A chronological timeline of every major Minecraft milestone, version release, sales record, and event from the first Cave Game prototype to the present day.
2009: The Beginning
| Date | Event |
|---|
| May 10, 2009 | Markus Persson uploads "Cave Game tech test" video to YouTube, showing a basic voxel world prototype. |
| May 17, 2009 | First publicly playable build (Classic 0.0.11a) released. Free to play in-browser via Java applets. |
| June 13, 2009 | Minecraft Forums officially launch, becoming the primary community hub. |
| September 1, 2009 | Survival Test introduced with health, mobs, and block drops. |
| December 23, 2009 | Indev phase begins. Crafting, smelting, and the day-night cycle are added. |
2010: Growth and Alpha
| Date | Event |
|---|
| February 27, 2010 | Infdev begins -- worlds become procedurally infinite for the first time. |
| June 28, 2010 | Alpha 1.0.0 released. Multiplayer (SMP) goes live. |
| September 2010 | Mojang Specifications AB founded by Persson, Porser, and Manneh. |
| October 31, 2010 | The Halloween Update (Alpha 1.2.0) adds the Nether, biomes, clocks, compasses, and fishing. |
| November 10, 2010 | Jens Bergensten (Jeb) joins Mojang as a developer. |
| December 20, 2010 | Beta 1.0 released. Over 1 million copies sold. |
2011: Release Year
| Date | Event |
|---|
| January 2011 | Minecraft passes 1 million purchases in the Beta phase. |
| March 2011 | Game Developers Conference: Minecraft wins the Innovation Award. |
| April 2011 | Minecraft surpasses 2 million sales. |
| October 7, 2011 | Pocket Edition (now Bedrock Edition) launches on Android. |
| November 17, 2011 | Pocket Edition launches on iOS. |
| November 18, 2011 | Minecraft 1.0 officially released at MineCon 2011 in Las Vegas. Over 4 million copies sold at this point. |
| December 2011 | Jeb officially takes over as lead developer from Notch. |
2012-2013: The Golden Age Begins
| Date | Event |
|---|
| March 1, 2012 | 1.2 -- Jungle biome, iron golems, cats. |
| May 9, 2012 | Xbox 360 Edition released by 4J Studios. Sells 1 million copies in 5 days. |
| August 1, 2012 | 1.3 -- Villager trading, emeralds, adventure mode. |
| October 25, 2012 | 1.4 -- Pretty Scary Update: Wither boss, beacons, witches. |
| January 2013 | Minecraft surpasses 20 million registered users. |
| March 13, 2013 | 1.5 -- Redstone Update: hoppers, comparators, daylight sensors. |
| July 1, 2013 | 1.6 -- Horse Update: horses, resource packs, new launcher. |
| October 25, 2013 | 1.7 -- The Update That Changed the World: new biomes, world generation overhaul. |
| November 2013 | MineCon 2013 in Orlando. PS3 Edition releases in December. |
2014: Acquisition Year
| Date | Event |
|---|
| September 2, 2014 | 1.8 -- Bountiful Update: ocean monuments, banners, armor stands, slime blocks. |
| September 4, 2014 | PS4 Edition launches. |
| September 15, 2014 | Microsoft announces $2.5 billion acquisition of Mojang. |
| November 6, 2014 | Acquisition closes. Persson, Porser, and Manneh depart Mojang. |
2015-2018: Post-Acquisition Growth
| Date | Event |
|---|
| February 29, 2016 | 1.9 -- Combat Update: dual wielding, shields, Elytra, End Cities. Combat changes divide the community. |
| June 8, 2016 | 1.10 -- Frostburn Update: polar bears, magma blocks. |
| October 2016 | Minecraft: Education Edition officially launches. |
| November 14, 2016 | 1.11 -- Exploration Update: woodland mansions, llamas, shulker boxes. |
| June 7, 2017 | 1.12 -- World of Color Update: concrete, terracotta, parrots. |
| September 2017 | Better Together Update unifies console editions into Bedrock Edition. |
| July 18, 2018 | 1.13 -- Update Aquatic: ocean overhaul, coral reefs, dolphins, tridents, the Flattening. |
| October 2018 | Minecraft surpasses 154 million copies sold. |
2019-2021: The Resurgence
| Date | Event |
|---|
| April 23, 2019 | 1.14 -- Village & Pillage: complete village overhaul, raids. |
| May 17, 2019 | Minecraft celebrates its 10th anniversary. Surpasses 176 million copies sold. |
| September 2019 | Monthly active players exceed 112 million. PewDiePie Minecraft series drives massive viewership. |
| December 10, 2019 | 1.15 -- Buzzy Bees: bees, honey blocks. |
| May 26, 2020 | Mojang rebrands to Mojang Studios. Minecraft Dungeons launches. |
| June 23, 2020 | 1.16 -- Nether Update: new Nether biomes, netherite, piglins, bastions. |
| June 8, 2021 | 1.17 -- Caves & Cliffs Part I: copper, amethyst, axolotls, goats, glow squid. |
| November 30, 2021 | 1.18 -- Caves & Cliffs Part II: world height expanded to 384 blocks, massive cave generation overhaul. |
2022-2025: Continuing Growth
| Date | Event |
|---|
| June 7, 2022 | 1.19 -- The Wild Update: deep dark, Warden, mangrove swamps, allays. |
| June 7, 2023 | 1.20 -- Trails & Tales: archaeology, cherry groves, armor trims, camels, sniffers. |
| October 2023 | Minecraft surpasses 300 million copies sold. |
| June 13, 2024 | 1.21 -- Tricky Trials: trial chambers, Breeze, mace, vaults. |
| April 2025 | Monthly active players estimated at over 170 million. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the first version of Minecraft?
The first publicly available version was Classic 0.0.11a, released on May 17, 2009. It featured only creative building with basic blocks.
When did Minecraft leave Beta?
Minecraft left Beta and officially launched as version 1.0 on November 18, 2011, at MineCon 2011 in Las Vegas.
What is the biggest Minecraft update ever?
By scope, the Caves & Cliffs update (1.17/1.18, released across 2021) is often cited as the largest, expanding the world height and completely overhauling underground generation.
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