How to play Minecraft with friends without Hamachi
Also available in: Русский
Want to play Minecraft with friends on your own world or server, but don't want to deal with Hamachi? Playing with friends without Hamachi is easier than it sounds: a modern tunnel gives your server a short address, and friends just join by it — no VPN, no public IP, no port forwarding.
What's wrong with Hamachi
Hamachi is a VPN: it puts computers into one virtual network as if you were on the same LAN. It works, but it's clunky:
- Everyone has to install it. Not just you — all your friends need the client installed and running too.
- A limit on the free plan. A single free network only allows a limited number of members.
- Lag and instability. Traffic goes through a relay; disconnects and conflicts with other VPNs and networks are common.
The modern way — a tunnel by address
Instead of herding everyone into a shared VPN, you can run a server on your own PC and expose it through a tunnel. The tunnel hands out a public address like name.proximamp.com, and friends simply type that address into Minecraft — like any other server.
What you get:
- Friends don't need to install a VPN or tunnel — they connect by the address in their normal client.
- No public IP and no port forwarding on the router.
- Works with a singleplayer world, a full server, and mods.
That's exactly how ProximaTunnel works.
How to do it
Option 1. From a singleplayer world (with the mod)
If you want to quickly let friends into your singleplayer world (a modded one too):
- Install the ProximaTunnel mod (Fabric or Forge) into
mods/. - Enter the world and open it to the network ("Open to LAN", don't touch the ports).
- Your friend connects via
<your-nick>.proximamp.com.
Detailed steps — in the Minecraft server without port forwarding guide.
Option 2. A full server (with ProximaClient)
If you need a persistent server with plugins and settings:
- Create a server in ProximaClient and enable the ProximaTunnel checkbox.
- Friends join via
<name>.proximamp.com.
Step by step — in the How to create a Minecraft server in ProximaClient guide.
Are there other alternatives?
Yes, besides Hamachi there are other tunnels and VPNs for playing together. But their servers are usually located outside Russia — the connection takes the long way around, which means higher ping and more lag for players in Russia. ProximaTunnel is built for the audience in Russia, so the ping is lower and the game feels smoother.
FAQ
Do friends need to install anything? No, they don't need a VPN or tunnel — they connect by the address in regular Minecraft. (For a modded world, friends need the same mods — as in any modded multiplayer.)
Do I need a public IP or port forwarding? No.
Is it free? Yes, ProximaClient is free and requires no subscription.
Will there be less lag than with services abroad? For players in Russia — yes, thanks to infrastructure in Russia the ping is lower.
The easiest start
Download ProximaClient, create a server with the ProximaTunnel checkbox — and invite friends by a short address, without Hamachi or network setup. Download for Windows →