Icon of program: Minecraft

Minecraft for Windows

By MojangTrial versionUser Rating
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Key Details of Minecraft

  • Embark on adventures complete with limitless possibilities as you build, mine, battle, and explore the infinite worlds
  • Last updated on 04/26/21
  • There has been 1 update within the past 6 months
  • The current version has 0 flags on VirusTotal badge_icon
  • Also available on Android, iOS, and Mac
Playing the demo requires registration at the publisher's site.
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Editors' Review

Download.com staff

At its heart, Minecraft is a blocky first-person game about building things, exploring an endless wilderness, and fighting off nasty nocturnal beasts, but that doesn't do it justice. Minecraft is to my 25-year-old self as Legos were to my 5-year-old self: a time-sucking, mind-bending, and sleep-depriving experience in the simplest of activities. It hits the right tune on the subject of creation: it really does provide building blocks for your imagination.

Minecraft has no real direction, anchoring plot, or specific guidelines. Players are dropped into a world with only the ability to carve out resources from the surrounding land; you're a miner (duh!).

The game's graphics won't impress, but leaves you with one direction and focus: to build. Soon you'll find out that as it gets dark, chilling around with a pickax probably won't do you any good against the pixelated zombies, monsters, and other creepy critters after you.

Minecraft's central focus is in crafting tools and collecting resources to pretty much build whatever you want. Whether it's building more-powerful weapons to fend off creatures of the night or building that mega fortress to gloat at other miners in the open world, you're still going to need the right raw materials. Make no mistake: this game is a grinder. But after toiling for hours and hours and finally stumbling upon that precise material you need is a priceless moment in its own right.

As a self-sustaining teacher, Minecraft fails. Don't rely on Majong's limited provisions to learn the ropes of the game. Instead, I recommend scouting the Net for community made guides: there's a plethora of custom guides out there that will help you get the most out of this game. And really, that limit is all up to you.

If you simply want to focus on building and avoid the hassle of defending your fortress, then Creative mode is for you. In this mode, you have unrestricted access to all the building blocks and tools needed to build the structure or statue of your dreams, plus the ability to fly for kicks.

If you're uncomfortable with lack of direction, then this game isn't for you. But when it comes to open-world gameplay and mechanics, Minecraft is a primitive but fine demonstration of thriving on bare-bones gaming. Grab an ax and start digging.

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Full Specifications

WHAT'S NEW IN VERSION 1.16.5
Fixes two critical stability issues.
GENERAL
Release
April 26, 2021
Latest update
February 29, 2024
Version
1.16.5
OPERATING SYSTEMS
Platform
Windows
Operating System
Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7
Additional Requirements
None
POPULARITY
Total Downloads
2,387,721
Downloads Last Week
21
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User Reviews

4/5

36 User Votes

Developer's Description

By Mojang
Embark on adventures complete with limitless possibilities as you build, mine, battle, and explore the infinite worlds.
Minecraft is a game about breaking and placing blocks. At first, people built structures to protect against nocturnal monsters, but as the game grew players worked together to create wonderful, imaginative things. It can also be about adventuring with friends or watching the sun rise over a blocky ocean. It's pretty. Brave players battle terrible things in The Nether, which is more scary than pretty. You can also visit a land of mushrooms if it sounds more like your cup of tea.