what you should Know
- Minecraft began life around May 10, 2009 and saw its first public appearance on May 17, 2009.
- Now the survival behemoth is the best-selling video game of all time 15 years later.
- To celebrate the legendary game’s birthday, Mojang Studios and Xbox are organizing 15 days of giveaways and fun.
- This includes a free Character Creator item for each of the 15 days, but there are other goodies and events as well.
May 15, 2024 — Updated with more information and news about Minecraft’s 15th anniversary celebration, including game sales and more.
Now that Minecraft’s 15th anniversary celebration has officially begun, we have a better idea of how Mojang Studios and Xbox are celebrating Minecraft. First, Minecraft completely took 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 main Minecraft games and up to 70% off Minecraft: Bedrock Edition mobile on Android and iOS devices. You can find all discounted items from $2.99 on Microsoft Store (Xbox and PC). This is a great time to check out Minecraft Dungeons, for example, an excellent co-op action RPG swimming in tons of content. Don’t forget that the Minecraft Marketplace will also offer big discounts on in-game items like skin packs, texture packs, maps, adventures, and more.
Finally, Mojang Studios can host private parties in your area to bring the community together. You’ll have to check the local Minecraft social media accounts for more information on these events, but I know there’s one happening in London on Saturday 18th May!
Our original article continues below.
Minecraft may now be the best-selling video game of all time, but it still had humble beginnings. Development of the survival game began around May 10, 2009, with the game’s first public release on May 17. Since then, the game has enjoyed 15 years of content updates, standalone games, releases on new platforms, expanding feature sets, and more. Nearly ten years ago, Minecraft even became part of the Xbox family.
So how are Mojang Studios and Xbox celebrating this milestone? Well, we already know that Minecraft is getting a lot of new in-game art and music as part of the Minecraft 1.21 “Tricky Trials” update, but the Minecraft creators certainly don’t stop there.
A short teaser trailer reveals that Mojang is planning 15 days of celebration for Minecraft’s birthday – one day for each year that Minecraft has dominated the video game industry. For more than two weeks, Mojang has been inviting the community to enjoy an assortment of themed gifts and discounted items, likely mostly from the Minecraft Marketplace, with each day highlighting a different year in Minecraft’s history.
Mojang Studios isn’t quick to reveal any surprises, but the studio has teased a variety of gifts for the Minecraft community. One thing we know for sure is that it will be giving away a new free Character Creator item to players every day. 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 giveaways. Hopefully, though, Mojang Studios and Xbox have something big planned for Minecraft’s actual birthday beyond the free Character Creator and Marketplace items.
Minecraft players have already gotten quite a treat recently though with the surprise release of new wolves and armadillos in the Minecraft Armored Paws update. Much more content and 15 new holiday Minecraft paintings are also arriving later this year, and you can read the Minecraft 1.21 “Tricky Trials” update FAQ for more information on that.
