Minecraft continues to draw players from many different gaming circles — some are broadly curious, some have seen their friends play, and some come to investigate because of sessions they’ve seen with streamers or the enormous kingdoms that fans have built for themselves. But it’s been over a decade since the game was released … is it really still worth getting into right now? Does that pixelated game deserve your attention?
For many players, the answer is yes. Back in 2021, Minecraft saw around 141 million monthly active users, thanks to ongoing work to breathe new life into the title. It remains an excellent game for players who like to explore and build — here’s where it stands today and why it’s still worth getting into.
More on Minecraft
What is Minecraft?
We actually have a guide that discusses this more in-depth, but Minecraft is an action-adventure sandbox game, very famous for its pixelated appearance (which makes it easy to play on nearly any machine) and devoted community. Each new game spawns you in a randomized world filled with oceans, forests, plains, and other biomes, filled with a wide variety of collectibles. There are also villagers to interact with or help, as well as enemies to avoid or fight. And, of course, the crafting table allows for endless inventive combinations to create almost anything you want as long as you have access to the right kinds of raw materials.
While crafting is key in the Minecraft world, players have a wide variety of options for how to spend their time. Some like just wandering around and finding various in-game dungeons to explore. Others work to craft a home or village with painstaking attention to detail. Some work to arm themselves and set out to defeat some of the endgame bosses like the Ender Dragon. Minecraft has remained popular because there are so many different ways to engage in the game.
Your personal sandbox
What does it mean for a game to be a sandbox? These are games that give players an environment to be as creative as they want instead of focusing on a story or particular goals. Minecraft has exemplified what sandbox games are capable of for years, and it’s still the leader of the pack for those who want to explore, build, and generally take games at their own pace.
To engage with Minecraft, you have to create your own goals. Fortunately, there’s plenty of inspiration around thanks to the community showing off their own creations or feats. The community has also helped create massive compendiums of what and how to craft in Minecraft, resources you’ll need to consult during your playthrough.
All that also means you need to find your own motivation in Minecraft — we can’t tell you how to play, and it’s not the best game for those seeking a narrative or a particular set of goals to complete.
Continued updates
Minecraft has been around for a while — it’s no surprise if you’re wondering if it still gets support in 2022. Good news! Mojang Studios, the developers in charge of Minecraft, work hard to keep the game updated and provide periodic expansions to help keep players coming back.
In fact, one of the biggest recent updates to Minecraft occurred in 2021 with 1.17/1.18 Caves and Cliffs update, which remodeled and created new biome options for underground caves and cliff areas. Other updates have added new features to areas like the Nether, added new crafting materials and lots more.
Mods, mods, mods
If the blocky look of Minecraft gives you pause, you don’t have to deal with it if you don’t want to. There are many lists of mods like shaders for Minecraft that can shift its graphics and give the game a new look — we have a guide to our favorite ones.
And if you don’t want to stop at shaders, there’s an enormous list of other mods you can install to add things to do, fix things you don’t like, give your Minecraft experience a little more direction, and much more.
Perhaps best of all, most of these mods are free to find and use. Minecraft itself avoids virtual transactions, unlike competitors like Roblox, so it’s also easy on your wallet.
Anywhere you want it
Do you have a preferred way to game? Minecraft is probably available on it. The game is famous for being available on a wide variety of platforms. That includes PC, Mac, Android, iOS, PlayStation 3 and newer, Xbox One and newer, Wii, Switch, and even Raspberry Pi. That means you don’t have to worry about support no matter what system you’re using.
Power to the people
One of the things that makes Minecraft so special is its vast community, and they certainly aren’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future. The game was the first game on YouTube to reach a collective 1 trillion views and was the most-watched game on YouTube as recently as 2020. You don’t have to look far to find recommendations about what streamers to watch in 2022.
That fan base is a big asset. Not only does that mean there are a lot of people working on new mods and keeping mods updated, but it’s a built-in community to share your own Minecraft creations with and get new ideas about what to do next. And since Minecraft has multiplayer options, that also means good chances of finding other people to team up with whenever you want.
So, yeah, give Minecraft a shot in 2022. It’s not just one of the bestselling games of all time, it’s also well-maintained by developers and the community and remains an active place for all kinds of adventures, exploring, crafting, building, and much more.
