Getting started in Minecraft
A complete guide from buying the game to defeating the Ender Dragon. It walks you through every stage of early gameplay, from your first world through crafting and mining to exploring the Nether and the End.
What is Minecraft?
Minecraft is a sandbox game in which you explore a procedurally generated world made of cubic blocks. You start empty-handed and gradually gather resources, build a shelter, craft tools and fight mobs. The game offers several modes: Survival, Creative, Adventure, Spectator and Hardcore.
Since its release in 2011, Minecraft has become the best-selling game of all time, with more than 425 million copies sold. There's no single set path: you can build, explore caves, breed animals, fight monsters or just enjoy the calm of virtual nature. All the chapters of this guide are listed below.
What is Minecraft?
Get to know the game, the game modes (Survival, Creative, Adventure, Spectator, Hardcore) and pick an edition.
Read more → 2How to buy and install Minecraft
Java vs Bedrock, buying the game, installing the launcher, system requirements and your first world.
Read more → 3Your first night in Minecraft
Gathering wood, a crafting table, tools, shelter, torches and survival.
Read more → 4Crafting basics
The crafting table, recipes for tools, weapons, furnaces and chests. The material hierarchy.
Read more → 5Mining resources
Coal, iron, diamonds, redstone: where to dig and which techniques to use.
Read more → 6Cooking and food
The hunger system, furnaces, the best food sources and a wheat farm.
Read more → 7Exploration
Biomes, villages, caves, trading with villagers and navigation.
Read more → 8The Nether
Building a portal, Nether biomes, resources and the dangers of this fiery dimension.
Read more → 9The End and the Ender Dragon
Finding the stronghold, preparing for the fight and defeating the final boss.
Read more → 1010 tips for beginners
The most important tips from experienced players to make your life in Minecraft easier.
Read more →Frequently asked questions
How do I start playing Minecraft?
Buy the game at minecraft.net (Java Edition or Bedrock Edition), install the launcher, create a new world in Survival mode and start by gathering wood. You'll make your first tools from planks and sticks at a crafting table.
How much does Minecraft cost?
The price depends on your platform and region, so check minecraft.net for current prices. Java Edition is sold for PC (Windows, macOS, Linux), while Bedrock Edition is sold for mobile devices and for PC and consoles, at different prices. There is also a free trial version (Minecraft Trial) with limited play time.
Java Edition or Bedrock: which should you pick?
Java Edition offers full mod support (Forge, Fabric), custom servers and a larger technical community. Bedrock Edition has cross-play between PC, consoles and phones. If you mostly play on PC and want mods, pick Java. If you play with friends on different platforms, pick Bedrock.
How do I survive the first night in Minecraft?
Gather wood from trees (at least 10 logs), make a crafting table and wooden tools. Dig up a few blocks of stone for stone tools. Before dark, build a simple shelter (even a hole in a hillside) and place torches inside, made from coal and sticks.
What level are diamonds at in Minecraft?
Diamonds generate between Y=-64 and Y=16, but they're most common at Y=-59. The best way to get them is strip mining at that level. You need an iron or better pickaxe to mine a diamond ore block.
How do I beat the Ender Dragon?
Prepare a full netherite or diamond kit, a bow with plenty of arrows, at least 10 ender pearls, building blocks and potions (Healing, Regeneration, Slow Falling). In the End, destroy the end crystals on the obsidian pillars, then shoot the dragon while it flies or hit it with a sword when it lands on the fountain.