairly hefty update plans for Minecraft at E3 and the good news is that this will make an update to players across all platforms, hence the name Better Together Update.

4K HDR update

Let's start with the cutting edge stuff. There will be a free 4K HDR update for Minecraft that will bring better lighting, shadows and effects, which Microsoft says will be available for those playing on Xbox One, Windows 10, iOS, mobile and VR platforms, although we guess that what you actually see will depend on the hardware you have.

For those who want more, there will also be a Super Duper Graphics Pack available as DLC and this will bring even more enhanced effects to Xbox One X, Xbox One and Windows 10 versions of the game. Of course, this is optional, but it will bring new textures, movement and more dynamic elements.

Cross-platform play

Back to the stuff that's actually going to make playing the game better and the big change is cross-platform play, meaning you can play Minecraft with friends regardless of the device they are playing on. That means Xbox One players can play with Switch gamers, with Android or iPad players joining in.

That also brings a name change to just Minecraft across all these versions, i.e., Pocket Edition will be no more - just plain ol' Minecraft.

For those who have a mobile device, Minecraft will update to this new version, whereas, Xbox and Switch gamers will get the new version of Minecraft free, with all worlds and upgrades moving over.

Even better, if you have DLC on one platform, that will cross over to others, so you get that content on all your devices.

In-game servers

Finally, public in-game servers will come with the update along with a server browser to let you find servers where you can join in with other players. There will be parental controls in place to ensure that kids don't end up in the wrong sort of world.

More details about in-game servers will come closer to the launch of the update.

Better Together Update release date

The update is scheduled to arrive in "summer", although nothing more specific has been mentioned when it comes to timeline. Best of all, it's free.