What Minecraft games are there?

Minecraft has come a long way since its humble beginnings back in 2009. More than just one game, there’s an entire series of different Minecraft games and each offers a very different experience. If you’re not sure where to begin, I have you covered with a quick overview of what to expect from each game. That way, you’ll know exactly which one is for you. That’s without taking into account the Minecraft movie for those times when you’d rather watch than play.

If you simply want to play classic Minecraft, you need Minecraft Bedrock or Minecraft Java. We have an explainer breaking down the difference between Bedrock and Java. For everything else, keep reading and I’ll show you what you need to know.

Minecraft Bedrock and Java

When someone refers to Minecraft, they almost always mean Bedrock or Java. Offering slightly different pros and cons, the concept remains the same – the openness of being able to build whatever you want starting from very little and then potentially constructing vast worlds. Think of it as like a futuristic Lego set albeit with creatures out to attack if you switch to Survival mode instead of Creative mode.

The open-world sandbox game means you can explore to your heart’s content. Generally, you start out mining blocks to form the basics, then build things like weapons or containers, steadily building up to castles or even cities if you want. Survival mode requires you to also keep well fed, safe from danger, and at a suitable temperature, while Creative mode is much more like a set of building blocks with no risk to speak of. The only true end-game lies in Survival mode with the fearsome Ender Dragon to fight, but most people will just enjoy the journey.

It’s a very family-friendly game although some of the best Minecraft servers may require supervision as is the case with any online game. For complete control, sign up for one of the best Minecraft server hosting providers so you can dictate everything the server offers. It can be very useful to tweak things like how aggressive other creatures are or how many resources are at your disposal. An alternative is to research the best Minecraft seeds to give you an edge when you first load up your game.

Minecraft Education

Minecraft Education is a spin-off of Minecraft Bedrock and designed for the classroom environment. It offers student-specific benefits such as being able to host a whole classroom without the need for a separate server setup. It’s also possible for an educator to create an NPC (Non Playable Character) which can act as a guide for the pupils. Evidence of learning through the game is created through a more advanced screenshot system, while in-game chalkboards can be created to teach pupils what they should be doing.

It’s effectively the same as Minecraft Bedrock but with more ways to teach available through it. Separate lesson plans are also available for teachers looking to expand their educational toolset.

Minecraft Dungeons

Minecraft Dungeons is a dungeon crawler game first released in 2020. It’s a point-and-click hack-and-slash adventure with no open-world components. Instead, you wander through dungeons and attack enemies all around you. Each area is procedurally generated so no two games are alike. There are simple traps and puzzles but mostly, you’re cutting your way through a wave of Minecraft-themed enemies.

Like its namesake, the game has multiplayer with up to four players able to team up either locally (side by side) or online. It’s a very different experience from the original Minecraft and best aimed at older kids and adults looking for something a little less complex.

Minecraft Legends

Another spin-off game which focuses on a different genre, Minecraft Legends is a real-time action strategy game. Your aim is to defend the Overworld from an invasion of creatures and you need to build up your defences while also gathering together resources.

It involves a different kind of strategical thinking to Minecraft as it’s more fast-paced and requires a different way of planning ahead. It’s also much more aggressively themed but it’s a strong introduction to the real-time strategy genre.

Retired Minecraft games

In the last decade, there have been many Minecraft games and not all are easily playable any more.

One of the earliest spin-offs was Minecraft: Story Mode and Story Mode - Season 2. Each were released as individual episodes which came together to form a story. It’s narrative-driven unlike other Minecraft games with players able to make decisions which affect what happens next. The story has a group of adventurers setting out to save the world having slayed an Ender Dragon.

Another spin-off was Minecraft Earth. It was an augmented reality sandbox game for Android and iOS. It meant players could interact with the world and build their own Minecraft style structures within their living space. It’s no longer available for mobile users having shut down in June 2021.