32 Minecraft Statistics and Facts [2024]

Minecraft is a hugely popular sandbox video game developed by Mojang Studios. Created with Java programming language and featuring a procedurally-generated 3D world, Minecraft has been entertaining gamers for over a decade.

With infinite game worlds and so many years on the market, there is plenty to discover about Minecraft. Let’s unfold the most exciting statistics.

Minecraft Stats Highlights

• The initial Minecraft base program was completed over a weekend in 2009.
• Minecraft is suitable for all ages over 10.
• The Chinese edition of Minecraft is free and has been downloaded over 400 million times in its lifetime.
• Taking into account all formats, Minecraft has been sold over 200 million times.
• A school in Sweden added Minecraft classes to the curriculum for its 13-year-old students.
• At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of players went up by 25%.
• In 2020, Minecraft surpassed the 600 million units sold mark.
• At least 130 million gamers play Minecraft every month.

General Minecraft Statistics

Many details are known about Minecraft, considering it’s been fully on the market for over a decade, but there’s still much to discover. Here are some key general statistics.

Minecraft Initially Launched in 2009

(Source: IGN)

The original Minecraft, known as the Java Edition, was released in 2009. This allowed players to get a sampling of what the game could offer them. Creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson developed this and much of what would later become the Classic Edition in May 2009.

The first full version of Minecraft was launched in 2011 and is known as the Adventure Update. Since then, there have been numerous updates released for the game.

Minecraft’s Deal With Microsoft Made Tech Acquisition History

(Source: BBC)

After being approached by Activision Blizzard and Electronic Arts, Mojang ultimately closed an acquisition deal with Microsoft in November 2014. Microsoft bought Mojang along with the ownership rights to Minecraft’s intellectual property for 2.5 billion USD.

The deal made Persson a billionaire and earned him an appearance on Forbes’ World Billionaires list.

Total Minecraft Gameplay Has Surpassed a Huge Milestone

(Source: Sportskeeda)

While this is a rough calculation based on data available only from 2016 onwards, total Minecraft playtime is estimated to have surpassed 68 million years.

This is heavily influenced by the highly dedicated Chinese Minecraft community and doesn’t take into account offline gaming, as it can’t be tracked.

Minecraft Has Huge Views on YouTube

(Source: Forbes)

By the end of 2020, Minecraft continued to be one of the games with the largest number of YouTube views. YouTube viewers love to watch Minecraft gameplay and clips. Minecraft-related videos on YouTube have now surpassed over 201 billion views on YouTube.

This shows how viewable and entertaining Minecraft remains, even in 2022.

Minecraft Is One of the Most Viewed Games on Twitch

(Source: Statista)

Minecraft has a huge following around the world, and this becomes very apparent when considering its Twitch views. In March 2021, the number of hours watched of Minecraft on Twitch exceeded 87 million hours. This was its highest peak since 2018.

In January 2022, the number of hours of Minecraft watched on Twitch was over 60 million hours, which is still an incredibly significant amount. This shows that Minecraft continues to be largely successful, and much of it is due to views.

Minecraft Is an Award-winning Game

(Source: IMDb)

During its long tenure in the gaming industry, Minecraft has earned numerous accolades. Among them, Minecraft was awarded Best Debut Game and Best Downloadable Game at the Game Developers Choice Awards in 2011.

It also won Best Independent Game at the Spike Video Game Awards in 2011, followed by Best Family Game at the BAFTA Awards in 2015. In 2016, it won the BAFTA Kids’ Vote in the gaming category.

It was also named as the Most Addicting Game at the Kids’ Choice Awards in 2015.

Minecraft Continues To Have Millions of Active Users

(Source: Business Insider)

In August 2021, almost ten years after its first full release, Minecraft hit a high of 141 million monthly active users worldwide. In June 2016, it had 40 million monthly active users, while in October 2018, it had 91 million. This started to spike in 2020, reaching 126 million monthly active users in May of that year.

By then, the pandemic was forcing people to be at home, which had a huge impact on the amount of Minecraft active users growing every month. This trend has been stable since then.

Minecraft Players Love the PS4

(Source: Gamestat)

Minecraft is a cross-platform game, but the PS4 is currently the most preferred choice. In January 2021, 68% of active Minecraft players used the PS4 to run the game.

That figure represents over 51 million players around the world who chose the PS4 as their main platform for Minecraft.

Minecraft Revenue & Sales Statistics

With Minecraft continuing to be so popular, it comes as no surprise that the financial details provide plenty of interesting information.

Minecraft Is One of the Best Selling Games of All Time

(Source: Statista)

By June 2016, the cumulative number of Minecraft units sold surpassed the 100 million mark. In May 2020, that figure shot to 200 million units sold, and in April 2021, it went over 238 million units sold.

This puts it at the top of the best-selling games of all time, especially due to the consistency of its sales. Minecraft not only continues to be relevant but also profitable.

The Minecraft Annual Mobile Revenue Is Increasing

(Source: Statista)

Every year, Minecraft’s annual mobile revenue increases. In 2015, the worldwide annual mobile revenue was 81.68 million USD. In 2019, it was 111.04 million USD.

In 2020, when interest in the game was renewed, it reached 142.12 million USD. In 2021, it went even further and reached 160.69 million USD.

This shows that Minecraft is profiting from its cross-platform presence, especially from its mobile app.

North America Leads in Regional Minecraft Sales on the Xbox One

(Source: Statista)

Minecraft sales are great on consoles, but some regions lead in terms of units sold. While Europe accounts for 1.71 million units sold, North America is the region with 3.23 million units sold.

This highlights how Minecraft is performing with console gamers and the way North American Xbox owners opt for the game in significant numbers.

Minecraft Continues To Be a Top-selling Video Game

(Source: Statista)

Despite its many years on the market, Minecraft continues to be a top-seller and usually features in the top 20 of best sellers in the US.

It is currently ranked 14th by dollar sales, but it was 10th in the previous month. This shows that Minecraft’s success remains stable and constant in 2022.

Minecraft’s Sales Revenue Exceeds 3 Billion USD

(Source: The Verge)

Minecraft has accumulated over 3 billion USD in revenue since it launched in 2011. It continues to earn around 400 million USD per year and is not expected to slow down significantly in terms of earnings. Minecraft has a very loyal fanbase and continues to attract new players too.

Bedrock Edition Sold Over 93 Million Units

(Source: The Verge)

Once known as the Pocket Edition, the Bedrock Edition reached the 93 million units sold in 2018. In 2012, it sold 3 million, which brings us to the impressive statistic of 90 million units being sold in less than 6 years.

This is an even more interesting figure when taking into consideration that this is only one of the editions that Minecraft players get to enjoy.

Minecraft Is Expected To Continue To Grow

(Source: Bloomberg)

In 2020, Minecraft had a projected annual growth of 25%, which it achieved by the end of the year.

Since then, Minecraft has continued to bring in profits, and this is not expected to change anytime soon, even with the immediate impact of the pandemic on the gaming industry starting to decrease.

Minecraft Marketplace Made 1 Million USD in Two Months

(Source: VentureBeat)

Minecraft Marketplace features community-made content that can be purchased in-game using Minecoins or PS Tokens.

Content options include avatars, skins, textures, and even fully-built worlds. Purchases made on Minecraft Marketplace only need to be made once.

They will then be available on any device that can run Minecraft. The only exception is Minecraft Java Edition.

Marketplace creators achieved a total revenue of over 1 million USD in only two months. So far, they have earned well over 350 million USD.

Minecraft Demographics Statistics

Minecraft players are essential to the profitability and ongoing longevity of the game. Here are some details about the people playing the game.

Us Servers Lead in Numbers

(Source: Statista)

Servers are an essential part of the Minecraft experience, and there are numerous options around the world. Looking at the servers sheds some light on the game’s user base, and it shows that the US has the highest percentage.

American players have access to 36% of servers. Most Minecraft servers are based in the US, but the UK follows with 20.7%. Germany has 11.4%, Russia has 6.1%, and France has 4.4%.

There are almost 4000 servers based in the US, while there are over 2000 in the UK.

Minecraft Players Are 24 on Average

(Source: PCGamesN)

Young players tend to prefer Minecraft. The winning age range is between 3 and 12, at 54%. This makes the average age of a Minecraft player 24 years old. While many ages enjoy the game, it is definitely a favorite among the younger players.

This remains the trend even though the  game is recommended for ages 7 and up.

Boys Are the Majority

(Source: PCGamesN)

While there are plenty of girls and women who play Minecraft regularly, it is primarily used by young boys. The game developer behind Minecraft has suggested that the game is intended for adults, but it continues to be a huge draw to kids even before they hit teenage.

It is particularly appealing to boys, with 54% of the 3 to 12 range engaging in playing Minecraft. In contrast, only 32% of that same age range is girls.

22% of boys in Great Britain claim that Minecraft is their favorite game to play. In Sweden, where Minecraft was created, up to 24% of children play Minecraft. Of them, 27% are boys.

China Loves Minecraft

(Source: TweakTown)

Minecraft is a huge hit in China, where it has a dedicated user base. Of the 600 million active users playing Minecraft, 400 million are from China. 100,000,000 new users in 2020 came from China.

1 in every 4 people in China own the game, and it is the country with some of the most huge numbers of update downloads.

The Chinese Minecraft user base is highly committed to the game and continues to have a large amount of daily active users.

Us Players Are the Most Active

(Source: PlayerCounter)

While there are numerous daily active users playing Minecraft at any one time, US players account for 21.21% of recorded usage. This is followed by Brazil with 6.17%, Russia with 5.59%, the United Kingdom with 5.06%, and Germany with 4.60%.

Hundreds of Thousands Play Minecraft Every Day

(Source: Minecraft Player Counter)

In September 2021, Minecraft hit a record 200,000 in daily playing audience. This doubled the previous record of 100,000 established in 2020. The data shows that Minecraft attracts plenty of players who dedicate plenty of time and attention to the game every day.

Streamers Love Minecraft

(Source: Gamesight)

People love to play Minecraft, and they also love streaming it or watching it being streamed. On both YouTube and Twitch, Minecraft creators have huge followings and views for their Minecraft-related videos and clips.

Currently, YouTuber Ujjwal leads the rankings with almost 400,000 viewing hours on the platform. Ujjwal was followed by RanbooLive with almost 300,000 viewing hours on Twitch.

Players Are Fans of Community Creations and Mods

(Source: Windows Central)

Minecraft players are fans of the marketplace, with 67% actively purchasing community creations from there. This creates constant demand that keeps the over 12,000 creators on the marketplace contributing to the game.

Minecraft gamers also love mods, and there are over 91,000 of them to enjoy for free.

Minecraft Usage Statistics

Data related to how Minecraft is used by players provides very exciting facts. Let’s see what we can discover about Minecraft usage.

New Players and Achievement Hunters Use the PS4

(Source: Gamestat)

Of players new to Minecraft, 93% use the PS4 as their entry point to the game. This is the preferred way to experience Minecraft for the first time, but it seems completionists enjoy it too.

Trophy earners and achievement hunters also enjoy using the PS4 for their Minecraft gaming. 94% of them make the popular console their first choice.

This shows the popularity of the PS4 but also the way Minecraft’s usage adapts according to every player’s style and level of experience.

Minecraft Players Love Using Minecraft on Ios

(Source: Sensor Tower)

On the US version of the iOS App Store, Minecraft is the top paid app in all categories. It is also the top paid app in the game category on both the iPhone and the iPad. Minecraft is currently 41st in the top-grossing games on the iPhone and ranks even higher on the iPad at 19th.

The three countries in the world with the most iOS downloads of Fortnite are the US, the UK, and Japan.

It Records High Usage on the Google Play Store

(Source: Sensor Tower)

On the US version of the Google Play Store for Android devices, Minecraft is at the top of every category where it features, including top paid game, top paid app, and top paid arcade game.

This exact same triumph repeats itself on the German and Brazilian versions of the Google Play Store, which shows Minecraft’s huge popularity around the world.

Minecraft Gamers Enjoy the In-game Time

(Source: Sportskeeda)

Time passes differently in the Minecraft world. The passing of time is measured in ‘ticks,’ and one day in-game takes about 20 minutes in real-time. There are days and nights in Minecraft, but both last the same amount of time.

The game does not emulate real-time, but the way it passes explains a lot about why it has such consistent usage. It is easy to make it through several in-game days in one gaming session, and there is always the temptation to go for more.

Minecraft Is Also Used for Learning

(Source: VGS)

Minecraft is great entertainment, but it has also become an excellent educational tool. Minecraft: Education Edition was released in 2016 as a response to the huge numbers of young players using the game.

This edition has been implemented in schools and academies, whereas of 2020, more than 35 million students and teachers are using it around the world. On top of that, a school in Sweden was inspired to make Minecraft classes compulsory for 13-year-old students.

Minecraft Gamers Enjoy Using the Minecraft Dungeon Spin-off

(Source: Mojang)

Minecraft Dungeon was released in 2020 as one of the newest game spin-offs. By its first anniversary in May 2021, Dungeon had accumulated over 11 million unique players. It has also been used in 232 countries.

The Game Is Used to Break World Records

(Source: Guinness World Records)

When it comes to Minecraft usage, a 17-year-old seems to have cracked the code. British player and streamer Thomas Simons currently holds world records in follower count on Twitch and on having the most numbers of views on Twitch during one stream.

The streamed game during that session was Minecraft. This occurred in January 2021 during the Dream SMP Finale event. The viewer count exceeded 650,000.

Minecraft Is Popular in Esports

(Source: eSports Earnings)

Community usage is responsible for Minecraft’s huge success in the world of eSports, as neither Microsoft nor Mojang cater to it. Despite this, it reached a cumulative prize pool of 100,000 in tournaments. This shows the community’s dedication to Minecraft and the way it uses the game across various platforms.

Bringing Minecraft into eSports puts even more focus on the game.

FAQs

Where Is Minecraft Most Played?

It may come as a surprise, but Minecraft is hugely popular in Iceland. With such a small population, it is understandable that Iceland only accounts for 0.04% of Minecraft’s market share, but it is, on average, the country where Minecraft reigns supreme.

In Iceland, Minecraft is favored twice over anywhere else. It is followed by Ireland, where Minecraft is 1.7% more popular. This shows that even players from the smallest countries still have a lot of impact when it comes to Minecraft usage statistics around the world.

How Popular Is Minecraft on YOUTUBE?

Minecraft content continues to be popular on YouTube. In 2020, YouTube viewers watched Minecraft-related content over 201 billion times on the platform.

This is a stunning statistics, especially considering how long Minecraft has been on the market. After a decade of making gaming industry history, Minecraft continues to be as relevant as ever.

How Many Editions of Minecraft Are There?

There are two full editions of Minecraft, but both have had numerous updates. One is the Java Edition, the original, and the other is the Bedrock edition, the cross-platform option.

What Are the Differences Between Editions?

The original version, the Java Edition, offers the initial Minecraft experience. This edition is exclusive to PC, Mac, and Linux users and isn’t available cross-platform.

Java is the only edition that allows the full use of mods, which some players find an essential part of the Minecraft experience. It also has huge multiplayer servers.

The Bedrock Edition allows players to enjoy a full cross-platform experience in which they can play with friends on different systems. It also offers more stable performance.

Final Thoughts

Minecraft is a huge part of the gaming community and has become a staple in its lifetime. While it is most popular with those under 25, everyone has been exposed to it in some form or other, and its impact cannot be denied.