Create, explore, survive, repeat. Get Minecraft: Java Edition and Bedrock Edition for PC as a package deal. You can easily switch between games using the unified Minecraft launcher and cross-play with any current edition of Minecraft.*
A journey of a thousand blocks begins with a single step. Get Minecraft on the platform of your choice and start yours today! Available on Windows 10/11, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and 3DS, Oculus, and mobile devices.
Discover new ways to play Minecraft with unique maps, skins, and texture packs. Available in-game from your favorite community creators. Purchases and Minecoins roam across Windows 10, Windows 11, Xbox, Mobile, and Switch. On PlayStation 4 the Minecraft Store uses Tokens. Tokens are used only on PlayStation consoles and cannot be used on other platforms. Similarly, Minecoins cannot be used on PlayStation consoles.
Advanced graphics capabilities, including support for physically-based rendering, realistic lighting, vibrant colors, realistic water, and more. Content available in Minecraft Marketplace. Requires a DXR capable GPU.
Logging in with a Microsoft account is required to play the game. In addition to the latest version and latest snapshot, most past versions of Java Edition are also available through the launcher. The launcher allows for separate profiles that are useful for mods, development versions, and old versions.
Java Edition's code is more easily modified than the other editions, and so it has by far the most robust scenes for mods and custom servers. One example of this is the addition of the obfuscation map[13], which is intended to make modding easier. Realms for Java Edition is a separate service from Realms Plus for Bedrock Edition.
Notch got the idea for Minecraft after playing Infiniminer with other members of the TIGSource forums in 2009.[15] Other influences include Dwarf Fortress, Dungeon Keeper,[16] and Notch's own previous project, RubyDung.[17]
When he first started working on Minecraft, Notch had planned for it to just be a small project. For instance, when Notch uploaded the first YouTube video of Minecraft on May 13, 2009, he had not yet decided on a name, and simply referred to it as a "cave game".[18][19] The name Minecraft: Order of the Stone was announced the next day[20] (from a suggestion a TIGSource forums user gave in an IRC chat[21]), a reference to The Order of the Stick, a webcomic and "one of the best things on the internet", and then shortly after, it was shortened to Minecraft as it was much simpler and to prevent people from confusing it with The Order of the Stick. The name was later used for Minecraft: Story Mode. The game was finally released for an "early private single-player alpha" on May 16, 2009.[22] Today, the majority of all pre-classic versions are lost.
Minecraft 0.0.11a was publicly released the day after the private release on May 17, 2009,[23] and the game received mention on IndieGames.com the day after that.[24] This phase was later named Minecraft Classic.[25] In July, Minecraft was rewritten to use the Lightweight Java Gaming Library (LWJGL).[26] Until Minecraft Beta reintroduced it, Classic was the only version of Minecraft with the Creative game mode, which gives players an infinite amount of each block to build with without having to gather them as in Survival mode. A multiplayer test also occurred shortly before the Survival test.
Survival Test was released as a version of Classic on September 1, 2009. It was the introduction of Survival Mode. In it, the player now had to mine blocks, face mobs, and had a health bar. If the player were to die, the map was lost; unless backed up, the user would have to start over with a new map, similar to Hardcore mode.
Indev (short for in development) was released on December 23, 2009, after Notch received requests to let the community try out new features he was implementing in Survival Test. Indev version 0.31 was released to the public on minecraft.net/indev and available only to people who had purchased the game. When a new game was started, the player would spawn in a prefabricated wooden house.
Updates introduced a more complex and realistic lighting scheme than Classic, as well as a day-night cycle. Indev received more updates after this, adding a few fundamental features to Minecraft as it went. During its lifespan, some updates were devoted mostly to testing new things, like food, torches, or fire. The difficulty settings: Peaceful, Easy, Normal and Hard, were added to the game. Unique to Indev were level types, similar to biomes and dimensions - for example, Floating Islands and the Sky Dimension, and "Hell" (not Nether). Like Survival Test, if the player were to die, all progress was lost.
Infdev (short for infinite development)[27] was released on February 27, 2010, and became the third phase of Minecraft's development. It featured the important addition of maps that can generate infinitely, which extended the gameplay possibilities even further as well as other upgrades including new crafting recipes, 3D clouds, a new terrain generator, a more realistic fluid system, and more complex caves. However, Infdev scrapped other features of Indev such as world themes. This, in turn, spelled the demise of features such as 'floating islands' and 'permaday'. These removals are understandable, as Infdev's main purpose was to develop infinite maps. However, some extra gameplay features and items were added, such as minecarts, dungeons with mob spawners, and the ability to respawn.
After being replaced by Alpha on June 30, 2010, Infdev remained available on the official Minecraft website until September 2010, when it was removed. Only one version, Infdev 20100618, is playable through the launcher, by enabling the "Historical versions" button in the Launcher options.
Alpha was released on June 30, 2010, however, only technically, as the first version labeled as Alpha was Alpha v1.0.1. When this update was released, Notch decided to rename Infdev (June 30, 2010) to Alpha v1.0.0. This phase of the game saw many major features added to Minecraft. Multiplayer for Survival was created, and features such as redstone circuits, boats, new music and new mobs, often without announcement in "Seecret Friday Updates".
One could see Alpha's introduction of biomes as being the return, at least in part, of Indev's world themes, and indeed the Nether is not unlike the 'Hell' world theme. Another reintroduction in Alpha was the return of multiplayer. Unlike Classic's Creative multiplayer, Alpha's multiplayer was available only in Survival form that is logically called "Survival Multiplayer".
Beta was the sixth and last phase of Minecraft's development before its official release. Beta was released on December 20, 2010. Features that were added include a new logo and launcher, customizable world name and world seed, achievements and statistics, weather, Smooth Lighting, dyes, more plant types (two new types of trees and tall grass), wolves and squid, beds, and other blocks and items.
The Adventure Update was a major set of updates, focusing on exploring and combat and adding an ending to the game. Features added include a new terrain generator, new mobs, blocks, biomes, and items. Three generated structures were added: villages, strongholds, and mineshafts. Changes to general gameplay include an improved combat system including critical hits and experience, a reintroduced Creative, Hardcore, and a way to finish the game by traveling to The End and defeating the ender dragon.
Originally planned to be started in Beta 1.7, the first part of the Adventure Update was released as Beta 1.8 on September 14, 2011. Starting on September 9, 2011, developmental versions were "leaked" by Mojang Studios.[28] Beta 1.9 was never released, but 6 pre-releases using the 1.9 version number were made available for users to test and report bugs back to Mojang Studios. On October 18, a feature freeze went into effect and Mojang Studios shifted all Minecraft development focus to fixing bugs and preparing the game for release.[29] On November 13, a release candidate of 1.0 was released, along with an official update to 1.8.1 that added sounds from the developmental version.[30]
The full release of Minecraft, 1.0.0, was released during MINECON 2011 on November 18, 2011, by Notch at the keynote address ceremony at 9:54 pm UTC. Jeb confirmed the version number in a tweet while also stating that the game would be officially out of Beta.[31] The release includes many features from the Adventure Update that were not included in Beta 1.8. The most prominent feature is an ending to the game, which can be achieved by defeating the Ender Dragon boss in The End.
On October 6, 2018, Mojang Studios open-sourced parts of the code for Java Edition, mainly the Brigadier command engine and the Data Fixer Upper. A complete rewrite of the game's rendering engine called Blaze3D is being considered for open-sourcing.[32]
Any computer can actually run Minecraft - even with a low processor and graphics card - but high RAM is required. However, for an enjoyable experience, it is encouraged to consult the recommended requirements. Older operating systems can run Minecraft, using software, but consequently a negative performance impact is expected.
A stable Internet connection is required for Java Edition to download game files, authenticate usernames, and connect to multiplayer servers. The player must download and run Java Edition while connected to the internet at least once; afterward, the player can play without an internet connection, but must still connect to receive updates or play online.
Minecraft: Java Edition was first made available for sale in June 2009 and has since sold over 30 million copies.Minecraft has received high acclaim from critics and has since become one of the most influential and successful indie games ever released. The game's popularity has influenced the creation of a new genre of Minecraft clones.[33]The game has been praised for the creative freedom it grants its players in-game, and for how dynamic the overall gameplay is. Since its creation, Minecraft has become the best-selling video game in history, selling a combined total from all versions of over 238,000,000 copies.[34]PC Gamer listed Minecraft as the fourth-best game to play at work.[35]
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