Minecraft:Minecraft

Key art by Mojang Studios

Minecraft is a Template:W Template:W developed by Minecraft:Mojang Studios, a part of Minecraft:Xbox Game Studios. Initially released as what is now known as Minecraft Classic on May 17, 2009, the game was fully released on November 18, 2011, after multiple updates. Since its release, Minecraft has expanded to mobile devices and consoles.

Minecraft focuses on allowing the Minecraft:player to explore, interact with and modify a dynamically-generated Minecraft:world made of one-cubic-meter-sized Minecraft:blocks. In addition to blocks, the environment features Minecraft:plants, Minecraft:mobs, tools, and Minecraft:items. Some activities in the game include building, mining for Minecraft:ore, fighting hostile mobs and Minecraft:crafting new blocks and Minecraft:tools by gathering various resources found in the game. The game's open-ended model allows players to create Minecraft:structures, creations and artwork on various competitive or collaborative Minecraft:multiplayer servers or their single-player maps. Other features include Minecraft:redstone circuits for logic computations and remote actions, Minecraft:minecarts and tracks, and a mysterious underworld called Minecraft:the Nether. A designated but completely optional goal of the game is to travel to a dimension called Minecraft:the End and defeat the Minecraft:ender dragon.

From its creation, Minecraft was developed almost exclusively by Swedish game developer Markus "Notch" Persson until Jens "Jeb" Bergensten took place of the head of its development. On November 6, 2014, Minecraft and all of Mojang Studios' assets were acquired by Template:W for Template:W2.5 billion.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Tweet</ref> Notch has since left Mojang and is no longer working on the game. Minecraft features Minecraft:music by Daniel "C418" Rosenfeld, Minecraft:Kumi Tanioka, Minecraft:Lena Raine, Minecraft:Samuel Åberg, Minecraft:Aaron Cherof, Minecraft:Amos Roddy and Minecraft:Hyper Potions, as well as Minecraft:paintings by Minecraft:Kristoffer Zetterstrand and Minecraft:Sarah Boeving.

Gameplay

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File:Survival.png

A newly created Minecraft world.

Player

Template:Main The player is the person that the user controls in the Minecraft:world. When the user starts a game, the player is put in a world, generated from a random or specified seed, with an empty Minecraft:inventory. If the Minecraft:bonus chest option is enabled, a Minecraft:chest filled with basic items generates near the player. The player has a Minecraft:health bar with 10 hearts and can be depleted when they are Minecraft:damaged. Damage to health can be mitigated by Minecraft:armor or the Minecraft:Resistance effect; while health can be restored by keeping the Minecraft:hunger bar full enough or by drinking specific Minecraft:potions. If the Minecraft:difficulty is set to Peaceful, health regenerates on its own.

Each player can have a unique look via 9 default Minecraft:skins, or by creating their own custom skin. A player can change their skin on the profile page of Minecraft:Minecraft.net or in the Minecraft:Minecraft Launcher Template:In and in the pause or main menus Template:In.

Blocks

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A building based on a Greek acropolis.

The world of Minecraft takes place within a Template:W, with each cube being occupied by a certain type of block, not all of which are necessarily cubic. There are different types of blocks; natural blocks such as grass, Minecraft:stone and Minecraft:ores that generate randomly within the world. There are also blocks that players can craft, such as a Minecraft:crafting table and a Minecraft:furnace. Resources can be extracted from blocks by hand or by using Minecraft:tools. Some of these resources are simply blocks in the player's inventory that can be placed elsewhere, while others are used as material to create other blocks or tools. Others yield no practical use whatsoever. Some blocks cannot be broken through normal Survival means, e.g. Minecraft:bedrock, Minecraft:End portal frames, Minecraft:command blocks, Nether and End portals, Minecraft:barriers and air.

Mining

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File:MultipleOreBlobs.png

Various ores (in proximity of Minecraft:lava) that can be mined with a Minecraft:pickaxe.

Mining is one of the main aspects of Minecraft and is done to extract ore and other materials mainly from below the surface of the map. These ores include coal, iron, gold, redstone, diamond, lapis lazuli, copper and emerald. Mining can involve Minecraft:digging a hole from the surface or going down through a Minecraft:cave. Minecraft:Mineshafts and Minecraft:ravines create extra areas that may contain resources, since they are usually rich in ores.

Crafting and smelting

Template:Main Minecraft:Crafting allows players to create new tools and Minecraft:blocks using items from their Minecraft:inventory. Subsequent versions often contain crafting Minecraft:recipes for new blocks and Minecraft:items. A player can use the 2×2 grid in the inventory or the 3×3 grid provided by a crafting table to craft. Smelting requires a Minecraft:furnace in addition to fuel and processes blocks into a more useful form such as from Minecraft:raw iron into Minecraft:iron ingots, which can then be crafted into iron tools and iron Minecraft:armor.

Brewing and enchanting

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File:Enchantment Table animated experience.gif

An enchanting table with glyphs being absorbed into it.

Minecraft:Brewing creates Minecraft:potions from various ingredients and Minecraft:water using a Minecraft:brewing stand. They are stored in a Minecraft:glass bottle and then consumed by the player or thrown at other mobs to generate a certain effect based on the magical ingredients used to create the potion. Minecraft:Enchanting is also used to upgrade Minecraft:armor, tools or Minecraft:weapons with an Minecraft:enchanting table or Minecraft:anvil. More powerful enchantments can be accessed by gaining Minecraft:experience and placing bookshelves around the enchanting table.

Mobs

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File:Creeper in forest.png

A creeper in a Minecraft:forest. Creepers stalk the player and then explode once they get near.

Minecraft:Mobs are interactable creatures that inhabit the world. Hostile mobs attack the player while passive mobs do not. Neutral mobs attack when provoked (not all neutral mobs are provoked the same way).

The Minecraft:Overworld contains many passive animal mobs that may be killed for Minecraft:food, bred with one another, or kept around for useful utilities. Mobs that drop food drop the raw version of their food unless killed while on Minecraft:fire or by an item enchanted with the Minecraft:Fire Aspect enchantment.

The Nether

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File:The Nether.png

A crimson forest in the Nether.

The Nether is a dimension in Minecraft accessible from the Minecraft:Overworld by a Minecraft:Nether portal. It consists of five unique Minecraft:biomes, which are the Minecraft:Nether wastes, the Minecraft:basalt deltas, the crimson and Minecraft:warped forests and the Minecraft:soul sand valleys. Each biome has unique generation and terrain. It is populated by zombified piglins, blazes, ghasts, wither skeletons, magma cubes, piglins, and hoglins. Ores in the Nether include Minecraft:Nether quartz, Nether gold and Minecraft:ancient debris. The Nether also has large oceans of Minecraft:lava that have striders walking on them.

The End

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File:The End.png

The End.

The End is another dimension of the game where the player battles the Minecraft:ender dragon. The End is accessed by entering an Minecraft:End portal found in a Minecraft:stronghold. The End is composed of Minecraft:End stone and is inhabited by Minecraft:endermen. It also contains tall Minecraft:obsidian pillars on top of which are Minecraft:End crystals that heal the ender dragon. Once the ender dragon is slain, the Minecraft:exit portal is created in the center of the map and an Minecraft:End gateway portal is created near an edge of the map, which transports the player to the expansive Minecraft:outer End islands which are full of Minecraft:chorus fruit forests and Minecraft:End cities filled of Minecraft:chest loot and Minecraft:shulkers. The End gateway portal is only accessed by throwing an Minecraft:ender pearl, using Minecraft:elytra or Minecraft:trapdoors to enter the portal. There are no ores in the End.

Multiplayer

Template:MainMinecraft can be played with multiple players together in one world. Players can interact with each other using the Minecraft:chat or Minecraft:emotes, and can play the game together or damage each other, also known as Minecraft:PvP (player versus player).

Local connections

Players on the same local network (Minecraft:LAN) can join other worlds opened for LAN connections. The world is hosted and managed by the player running the world, who is also the Minecraft:operator with the ability to manage each player's Minecraft:permissions or kick players. Template:IN, players can also join worlds opened to the Internet using the Xbox friend system. A player can add and manage friends from the in-game menus or the Xbox app, and any player can be invited to the world.

File:Players fighting.png

PvP (player vs player) on a multiplayer server.

Server

Template:MainMultiplayer worlds can also be hosted independently from a player's Minecraft instance using an external server. Official server software for both editions can be downloaded for free on a PC, or a player could use an unofficial server-hosting service that maintains and runs the server. Players can join any external server via the Internet (except for console versions of Bedrock Edition), and the server can even be online while no players are in the world. An official server list has been made for some large third-party servers that provide access for any player, and players can also join specific Minecraft:featured servers in Bedrock Edition.

Minecraft multiplayer servers have developed to include their own rules and customs, guided by their administrators and moderators. The term griefer, meaning a player who causes grief, is a typical term on the internet but has taken up its definition on Minecraft servers: a person who destroys or defiles other users' creations on servers.

One popular game on multiplayer servers is Minecraft:Spleef (a play on the word "grief"), a game where the player aims to make another player drop through the floor by destroying blocks beneath the opponent's feet. This is typically played in a designated area and is usually run automatically using server plugins.

Many popular multiplayer servers exist that may contain, PvP arenas, custom Minecraft:minigames or large Minecraft:Survival or Minecraft:Creative worlds.

Minecraft Realms

Template:Main Minecraft Realms is an official subscription-based Minecraft:server hosting service that allows players to create and manage their own private Minecraft multiplayer worlds. Hosted by Minecraft:Mojang Studios, Realms provides an easy and fast way to create servers and allows the owner to manage them from inside the game, without prior knowledge of the concepts for hosting on the internet. However, Realms are not intended for large public servers, but for groups of friends or as a family server.<ref>Template:Tweet</ref> Private Realms servers are easy to set up and available 24/7 as long as the owner pays for it.

Purchase and availability

Template:FakeImage Template:Relevant tutorial Template:JE is mostly available on personal computers running Windows, macOS and Linux. It can be purchased from minecraft.net or the Microsoft Store. Gift codes can be bought for others, for the same price as buying the game for oneself. The demo version can be played for free without multiplayer. Java Edition can not run on Windows RT, it can only be run on ChromiumOS or ChromeOS if the "Linux development environment" is turned on, and it can not be run on many non-PC devices, even ones that use Java, such as cars and toasters.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Template:BE is available on most devices. It can be purchased on Google Play (for Template:W & Template:W), the Apple App Store (for Template:W & Template:W), the Amazon Appstore (for Template:W), the Microsoft Store (for Windows & Xbox), minecraft.net (for Template:W), the Nintendo eShop (for Template:W), and the PlayStation Store (for Template:W & Template:W).

Alternatively, Template:W Premium and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate provides access to Java Edition on PC and Bedrock Edition on Windows PCs and Xbox consoles. PC Game Pass provides access to Java Edition on PC and Bedrock Edition on Windows PCs.

Both editions on PC or Bedrock Edition on consoles can also be purchased alongside Template:MCD, Template:MCL, and 1020 Minecoins/Tokens as part of the Minecraft Triple Bundle offer.

The Template:Els can be purchased on physical media (excluding Template:El) or on the respective platform's online store. The Template:Els can only be purchased through the console. The Template:Els are no longer available for direct digital purchase.

The North American version of Template:El can be purchased on physical media. It is no longer available for direct digital purchase, and the game never had a physical release in other regions.

Minecraft Classic, a remake of an old version of Template:JE, can be played at classic.minecraft.net for free.

Editions

File:Minecraft Sales Data.png

Minecraft sales data, up to December, 2015.

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Java Edition

Template:Main The original version of Minecraft on Windows, macOS, and Linux, starting through the Minecraft:Minecraft Launcher, Java Edition was initially released for an "early private singleplayer alpha" on May 17, 2009, followed by several development stages (notably Classic, Indev, Infdev, Alpha, Beta) with the game finally being released on November 18, 2011. The Java Edition has seen many significant updates since its official release.

The original May 17, 2009, public release is officially recognized as the anniversary of the Minecraft franchise as a whole. The official 10th Anniversary (in 2019) and Minecraft:15th Anniversary (in 2024) are set 10 and 15 years after this date respectively.

Bedrock Edition

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Notch with Minecraft: Pocket Edition on the Xperia Play.

The Bedrock Edition (also known as the Bedrock Platform/Codebase/Engine, and officially Minecraft or Minecraft for Windows) is a multi-platform version of Minecraft developed by Minecraft:Mojang Studios and Template:W. Unlike Java Edition, which runs on Minecraft:w:Java, Bedrock Edition runs on C++. Since the engine originated with Minecraft: Pocket Edition, this entire product family has often been referred to as "Pocket Edition", "MCPE" and "Pocket/Windows 10 Edition".

Before the Minecraft:Better Together Update, Bedrock Edition only existed as Template:El (for iOS and Android) and Template:El.

Predating the Better Together Update, Minecraft: Pocket Edition was initially launched exclusively for the Template:W on Google Play<ref>Template:Citation</ref> for US$6.99 on August 15, 2011. It was later released for other Template:W devices on October 7, 2011,<ref>Template:Tweet</ref> and Template:W on November 17, 2011.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> On September 13, 2012, the Pocket Edition was made available for purchase on the Amazon Appstore. The Template:W version was released on the Windows Phone Store on December 10, 2014,<ref>Template:Citation</ref> for which the Minecraft:Pocket Edition 1.0.0 release and newer are available only for Windows 10 Phone and newer. Since then, four adaptations of Pocket Edition have been released; for Windows 10 on July 29, 2015, the Gear VR on April 27, 2016, tvOS on December 19, 2016, and the Fire TV on December 19, 2016.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Mcnet</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref> As of September 24, 2018, the Template:El has been discontinued.

After the Better Together Update, all versions of Minecraft: Pocket Edition were merged together, along with the Minecraft:Legacy Console Editions of the latest consoles:

Legacy Console Edition

Template:Main Legacy Console Edition refers to the editions of Minecraft for consoles that are developed and updated by Minecraft:4J Studios.

The Legacy Console Edition was initially announced for the Template:W on June 7, 2011, during Template:W. Template:El released digitally on May 9, 2012 followed by a physical release on June 4, 2013. The game was later released on additional platforms as Template:El on December 17, 2013, Template:El on September 4, 2014, Template:El on September 5, 2014, Template:El on October 14, 2014, Template:El on December 17, 2015, and Template:El on May 11, 2017. As of December 10, 2019, no further feature updates have been released for these versions, and the newest available update depends on the platform. The most recent update on Template:El and Template:El is the Minecraft:World of Color Update, while Template:El, Template:El, Template:El, and Template:El have access to Minecraft:Update Aquatic. Template:El is the most up-to-date version with Minecraft:Village & Pillage.

Minecraft Education

Template:Main Minecraft Education (Edition, before late 2022) is an educational version of Minecraft specifically designed for classroom use. It is developed by Mojang Studios and Xbox Game Studios and contains features that make Minecraft easy to use in a classroom setting. The full game was released on November 1, 2016.

New Nintendo 3DS Edition

Template:Main Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition was released on September 13, 2017 for the Template:W, and the Template:W, a unique port developed by Minecraft:Other Ocean Interactive. Multiplayer was limited to local play. This edition was discontinued on January 15, 2019.

Other

There are a number of other versions of Minecraft. Template:El is a simple version of Minecraft in the style of other "4K" Java games (everything is packaged in 4 kibibytes) by Notch for contests. Minecraft: Pi Edition was a free ported version of Template:El 0.5.0 for the Template:W,<ref>Template:Citation</ref> which was intended as an educational tool for novice programmers. It allowed users to manipulate the game code and supported multiple programming languages; however, it was discontinued in January 2016. Minecraft: China Edition is a localized version of Minecraft for mainland China.

Edition comparison

Edition	Price (Template:W)	Developer	Platforms	Buy	Trial/Download	Input methods	Account type	Skin changes	Support	Notes
Template:JE	US$29.99 – $39.99	Minecraft:Mojang Studios	Template:W, Template:W, and Template:W	Microsoft Store	minecraft.net	Keyboard and mouse	Microsoft	Free, user-created	Minecraft Help Center	The original version of Minecraft. Access to occasional test updates known as snapshots.
Template:BE	US$6.99 – $39.99	Minecraft:Mojang Studios Template:W Minecraft:4J Studios Minecraft:SkyBox Labs	Template:W, Template:W, Template:W, Template:W, Template:W, Template:W, Template:W/Template:W, Template:W/Template:W, Template:W, & Template:W	Microsoft (Windows & Xbox), Google, Apple, Amazon, Nintendo, and PlayStation stores	Microsoft (Windows only), Google, and PlayStation stores	Keyboard & mouse, gamepad, and touchscreen	Microsoft (for achievements and servers), Nintendo (for online play), and Sony (for online play)	Free, user-created, via in-app purchase, or via Xbox network	Minecraft Help Center Xbox Support	Cross-platform local server multiplayer. Windows, ChromeOS, Android, iOS, iPadOS, Xbox, & PlayStation users have access to occasional test updates known as betas/previews.
Template:El	US$5.04 – $12 per user per year	Minecraft:Mojang Studios Template:W Minecraft:4J Studios	Template:W, Template:W, Template:W, Template:W, Template:W, & Template:W	education.minecraft.net and the Apple App Store	education.minecraft.net, Microsoft, Google, and Apple stores	Keyboard & mouse, gamepad, and touchscreen	Office 365 Education and Microsoft 365	Free, user-created	Minecraft Education Community Hub	Designed for teaching. Based on Template:BE.
Template:El	Free	Minecraft:Mojang Studios Template:W Template:W	Template:W, Template:W, Template:W, Template:W, & Template:W	N/A	mc.163.com, Apple, and other stores	Keyboard & mouse, gamepad, and touchscreen	NetEase	Free, user-created, or via in-app purchase	gm.163.com	Transplanted from Template:Els.

Game customization

Add-ons

Template:Main Add-onsTemplate:Only are the first step towards bringing customization to all editions of Minecraft and are officially supported by Minecraft:Mojang Studios/Minecraft. They currently allow players to transform the look of their worlds, change the behavior of mobs, and add entities, items and blocks, structures, functions and biomes.

Behavior packs

Template:Main Behavior packsTemplate:Only dictate how vanilla and custom entities behave, and they can also introduce functions and scripts. When paired with a resource pack designed to complement it, they form an add-on, which allows for the addition of new content to the game.

Resource packs

Template:Main The game officially supports changing most of its various textures, sounds, and texts through resource packs. Resource packs must contain a certain structure of files and folders placed in the Minecraft:.minecraft/resourcepacks folder. Installed resource packs, as well as the folder in which resource packs are placed, can be accessed in the options menu. The extent to which the resources are changed is dependent on how many files are contained in the resource pack.

Data packs

Template:Main Data packsTemplate:Only provide a way for players to further customize vanilla worlds in a similar way to resource packs. Unlike resource packs, which modify the game's resources, data packs can be used to override or add new advancements, functions, loot tables, structures, recipes and tags without any code modification.

Skins

Template:Main Skin refers to the texture that is placed onto a player model or mob. The skin is divided into areas that act as the surface area of the character (for example, the front head area, left leg area, etc.). A skin allows only solid color; transparency is not allowed on the skin file except on the second layer, which is transparent by default; playing offline, pixels can be left free resulting in "holes" in the skin. The second layer can be used to give the character glasses, hats, or other accessories. Players can also change the arm size to be slim or normal. The slim variant is 3 pixels wide while the normal variant is 4 pixels wide.

Java Edition

Template:In, there are no special features in the skins. This version has only the features listed in the first part of this section.

Bedrock Edition

Template:IN, there are many more types of skin customization. Minecraft:Players can add 3D custom hair, eyes, mouths, arms, legs and more. Players can also change the size of a character. Players can also get many different accessories for the skin. However, the player cannot do this with a custom skin, only with an in-game skin. Players can also buy accessories and skins. Having a skin that is smaller than normal or larger does not affect the hitbox size, but can still give an advantage in multiplayer servers because it can be harder to see them. Some of the skins also do not show their armor or hand-held Minecraft:items.

Capes

Template:Main Capes are an uncommon vanity item that can be equipped on a player's back. Template:IN, players start with a cape that is not equipped by default and some skins come with capes.

Capes also flail around when the player runs. When the player equips elytra, the texture of the elytra changes to an equipped cape.

Unofficial mods

Template:Disclaimer Template:Main Minecraft can be modified by replacing or adding Java class files to Minecraft:client.jar Template:In. This method of making custom modifications is not supported by Mojang as it can break the game if the mod is outdated, defective, or in conflict with another mod. Some such modifications impressed Notch or Jeb sufficiently that they were added to the game and the authors were credited under Additional Programming. Some examples of mods being implemented into the main game include the McRegion mod, Hippoplatimus' Minecraft:Piston Mod and horses from Dr. Zhark's Mo' Creatures mod, being added in Beta 1.3, Beta 1.7 and release 1.6.1 respectively.

Third-party programs

Template:Disclaimer Template:Main There are many programs designed for Minecraft. These include 3D map editors and viewers, game modifiers, various informational programs (such as crafting recipes) and server wrappers, and other specialty programs. As with mods, these too are not supported by Mojang.

Reception

Template:W ranked Minecraft as one of the best video games of the 2010s,<ref>Template:Citation</ref> and Video Game Canon ranks Minecraft as one of the best games of all time.<ref>https://videogamecanon.com</ref>Template:Better source

Awards

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Mojang Studios' trophies.

Since release Minecraft has won numerous awards including:

Template:W's "Game of the Year"<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Template:W's Grand Prize and "Audience Award"<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Template:W's "Best Downloadable Game of 2010"<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Template:W's "Game of the Year"<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Template:W's "Indie of the Year", "Most Innovative and Best Singleplayer Indie"<ref>Template:Citation</ref>
Template:W's "Best Debut Game", "Best Downloadable Game" and "Most Innovative Game Award"<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

References in popular culture

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Many references have been made in culture in response to the popularity of Minecraft, this includes many memes and also references in these video games, TV shows, and movies.