Minecraft
Minecraft is a sandbox game developed and published by Mojang Studios. Formally released on 18 November 2011 for PCs following its initial public alpha release on 17 May 2009, it has been ported to numerous platforms, including mobile devices and various video game consoles.
In Minecraft, players explore a procedurally generated, three-dimensional world with virtually infinite terrain made up of voxels. Players can discover and extract raw materials, craft tools and items, and build structures, earthworks, and machines. Depending on the game mode, players can fight hostile mobs, as well as cooperate with or compete against other players in multiplayer. The game's large community offers a wide variety of user-generated content, such as modifications, servers, player skins, texture packs, and custom maps, which add new game mechanics and possibilities.
Originally created in 2009 by Markus "Notch" Persson using the Java programming language, Jens "Jeb" Bergensten was handed control over the game's continuing development following its full release in 2011. In 2014, Mojang and the Minecraft intellectual property were purchased by Microsoft for US$2.5 billion; Xbox Game Studios hold the publishing rights for the Bedrock Edition, the cross-platform version based on the mobile Pocket Edition which replaced the existing console versions in 2017. Bedrock is updated concurrently with Mojang's original Java Edition, although with numerous, generally small, differences.
Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time, with over 350 million copies sold (as of 2025) and 140 million monthly active players (as of 2021). It has received critical acclaim, winning several awards and being cited as one of the greatest video games of all time; social media, parodies, adaptations, merchandise, and the annual Minecon conventions have played prominent roles in popularizing the game. The game's speedrunning scene has attracted a significant following. Minecraft has been used in educational environments to teach chemistry, computer-aided design, and computer science. The wider Minecraft franchise includes several spin-off games, such as Minecraft: Story Mode, Minecraft Earth, Minecraft Dungeons, and Minecraft Legends. A live-action film adaptation, titled A Minecraft Movie, was released in 2025, and became the second highest-grossing video game film of all time.
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