Minecraft came out officially on November 18, 2011, when Mojang released version 1.0 at the first MineCon in Las Vegas. But the story starts earlier: the very first public version appeared on May 17, 2009, which is why people give different answers to the question “when was Minecraft made?” This guide explains every key date in Minecraft’s history, how old Minecraft is in 2026, when Microsoft bought it, and how the game grew from a one-person project into the best-selling video game of all time.
Quick answer: Minecraft release dates
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| First public version (Classic) | May 17, 2009 |
| Alpha (Survival mode added) | June 30, 2010 |
| Beta | December 20, 2010 |
| Pocket Edition (mobile) | August 16, 2011 |
| Full release (Java 1.0) | November 18, 2011 |
| Xbox 360 Edition | May 9, 2012 |
| Microsoft acquires Mojang | Announced September 15, 2014, completed November 6, 2014 |
| Bedrock Edition (Better Together) | September 20, 2017 |
How old is Minecraft?
It depends on which date you count. Counting from the first public version in May 2009, Minecraft is 17 years old in 2026. Counting from the official 1.0 release, Minecraft turns 15 years old on November 18, 2026. Mojang itself usually celebrates the anniversary in May, with special events, free Marketplace items and in-game cakes and capes, and it celebrated 15 years in May 2024.
When was Minecraft made? The early history
2009: a side project by Notch
Minecraft was created by Swedish programmer Markus Persson, known online as Notch. He was working at a game company and built Minecraft in his spare time, inspired by games such as Infiniminer, Dwarf Fortress and Dungeon Keeper. He shared the first version, now called Classic, on the TIGSource forums in May 2009. It was a simple creative mode where you could place and break a handful of blocks, but players were immediately hooked.
2010: Alpha, Survival and the first sales
Persson started selling early access to Minecraft for about 10 euros, a model that was unusual at the time. In June 2010 the Alpha added Survival mode, with health, monsters, crafting and the day-night cycle that define the game today. The Halloween Update in late 2010 added the Nether. Sales grew so quickly that Persson quit his job, and in late 2010 he founded Mojang with Jakob Porser and Carl Manneh.
2011: Beta and the full release
The Beta began in December 2010 and brought weather, beds, maps and much more. Jens Bergensten, known as Jeb, joined as a developer and later became lead designer. On November 18, 2011, Mojang launched Minecraft 1.0 at MineCon, adding the End, the Ender Dragon, enchanting and brewing. By then the game had already sold millions of copies.
When did Microsoft buy Minecraft?
Microsoft announced its purchase of Mojang on September 15, 2014 for $2.5 billion, and the deal closed on November 6, 2014. Notch, Porser and Manneh left Mojang after the sale. Microsoft kept Minecraft on every platform, including PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, rather than making it an Xbox exclusive. Under Microsoft, Minecraft unified most versions into Bedrock Edition in 2017, added crossplay, launched Minecraft Education, Realms, the Marketplace, and spin-offs like Minecraft Dungeons and Minecraft Legends, and kept updating the original Java Edition for PC.
Major updates since release
- 2013: Redstone Update and The Update That Changed the World.
- 2016: Combat Update with shields and dual wielding.
- 2018: Update Aquatic with oceans, dolphins and tridents.
- 2019: Village and Pillage, then Buzzy Bees.
- 2020: Nether Update with netherite and new biomes.
- 2021: Caves and Cliffs Part 1 and Part 2.
- 2022: The Wild Update with the Deep Dark and the warden.
- 2023: Trails and Tales with cherry groves, camels and archaeology.
- 2024: Tricky Trials with trial chambers, the breeze and the mace.
- 2025: Smaller game drops such as Spring to Life, Chase the Skies, The Copper Age and Mounts of Mayhem.
- 2026: Year-based versions begin with 26.1 Tiny Takeover and 26.2 Chaos Cubed.
How Minecraft became the best-selling game ever
Minecraft passed 300 million copies sold in 2023, making it the best-selling video game of all time, ahead of GTA 5. Several things drove that success: it runs on almost every device, it is affordable, it appeals to all ages, and it gives players complete creative freedom. YouTube and Twitch creators turned it into a cultural phenomenon, and schools use Minecraft Education to teach subjects from coding to history. In 2025, A Minecraft Movie starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa became one of the biggest video game films ever at the box office. See how many people play Minecraft for player numbers.
Which version of Minecraft came out first?
Java Edition, the PC version, came first in 2009. Pocket Edition arrived on mobile in August 2011, before the full Java 1.0 release, and console versions followed from 2012. In 2017 most non-Java versions merged into Bedrock Edition, which now runs on Windows, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android with crossplay. Read our guide on Minecraft crossplay.
Minecraft release date FAQ
When did Minecraft come out?
The official release was November 18, 2011. The first public version came out on May 17, 2009.
When was Minecraft made?
Development began in May 2009, when Markus Persson released the first Classic version.
How old is Minecraft in 2026?
17 years since the first public version, and 15 years since the full release on November 18, 2026.
When did Microsoft buy Minecraft?
The $2.5 billion deal was announced on September 15, 2014 and completed on November 6, 2014.
Who made Minecraft?
Markus Persson (Notch) created it, and Mojang Studios, led for many years by Jens Bergensten, has developed it since.
Explore everything else about the game on our Minecraft hub.
Why the release date is confusing
Most games have a single launch day, but Minecraft was sold and played for more than two years before its official release. That early-access model, which Minecraft helped popularize, means some players think of 2009 as the start, while others count from 2011. Encyclopedias and Mojang’s own materials usually give November 18, 2011 as the release date of the full game, but Mojang celebrates the birthday in May, when the first version appeared. Both answers are correct as long as you explain which milestone you mean. For trivia nights, the safest answer is: first playable in May 2009, officially released in November 2011.
What the first version of Minecraft looked like
The original Classic version was tiny compared with today’s game. There were only a handful of block types, such as stone, grass, dirt, cobblestone and wooden planks. There was no crafting, no hunger, no monsters, and no day-night cycle; you simply placed and broke blocks in a small world. Players could try it in a web browser. Within weeks, Persson added features almost daily based on community feedback, and players shared screenshots of castles and pixel art that spread the game by word of mouth. Mojang later released Minecraft Classic as a free browser game for the tenth anniversary, so you can still try the original experience.
Key people in Minecraft history
- Markus Persson (Notch): creator and original developer, who left Mojang in 2014.
- Jens Bergensten (Jeb): joined in 2010 and led development for more than a decade, becoming Chief Creative Officer.
- Carl Manneh and Jakob Porser: co-founders of Mojang.
- Agnes Larsson and Lydia Winters: long-time Mojang leaders who shaped the game and community.
Celebrating Minecraft’s birthday
Each May, Mojang usually marks the anniversary with free Marketplace content, special capes or character items, and in-game events on Bedrock. In 2026 the team also introduced year-based version numbers, which make it easier to know at a glance when a version was released. If you want to see how far the game has come, try loading an old world in a modern version: Minecraft converts it automatically, and new terrain generates at the edges of the old world.