
Lara & Kurtz play co-op Minecraft on PocketC.H.I.P.!
Grab your pickaxe and PocketC.H.I.P. it’s time to farm. Here’s how to play Minecraft on C.H.I.P. and PocketC.H.I.P.!

We know you’ve wanted to play Minecraft on PocketC.H.I.P. since we first launch our Kickstarter. Well, now you can. Play by yourself or grab a friend and play cooperatively. Just make sure to have tons of fun.
New Update: See Step 6 to learn how to setup the Minecraft Python API and use python to program your Minecraft world!
Big thanks to xobs for writing a wrapper for the OpenGL ES drivers for Minecraft that makes this possible. Happy holidays from all of us at NTC! \(โขโกโข)/
1. Install Minecraft

Note: Make sure you have the latest version of the PocketC.H.I.P. software from the flasher.
Tap the Terminal application on your PocketC.H.I.P. home screen and type the following command. Once you’ve input all the characters, press return.
wget https://github.com/NextThingCo/chipcraft/archive/master.zip
Unzip the file.
unzip master.zip
Change directories to the one with the Minecraft source code.
cd chipcraft-master
Run the install script, which downloads all the required packages for the game and applies a patch to scale the resolution to fit PocketC.H.I.P.’s screen.
./build.sh
2. Play Minecraft

To start Minecraft, just type the following command in the terminal and press enter.
/home/chip/chipcraft-master/mcpi/start.sh
It’s that simple!
3. Play with Friends

If you have multiple C.H.I.P.s and PocketC.H.I.P.s, you’re in luck. Multiplayer works out of the box!
All you need is a local network, multiple devices, and some friends to join your game. One person needs to create the game with the Start Game button, all the other players should press the Join Game button.
4. Hack Your Pocket Home

Another way to start Minecraft is by changing the Pocket Home’s Help icon to launch the game. First, grab a custom Minecraft image, then change a config file.
wget -O minecraft.png http://bit.ly/2hmzMs9
Copy the Minecraft icon to the directory where Pocket Home looks for application icons.
sudo cp minecraft.png /usr/share/pocket-home/appIcons/
Modify the Pocket Home configuration file to display the Minecraft icon and launch the game.
sudo nano /usr/share/pocket-home/config.json
Look for the lines that describe the Help icon. You’ll swap these out and replace in the Minecraft info.
1 2 3 4 5 |
{ "name": "Get Help", "icon": "appIcons/help.png", "shell": "surf /usr/share/pocketchip-localdoc/index.html" }, |
Now that you’ve found those lines, change them to reflect the name, icon, and path you where Minecraft is located.
1 2 3 4 5 |
{ "name": "Minecraft", "icon": "appIcons/minecraft.png", "shell": "/home/chip/chipcraft-master/mcpi/start.sh" }, |
Save the file and reboot PocketC.H.I.P. for the new Minecraft icon to appear on your PocketC.H.I.P.!
5. Take it to the next level

Playing a custom map on PocketC.H.I.P.
Tired of the maps that Minecraft generates? Load a custom Minecraft Pocket Edition map instead.
Note: Only maps designed for Minecraft Pocket Edition will work with this trick.
Make sure you’ve already generated a world before you try this hack. Then download a custom map that you like and save it to the following directory.
/home/chip/.minecraft/games/com.mojang/minecraftWorlds directory.
6. Program Minecraft in Python
Using the Minecraft Python API you can quickly create buildings and terrain.
From the Terminal move to your home directory.
cd ~
Create a new directory called minecraft-api.
mkdir minecraft-api
Copy the Python API from your version of Minecraft to the new directory.
cp -r ~/chipcraft-master/mcpi/api/python/mcpi ~/minecraft-api
Change into the new directory and start writing your code.
cd ~/minecraft-api
Note: Since Minecraft runs in fullscreen on PocketC.H.I.P., it’s a good idea to connect over SSH to write and run your Python code.
With Minecraft running, start your custom code by typing the following command. Replace nameofprogram with the filename of your python code.
python nameofprogram
For more information on using the Python bindings, see this post.

Now that you can play Minecraft on PocketC.H.I.P., where do you plan to play? Let us know in the comments below.
Don’t forget to share your latest projects in the forum and tweet us your PocketC.H.I.P. Minecraft photos, we can’t wait to see them!
When I try to run start.sh I get the following error:
ERROR: ld.so: object ‘./libbcm_host.so’ from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (cannot open shared object file): ignored.
./minecraft-pi: error while loading shared libraries: libGLESV2.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Hi David,
Nice blog,Ill try this hen I’m home .
I see only one typo:
unzip master.zip not chipcraft-master.zip
Greetings, Rick
Hi Rick!
It’s a bit counterintuitive, but
unzip master.zip
is correct. When you use the download button on Github, the file that you get is called master.zip, regardless of what repository it’s from. When you decompress master.zip, however, the directory is named after the repository.Confusing, right! I’ve been tricked by this a few times since it would make more sense if the zip file and the directory were called the same thing.
Thanks for the feedback, the post has been updated!
> it would make more sense if the zip file and the directory were called the same thing
No, it won’t. As you may know, zip file is named after the branch. But to differentiate archives of different repos, the directory is called after the repository.
This is SUPER cool ๐ Thank you so much ๐ I had been struggling to lure my son away to the CHIP when he had the option of his 3DS, but this will help greatly ๐
Thanks and good luck, Scott!
Unzip the file.
unzip master.zip
Nevermind. It was updated in the time it took me to read this and post. Good job ๐
The install script crashes in my PocketCHIP:
gcc -c bcm_host.c -o bcm_host.o -fPIC
sdl-config --cflags
bcm_host.c:4:21: fatal error: GLES/gl.h: No such file or directory
#include
^
compilation terminated.
Makefile:2: recipe for target ‘all’ failed
make: *** [all] Error 1
Are you using the latest PocketC.H.I.P. image? From the Terminal, type in
uname -a
and let me know the output. Thanks!Hi All,
Getting error after install:
ERROR: ld.so: object ‘.libbcm_host.so’ from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (cannot open shared object file): ignored.
./minecraft-pi: error whil loading shared libraries: libGLESv2.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Suggestions?
Are you using the latest PocketC.H.I.P. image? From the Terminal, type in
uname -a
and let me know the output. Thanks!Just saw this and was super excited, but when went to launch it a message poped up saying “ERROR: ld.so: object โ.libbcm_host.soโ from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (cannot open shared object file): ignored.
./minecraft-pi: error whil loading shared libraries: libGLESv2.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory”. I tried the uname-a command and it just says “bash: uname-a: command not found”
I’m betting you’re running a 4.3 PocketC.H.I.P. image.
uname -a
will uncover this for sure, but make sure to put a space between uname and -a. Hope this helps.Thanks that helped, it says that i am running version 4.4. should I re-flash my C.H.I.P. and try again?
Yes it did, it says that i am running version 4.4.13, should i re-flash my CHIP then install it again?
Using Linux chip 4.3.0-ntc #1 SMP Wed may 11 21:57:30 UTC 2016 armv71 GNU/Linux
I did update after I first discovered the problem. Maybe I should start over?
John,
You need the 4.4 PocketC.H.I.P. image for this to work. Head over to the the online flasher, update, and then start the process again.
Thanks David… This will be the first time I have used the online flasher. I am using an older iMac. When I connect it to the USB port, is the Flasher page supposed to change??? Nothing appears to happen other the than the lights on the mini usb connector light up.
It seems like there is information that is missing on the online flasher web site. The last thing I see on the flasher web site is the animated gif of pocketchip’s usb connection. Is there supposed to be a description of what happens after you connect your PocketChip to your computer???
You need to connect a jumper wire between a GND pin and FEL pin. Is that not showing up for you?
I was wondering if i flashed, will i lose the other things i put in my chip like pyradio and a bunch of radio channels?
so i read it’ll delete all the data, how can i back up all the data?
Yay! Minecraft on CHIP! It’s clear to me that you guys carefully read everything we say. Giving us OpenArena, now Minecraft. What’s next? You guys are awesome.
Thanks, Jo-Jo!
We read all the comments. What do you want to see PocketC.H.I.P. do next?
Well, I would like to see a build of RetroPie for C.H.I.P.
Well I would like to see smooth working youtube plz.
Hello from Paris David.
A simple and effective copy and paste ( of an impossible wifi password to memorizeโฆ From a file in Documents folder ) to the WIFI settings , would be absolutely tremendous.
Can’t make it work with all the combos I can try.
Thx for the help ๐
Hi, I an following instructions, when I go to unzip it says it is not there??
There was a typo in the post. Run
unzip master.zip
and you should be good to go.Can another device running pocket edition join a game with the Pocket or vice versa?
No the Pi edition is, how to say.. Quite empty, and especially compared to the pocket edition of that time.
Also it is no longer supported by Mojang/Microsoft, so no update (the last Pi edition is 2 or 3 years old?)
LeRoy,
We didn’t have a device with Pocket Edition running. However, it was very easy to connect two PocketC.H.I.P.s and a C.H.I.P. over multiplayer. If you have a device with Pocket Edition handy, we’d love to know your multiplayer experience.
I get missing libraries if I run the setup as above. the wrapper fails to build saying it is missing #include
My guess is that you’re using a 4.3. PocketC.H.I.P. image. Please try flashing your PocketC.H.I.P. with the 4.4 image and trying the installation process again.
error while loading shared libraries libglesv2.so
I know nothing about Unix and such
Don’t help
not working. I get
ERROR: ld.so: object ‘./libbcm_host.so’ from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (cannot open shared object file): ignored.
./minecraft-pi: error while loading shared libraries: libGLESV2.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
On the loo, of course!
I’m having trouble with running Minecraft. Problems locating libGLESv2.so…
this is cool! thanks for the easy instructions! just asking real quick how i can setup the touchscreen to work properly or remap the keys overall as its not playable in default state (the touchscreen bugs so im spinning in speed of light :/ )
Gampoy,
Minecraft does run quickly on PocketC.H.I.P., yes! Your best bet is to attach a USB mouse for easier control. Have fun gaming.
Thats not working for me :3
Got an error ld.so: object ‘./libbcm_host.so’ from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded etc…
This fails on my Pocket C.H.I.P:
gxip: stdin: unexpected end of file
tar: Unexpected EOF in archive
…
cp: cannot stat ‘../mcrpi-wrapper/libbcm_host.so.1.0’: No such file or directory
Also I believe there is a mistake in the instructions above:
unzip chipcraft-master.zip
should be
unzip master.zip
Thanks for the feedback, Martin! The post is updated to correct the typo.
What PocketC.H.I.P. image are you using?
I got the same error, using whatever came with my Pchip.
You’ll most likely need to update your PocketC.H.I.P..
Build: Fri May 13 21:49:00 UTC.
I tried updating following the instructions for Ubuntu found here: http://flash.getchip.com/ but when I connect the PocketCHIP nothing happens. I have also tried OS X with the same result.
So, what do you do about looking around? I try and I get a super amount of spinning, but not much in the way of control. I can move with the asdw keys, but I can’t look around.
Seems the touch-screen is not working well for this?
Also, how do you right-click to build things?
Can it be remapped so that a button right-clicks?
Around the office, we use USB mice to make the controls easier.
also, the arrow keys aren’t working, I cant see to change his rotation or camera angle without any outside device on the pocketchip
This version of Minecraft uses WASD to move and for the best experience looking around, plug in a USB mouse.
Does the python binding works? Because that the main purpose of the Pi edition
Yes, the python bindings do work. I’m working on an update to the post to explain how to set it up.
If you experience problems with the installation, please make sure that you are using the latest PocketC.H.I.P. image from the online flasher.
Super cool! This was a fun little surprise to wake up to this morning.
Is there a way to get it to run in Survival Mode?
No.
More about the Pi edition: http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Pi_Edition
I flashed a new firmware version, got it installed, but I have no idea how to save the json file since nano’s GUI is non-existent. I tried F3 and got [ Error writing /usr/share/pocket-home/config.json: Permission ]
To save the file you’ll need more permissions than the standard chip users. Try opening the file with this command:
sudo nano /usr/share/pocket-home/config.json
.For help with Nano, check out this nice guide.
So as soon as I got home I installed Minecraft and when I tried to run I got this error:
Ld.so:object ‘./libbcm_host.so’ from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (cannot open shared object file): ignored.
./minecraft-pi:error while loading shared libraries: libGLESv2.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
So I guess Im missing a library file, but my linux is rusty, can you help?
Ewan,
Try flashing to the latest 4.4 PocketC.H.I.P. image. This image has hardware acceleration, whereas the 4.3. PocketC.H.I.P. image does not.
Cheers David, that did it. Should have realised!
I get this error:
line 4: 3346 Segmentation fault ./minecraft-pi
Do you have to flash regular chip to use Minecraft?
If you are running a 4.3 image, you will need to flash your C.H.I.P. to 4.4 GUI.
Looks like instructions are for PocketCHIP only. The installation on CHIP completed without error, but starting Minecraft received LibGLESv2.so load error. Please advise how to play it on the “normal” CHIP. Thank you.
If you are currently running a 4.3 image, you will need to flash your C.H.I.P. to 4.4 GUI.
Thanks, after reflashing to 4.4 (not without some initial troubles), the Minecraft is now starting. The next question: is it possible to run Minecraft over the TightVNC connection, or only with Monitor/Keyboard/Mouse?…
I get an error that the certificate of github isn’t trusted/activated.
After entering the initial command I get
Resolving github.com (github.com)… failed: Name or sevice not known
wget: unable to resolve host address ‘github.com’
nevermind that, I didn’t connect to wifi after flashing
Alright then that’s good that you expanded to a new Device,and as well as it said (Play by yourself or grab a friend and play cooperatively. Just make sure to have tons of fun.) as if we didn’t already has fun anyway,cuz you install Minecraft on this C.H.I.P/PocketC.H.I.P you start up the game and guess what?…you literally played the same game except on a different device
How do you play this in fullscreen on standalone chip over composite video? Using the latest 4.4.13 image, the same problem was with quake, and that is:
– there are two mouse pointers, one in game and one from X, offset from each other
– they have different sensitivities -> impossible to use
– impossible to use mouse in-game (quake) – no looking around for me
Now with minecraft:
– out-of-the-box the resolution is incorrect, and I only see a fullscreen window and a smaller rectangle with the game (badly clipped, even the menu buttons aren’t fully visible)
OK, so I edited the 0001 patch file. Changed correct width and height to 648×432 for composite, left SDL_RESIZABLE constant
-> recompiled, the game is “more full screen” but there is ~60px black border at the top (the whole game is offset from main windo geometry), and there are still two offset unusable mouse cursors
OK, so I changed SDL_RESIZABLE to SDL_FULLSCREEN. Now just a black screen until I kill X on another VT.
How to play these games?:( I want to in my spare time ๐
I realised that there is a ‘black rectangle [no rendering]’ when the given resolution ‘does not fit’ (happens mostly after any windo resizing).
So, specifying ONE pixel less (647×431) AND SDL_FULLSCREEN WORKS PERFECTLY! :)) SWEET! :)) There are still two mouse cursors BUT they are only 1px off at the most so that’s perfect! ๐ Mouse in-game is hidden and works perfectly. Unfortunately there is no way to quit the fullscreen game as I can tell, got to kill X to get out of it ๐ And also the sound does not work at all ๐ Going to try quake next! ;-))
Hi, can you give a bit more details on what did you do? Where is that 0001 patch file you’ve edited? Does “recompiled the game” mean re-running the build.sh from the beginning?
Thank you.
Hi Villiam,
I see the 0001…patch file in the ~/chipcraft-master directory, but that appears to only be the text of an e-mail. Can you provide the full path to the actual file which needs to be edited?
Thanks very much,
Joe
Almost launched a couple of times. Chip froze on my last attempt. Now, after a reboot it won’t load at all. My Linux skills are very limited. I’m able to navigate back & forth in the terminal emulator, but can’t get the ‘start.sh’ to work anymore ๐
Any way to post a screenshot? Assuming not, so this is what I get after trying to run ‘start.sh’:
“bash: start.sh: command not found”
Strange, because Minecraft launched a couple of times after I first installed. Never got past loading terrain, but it was looking promising. My power went out on the last attempt. After it came back on & since rebooting, it’s a no-go.
Any advice? Very much appreciated!
try ./start.sh
I’m also running into Problems.
uname -a says 4.4.13-ntc-mlc
The build script says:
cp: cannot stat ‘../mcrpi-wrapper/libbcm_host.so.1.0’: No such file or directory
and stops.
If I scroll up to look for the first of around 100 errors it says
mkdir: cannot create directory ‘mcrpi-wrapper’: File exists
/home/chip/chipcraft-master/mcrpi-wrapper /home/chip/chipcraft-master
gcc -c bcm_host.c -o bcm_host.o -fPIC
sdl-config --cflags
In file included from /usr/include/EGL/egl.h:36:0,
from bcm_host.c:3:
/usr/include/EGL/eglplatform.h:113:9: error: unknown type name ‘khronos_int32_t’
typedef khronos_int32_t EGLint;
^
In file included from /usr/include/EGL/egl.h:36:0,
from bcm_host.c:3:
/usr/include/EGL/egl.h:249:1: error: unknown type name ‘KHRONOS_APICALL’
EGLAPI EGLint EGLAPIENTRY eglGetError(void);
and so on (100 errors of the same type)….
I get a 404 error. Has it being removed?
It has not been removed. Try double-checking that you typed in the URL correctly.
This is awesome! Unfortunately for me, when I tried to run it I got: ERROR: ld.so: object ‘./libbcm_host.so’ from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (cannot open shared object file): ignored.
./minecraft-pi: error while loading shared libraries: libbcm_host.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
I typed uname- a and my chip version is 4.4-13!
using normal chip, any help? thanks
Just went through the installation. Great post on that but when I start it, all I get is a white screen and nothing shows up after that. The only other thing that I have installed on the pocketchip is ssh. Any ideas?
Can we do this on normal chip, I did but the wrapper cuts off half the screen, and i know why, but can we change the terminal to tell it to make it chips resolution?
You’ll have to change the screen resolution.
Dumb question – What are the button controls for this game on PocketCHIP?
I can’t figure out how to look around or lay down blocks. ๐
Hello
I can launch Minecraft, I’ve followed everything correctly, and I’m running off 4.4.13.
When I try to launch with: /home/chip/chipcraft-master/mcpi/start.sh – I get the following:
“Failed to execute process ‘/home/chip/chipcraft-master/mcpi/start.sh’. Reason:
exec: Exec format error
The file ‘/home/chip/chipcraft-master/mcpi/start.sh’ is marked as an executable but could not be run by the operating system.”
As mentioned, I’m running off 4.4.13, so can’t understand what has gone wrong :S Would be really grateful if you could help me!
Thanks
When I type the command “/home/chip/chipcraft-master/start.sh” after completing the previous commands successfully terminal replies with “No such file or directory”. What should I do?
when I reinstalled it after I had to reflash tonight, if I try to run the program with /home/chip/chipcraft-master/mcpi/start.sh
it says /home/chip/chipcraft-master/mcpi/start.sh; line 4 ./minecraft-pi:cannot execure binary file:Exec format error
Hi just tried this this evening after updating pocketchip to 4.4. I received these error message (just retyping):
error: bcm_host.c: No such file or directory
Resolving s3.amazonaws.com… failed: Name or service not know.
unable to resolve host address: ‘s3.amazonaws.com’
cp: cannot stat ‘../mcrpi-wrapper/libbcm_host.so.1.0’: no such file or directory
mv: cannot stat ‘../start.sh’ : no such file etc…
Any suggestions? Thanks
I flashed my PocketC.H.I.P. to version 4.4.13 (uname -a tells me that), but running Minecraft still doesn’t work. Like a couple of guys above I get a library error:
ERROR: ld.so: object ‘./libbcm_host.so’ from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (cannot open shared object file): ignored.
./minecraft-pi: error while loading shared libraries: libbcm_host.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Any advice?
got to ./build.sh but fails there
seems to be alot of ‘unable to resolve host address’
uname -a output
LInux chip 4.4.13-ntc-mlc #1 SMP Thu Nov 3 01:28:54 UTC 2016 armv7l GNU/Linux
Can i install this on my normal chip as i dont have the pocket edition?
For some reason, when I run ./build.sh it comes up with a bunch of errors. Any suggestions?
I made another comment below listing the error.
When I run ./build.sh it comes up with ‘…/start.sh’ No such file or directory. Any suggestions?
I just downloaded this on my HDMI equipped C.H.I.P., but it seems the screen is better optimized for the pocket C.H.I.P. only. I had to set the resolution really low in order to get the largest window possible, yet it is still only a 1/3 of our 55″ television. My youngest daughter see pretty happy with it regardless. Thanks!
The instructions here say to flash the latest image, but when I go to pcflash.getchip.com it tells me “IMPORTANT: If you have a working PocketC.H.I.P., you have the latest OS on your device. There is no need to flash it.”
Can you clarify which of these is correct, and change the directions on the one that is not correct?
Where can I find the newer software 4.4 for pocketchip? I have the flasher on my chromebook and it goes to open up a .chp file and I don’t have one.
Will doing apt-get update/upgrade on 4.3 install 4.4 image on pocket chip?
I have a USB controller ( steelseries 3GC) and I was wondering if it would be possible to use for input in the game. Thanks