Minecraft is a sandbox video game created by Swedish programmer Markus "Notch" Persson and developed by Mojang Studios. It was first publicly released as an early access alpha version in 2009, with the full 1.0 version launching in November 2011. The game places players in a procedurally generated, blocky, three-dimensional world with virtually infinite terrain, where they can explore, extract raw materials, craft tools and items, and build structures.
The core gameplay revolves around breaking and placing blocks, but the game offers multiple modes, including Survival, where players must acquire resources and maintain health, and Creative, which provides unlimited blocks and flight. Over the years, Minecraft has expanded through numerous free updates that have added new biomes, creatures, dimensions, and mechanics, keeping the community engaged for over a decade.
Minecraft quickly became a cultural phenomenon, praised for its open-ended creativity and educational potential. It has fostered a massive global community that produces mods, custom maps, skins, and adventure servers. In 2014, Microsoft acquired Mojang and the Minecraft intellectual property for $2.5 billion, further expanding the franchise into merchandise, spin-off games, and an annual live convention.
As of 2024, Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time, with over 300 million copies sold across all platforms. Its simple yet deep mechanics have made it a staple of modern gaming culture, influencing a generation of players and game designers alike.