What do you want to know
- Minecraft started life around May 10, 2009 and made its first public appearance on May 17, 2009.
- Now, 15 years later, the survival creation giant is the best-selling video game of all time.
- To celebrate the legendary game’s anniversary, Mojang Studios and Xbox are hosting 15 days of giveaways and fun.
- This includes a free character creator item for each of the 15 days, but other freebies and events have been announced.
May 15, 2024 — Updated with more information and news regarding Minecraft’s 15th anniversary celebration, including game sales and more.
Now that Minecraft’s 15th anniversary celebration has officially kicked off, we have a better idea of how Mojang Studios and Xbox are commemorating Minecraft. On the one hand, Minecraft has completely taken over the official Xbox website, including custom iconography and various banners and links. There is also a link to download a collection of Minecraft wallpapers for your devices. You can find even more information, including a timeline exploring the history of Minecraft, on the official Minecraft website.
Mojang Studios is also offering 50% off all three core Minecraft games and up to 70% off mobile Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on Android and iOS devices. You can find all the items on sale at $2.99 on the Microsoft Store (Xbox and PC). It’s the perfect time to check out Minecraft Dungeons, for example, an excellent cooperative action-RPG swimming in a ton of content. Don’t forget that the Minecraft Marketplace will also offer big discounts on in-game items such as skin packs, texture packs, maps, adventures and much more.
Finally, Mojang Studios can host in-person parties in your area to bring the community together. You’ll need to check your local Minecraft social media accounts for more information on these events, but I know there’s one in London on Saturday May 18th!
Our original article continues below.
Minecraft may now be the best-selling video game of all time, but its beginnings were still humble. Development of the survival game began around May 10, 2009, with the game’s first public release taking place on May 17. Since then, the game has enjoyed 15 years of content updates, spin-off games, new platform releases, and expanded feature sets. , and much more. Almost ten years ago, Minecraft was even part of the Xbox family.
So how are Mojang Studios and Xbox celebrating this milestone? Well, we already know that Minecraft is getting a ton of new paints and music in the game as part of the Minecraft 1.21 “Tricky Trials” update, but the creators of Minecraft are definitely not stopping there.
A brief trailer reveals that Mojang is planning 15 days of celebration for Minecraft’s anniversary – one day for each year that Minecraft has dominated the video game industry. For over two weeks, Mojang is inviting the community to enjoy an assortment of themed gifts and discounted items, likely primarily from the Minecraft Marketplace, each day highlighting a different year in Minecraft history.
Mojang Studios isn’t rushing to reveal all the surprises, but the studio has revealed a host of varied goodies for the Minecraft community. One thing we are sure of is that every day a new free character creation item will be offered to players. There will also be other exclusive freebies and discounts to celebrate Minecraft, with Mojang using words like “watch”, “share”, “play” and “explore” to describe the freebies. Here’s hoping Mojang Studios and Xbox have something big planned for Minecraft’s anniversary, beyond the free character creator and marketplace items.
Minecraft players have already been in for a treat recently, with the surprise release of new wolves and armadillos in the Minecraft Armored Paws update. Lots more content and all 15 new Minecraft Celebration Paints will also be arriving later this year, and you can read our Minecraft 1.21 “Tricky Trials” update FAQ for more information on that.