Download
Minecraft is a game where you dig (mine) and build (craft) different kinds of 3D blocks within a large world of varying terrains and habitats to explore.
In this world the sun rises and sets as you go about your work, gathering materials and making tools. There is rain and the occasional lightning storm, and animals that you can tame, farm or use for food. Depending on which mode you’re playing in, you might also need to fight for your survival against hunger, danger and bad guys.
Despite the similarity of a world made of simple low-res blocks, the game really isn’t like playing with online Lego... it’s like building something out of Lego after you made and moulded the plastic and dyed it with plants that you grew yourself, and then going on an adventure inside it through forests and deserts while monsters are chasing you.
If you’re having a hard time understanding what the game's all about, it might help to think of it less as a game and more as a toy. There aren't a lot of preset goals or steps to take - what kids do with it is really only limited by their imaginations. But here's the basic idea of what it's like to play Minecraft....
When you start a game in survival mode, you're standing in a random spot surrounded by trees, grass, snow, mountains or water. The sun will be in the sky and you might hear the gentle sounds of animals nearby.