Today, the global phenomenon that is Minecraft is celebrating its 10th anniversary and we dread to think how many blocks have been lovingly crafted in that time around the world.
On 17th May 2009, Minecraft saw its first public release. The build wasn't quite the same as the beast players enjoy today, but it steadily grew with new updates and features, quickly amassing an adoring fanbase. The full release came on 18th November 2011 when it launched across PC, Mac, and smartphone devices.
Since then, it's been found on pretty much every modern gaming platform imaginable. Nintendo players have been treated to Wii U, Switch, and New Nintendo 3DS versions of the game, all of which have received multiple updates and fresh content to keep players glued to their screens. It was recently announced that the Wii U edition would no longer be supported with new updates, however, with other systems now taking priority.
A frankly ridiculous amount of sales across all platforms has seen the game become one of gaming's biggest success stories. It surpassed one million sales before having any backing from an external publisher, and has reportedly gone on to sell more than 154 million copies in its lifetime. This makes it the second best-selling video game of all time, only falling short to Tetris.
As part of its tenth anniversary celebrations, Minecraft Earth has also been revealed. Just like Pokémon GO, the game is a smartphone app which merges Minecraft with the real world. You can check out the debut trailer below.
Have you played Minecraft over the last decade? Are you one of the 154 million who have contributed towards its massive success? Feel free to share your stories with the game in the comments below.
Comments 29
One of the best games ever created.
I own it physically on the Switch and PS Vita.
I own it on my Switch and WiiU. I only bought them because my nephews love the game.
I just wonder how much money they've made through selling dlc
Never played it, and probably never will
10 years already? Huh. ....time sure does go fast.
I only own the Wii U version which I only played the very beginning of, as well as a little bit of exploring on the Mario map, but that's about it. I don't really care much for it, I don't have the creative mindset needed for this game and I'm not too big of a fan of the game's aesthetics either. Coming from someone who loves retro, blocky, pixely artstyles.
wow it looks like it's thirty years old!!
I bought it during early alpha on pc, since than I bought it digitally on psvita, ps4, ps3, switch, ios, android and win10, Bought 2 spare accounts on java for co-op online play, bought a physical copy on my psvita and got the disc when I bought my 360 last month.
And even though I currently only use the switch version I think all these purchases where worth the money and total playtime.
I might not play it as much as I did when I bought it but I still play it every now and than to build something fun or see how far I’ll come in survival.
Alpha was a brilliant survival game with one of the best ambient soundtracks of any game ever. Some mods were fantastic and I used to play the Hunger Games servers years before battle royale was a thing. I would have killed for something like Fortnite back then but Minecraft managed the same thing, if a little primitive.
"It was recently announced that the Wii U edition would no longer be supported with new updates"
By the way, the New3DS version had its final update earlier this year too, so the only Nintendo version still receiving updates now is the 2nd Switch version.
Well dang, now I feel old. I own the game on multiple consoles so I must have gotten some enjoyment out of it (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, Switch). I did play it again recently, and it is practically a new game compared to the original 1.0 release.
Played it since Alpha release.
The countless hours I've spent and fun I've experienced with hundreds of players over the years...nothing will ever come close to it.
Although it has lost its magic I will always look fondly upon those cherished memories.
It feels like Minecraft is at least 20 years old.
I have not played it but bought 3 copies for the kids
@LuigisCube lol. I haven’t played it but bought 3 copies too, for the monsters
Wow, time flys. Minecraft was my favorite game as a wee lad, and still is too this day. I still play frequently on Switch, and it's still amazing. Also, I'm signing up for the closed beta. I have no clue how it works tho... anyway, it's worth a shot!
Thanks for the good times Minecraft. Cheers to 10, and 10 more!
Remember internet, just because lots of kids play it, doesnt mean its FOR kids
today would be the perfect day to announce steve for smash bros
I still love Minecraft ever since my first version i owned!
Will always remember the first time I played (Java PC). Dove in to Survival with my kids who were also pretty clueless about it and we intentionally didn't look up exactly how to do everything and had an amazing time exploring trying to figure things out and I remember the layout and look of the places we inhabited. We did eventually go to The End and complete it, too, though, by then we did cheat a little to find the location (didn't figure out how to find the dungeon portal without using a mapper until much later).
Every once in a while I'll play in survival for awhile, sometimes with the kids, just to see what organically builds out of where we start. Still keep tabs with updates. We are pretty excited about how Hytale is developing, too.
We are likely to try out the "Minecraft Earth" AR thing, but right now it's not all that interesting to me.
One time I heard the weirdest thing ever minecraft go.
...Probably will be just as boring as the main game....
@Joeynator3000 True all you do is make swords food shields beat a dragon end story.
@BensonUii I got the physical release of the updated version and it still includes the Mario stuff, so I assume the eShop release does too.
@BensonUii the Mario DLC is exclusive to any nintendo version of Minecraft. So as long as you get the version on Switch then you'll get the Mario DLC
I've bought it 8 times.
I love it.
First played it on the PS4, eventually buying it for my (non-gaming PC). Sunk so many hours into then, but when I eventually got a gaming rig I put even more hours into Minecraft. It was one of the first games I picked up when I got my Switch, although I will admit I don't like it as much as I thought I would on the small screen.
I have so many fond memories of this game. I've kinda moved on, but I'll be playing again for sure tomorrow.
"Minecraft: Earth"...underwhelming. It would probably be much more phun to photoshop photos instead.
No interest in this at all. Seen others play it, looks really boring and pointless. My kids haven't gotten into this either.
@Bunkerneath it’s okay. You’re really not missing much.
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