Summary
As its status as the best-selling game of all time remains relatively solid, even nearly fifteen years after its original release,Minecraftis a true modern classic. As a result, the core gameplay and aesthetic design of the franchise have been adapted in various ways to support a long list of multimedia projects since its inception.
From inaugural entries that defined a generation of players to genre-bending spin-offs that prove as entry-level experiences, theMinecraftproperty has seen seemingly exponential growth in the nearly fifteen years it has been on the market.
Despite its sandbox nature and open-ended gameplay loop.Minecraft’s uber-successful time within the video game industry has garnered not only lucrative interest in its original title but also a multi-genre franchise of spin-offs and pseudo-sequels.
Releasing episodically in two seasons of content from October 2015 to December 2017,Minecraft: Story Modeseemingly provided narrative-strapped Minecraft fans with a game that utilized Mojang’s definitive"combat, crafting, and building, but with the mechanics of QTEs that Telltale is known for.“However, with the 2018 partial closure of Telltale Games,Minecraft: Story Mode’s digital footprint has effectively been scrubbed clean. If players want to experience the story-focusedMinecraftexperience in the present day fully, physical copies are seemingly the only official way to play.
7Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition
A Surprisingly Solid Portable Minecraft Experience
Along with practical benefits such as a more refined design, a second pseudo-directional pad, and enhanced face-tracking technology, the New Nintendo 3DS line of systems also incorporated bolstered RAM"to make games as smooth and exciting as possible.“While the number of landmark exclusive New Nintendo 3DS titles can arguably be counted on one hand, the improved performance of Nintendo’s eighth-generation handheld allowed it to not only enhance native 3DS experiences but provide a home for unbelievably impressive ports of home console behemoths such asMinecraft.
Released in 2017, and produced by Other Ocean Interactive - developer of a multitude of acclaimed touchscreen titles and 2019’sMediEvilremake -Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition’sMinecraft: Pocket Editionroots do somewhat hamper its technical ambitions, but having the world ofMinecraftavailable on such relatively underpowered tech is still as sight to behold.
Considering that"there is a definite fan base within Minecraft that won’t have played many strategy games before,“Blackbird Interactive’s action-strategy titleMinecraft Legendsarguably does what manyMinecraftprojects have desired to provide and allows for an entry-level experience into one of the video game industry’s most opaque genres.
Blending the time-tested mechanics of tower defense and real-time strategy titles with the charm and procedural generation ofMinecraft,Minecraft Legends' style of gameplay may not be as deep as something such asAge of Empires, but its positive critical and commercial reception has seemingly allowed for more people than ever to engage with the strategy genre.
5Minecraft: Education Edition
A Custom-Built School-Focused Piece Of Software
Launching in 2016 across a plethora of Android and iOS devices alongside PC,Minecraft: Education Editionnot only utilizedMinecraft’s interactive creativity that has been engaging and educating children for years, but"added several features that would benefit a classroom setting and provide practical learning tools for students.”
Although many ofMinecraft’s more combat-centric elements have been removed from the title, and its hands-on tools bolstered to create a more fitting version of the title for an educational environment,Minecraft: Education Editionremains not only a niche learning tool, but a confidently capable edition of the best-selling game of all time.
Releasing years after Microsoft’s own Augmented Reality push withits HoloLens peripheral,Minecraft Earth’s mobile device placement and AR focus arguably positions it alongsidePokemon GOas one of the AAA gaming industry’s most notable augmented reality experiences.
With its 2019 debut showing off"some amazing ideas that helped to blend virtual objects, videos, and games, into the real world"before being somewhat unceremoniously shuttered due to the COVID-19 global pandemic,Minecraft Earthbuilt uponMinecraft’s original design ethos ofLEGO-like building within a real-world environment. Despite its acclaim as a genuine attempt to bring AAA gaming into Augmented Reality spaces,Minecraft Earth’s short-lived placement in the industry has arguably only been kept alive by its Shauny Jang-composed soundtrack being partially featured alongsideMinecraft’s own Steve in Nintendo’s 2018 platform fighterSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Seemingly specifically designed to be as approachable as possible, 2020’s dungeon-crawlerMinecraft Dungeonsremains not only a solid introduction to the aesthetic and tone of the coreMinecrafttitle but"arguably the best game to introduce younger players to the world of ARPGs.”
Retaining much of the user-friendly difficulty and design language ofMinecraft, while incorporating the loot-focused grind and exploration of action role-playing games such asPath of ExileandDiablo,Minecraft Dungeonsremains not only a solid spin-off from within theMinecraftworld but a genuinely engaging ARPG experience. The collaboratively developed title, spearheaded by Mojang Studios with Double Eleven Limited, may not be as deep or interconnected as some of Blizzard’s most intense dungeon-crawlers, but with it remaining the most successful of Microsoft’sMinecraftspin-off ventures, it remains to be seen if fans will see more from the subseries.
2Minecraft Classic
An Anniversary Experience That Strips Back The Game To Its Foundation
With the position ofMinecraftas the best-selling video game of all time, Mojang Studios' 2014 acquisition by Microsoft, and a seemingly continuous drive to bringMinecraftinto as many genres and media as possible, it’s easy to see that the 2011 sandbox exploration title has moved drastically away from its humble roots in recent years. However, with 2019 marking the series' tenth anniversary of its original inception, a recreation of a 2009 build of the title was reworked within JavaScript and produced for fans of the franchise for free.
Besides allowing new and veteran fans of the series alike to"get a glimpse of just how far the game has come over the course of a decade,“Minecraft Classicalso remains an interactive time capsule for one of the video game industry’s most revered breakout hits. With Steve joining the likes of Mario, Pac-Man, and Sonic within the roster of gaming greats in Nintendo’s cross-franchise platform fighterSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, and a record-smashing 2025 live-action debut,Minecraft’s place within gaming history is arguably undeniable, and withMinecraft Classic, the series' beginnings are made transparent in their blocky glory.
Despite its relative youth within the video game landscape, there is arguably little that can be said about 2011’sMinecraftthat hasn’t already been said. As"its simple yet charming aesthetic fuels endless creativity"to this day, and has resulted in the sandbox exploration title becoming the best-selling video game of all time, Mojang Studios and Microsoft’s continuous updates to the core gameplay sandbox have progressedMinecraft’s library of items, mobs, and NPCs to seemingly a completely different place than it was nearly fifteen years ago.
However, each update has brought the game forward in time with Microsoft’s hardware ambitions, with texture reworkings, expanded game space, and more customization than ever. Although some fans may bemoan some of the series' changes,Minecraft’s perpetual striving for improvements and expansions is commendable and an accomplishment for a title of its longevity.
