15 Best Minecraft Players in 2023 (Ranked)
One of the most popular games of the last two decades is definitely Minecraft. The game transcended popularity and ingrained itself in the game history books. Starting just as a fun little built game, Minecraft branched itself in multiple ways and covered various game mods that anyone can play. Of course, the popularity brought on skillful and popular players, and in this article, we will rank our 15 best Minecraft players.
Since Minecraft has multiple game modes like PvP, Creative mode, Survival mode, Adventure mode, Hardcore Mode, and more, and different editions like Java and Bedrock, we will carefully rank our players. Moreover, we will consider all of the factors surrounding the Minecraft game. This ranking was quite hard to create, but we hope you will at least agree with some of our picks. Minecraft is a complex game, and opinions are mostly subjective, but we tried our best. If you are interested, stay with us until the end! Let’s start!
Editor’s Note: this list has been updated to include the currently best-ranked Minecraft players in the world, the community changes dynamically and so does the competitive scene. The below-mentioned players are still considered to be the best that Minecraft has to offer.
15. WadZee
Jesse Wadsworth, also known as WadZee is an Australian YouTuber and one of the more popular Minecraft players today. He started his YouTube channel with Fortnite gameplay but soon transferred to Minecraft and did not look back since.WadZee became popular after releasing his One Block Skyblock and Hardcore series, where he managed to survive for 55 episodes.
WadZee displayed his skill and creativity in building and surviving ability since the One Block Skyblock was a challenge where a player has only one block available, and they need to use their scarce resources to build their world in the sky. WadZee was a pioneer of that mode and became the best Minecraft YouTuber for Hardcore and One Block Skyblock challenge survival mode. Today, WadZee has six million subscribers on YouTube and still regularly releases Minecraft videos- each with two million views.
14. Wisp
Next on the list is Wisp, also known as Wispexe. He is an English Minecraft YouTuber who became popular playing on servers like Hypixel, FluxPvP, and Glade, and he even had his server – UHCArcade/MCArcade.
He mostly plays various Survival mode campaigns and Hardcore mode, where he is doing a series of Let’s Plays.
Wisp has been a regular competitor in the MC Championships, starting in the twelfth edition and winning in the MCC 14. In the MCC 22, which was held in the May of 2022, Wisp ended up fourth with his team. Wisp is still one of the most popular Minecraft players on the Internet and a regular competitor in various Minecraft tournaments.
13. SB737
SB737, or Daniel, is an English gaming YouTuber who, besides Minecraft videos, is known for his speedrunning Sonic The Hedgehog videos. He is known for his now legendary, Hardcore mode series, where his character managed to survive for more than 4600 days. In the series, he acquired the legendary 1.14 “God Armour,” defeated a warden in direct combat, made a lot of farms, and many other achievements.
Besides his rich YouTube content, SB737 is also a regular participant in the MC Championship, in which he has been competing since MC Championship 8 (there have been 23 MC Championships to today).
He teamed up with many skillful Minecraft players, and in the most recent MC Championship 23, he placed in seventh place individually in front of TommyInnit, CaptainSparklez, and more. He placed directly behind Dream in the tournament, which we will mention later. Daniel did win once – the MC Championship 17 with Orange Ocelots.
12. Ph1lza
Ph1lza, also known as Phil Watson, is a Minecraft YouTuber, Twitch streamer, and one of the OGs of the Minecraft community. He mostly streams on Twitch these days, but his content is posted on his YouTube channel.
He is mostly known as a player who managed to play a singular continuous Minecraft campaign in Hardcore mode for five years. He is a Hardcore legend and is a member of Sleepyboisinc Minecraft players that includes/included Technoblade Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit.
Ph1lza has been part of multiple MC Championships and was part of the first 40 competitors of the first competition. He managed to win the competition three times – MCC 4, MCC 12, and MCC 19. He usually performed with his friends and mostly performed well with his teams.
11. TommyInnit
Tom Simons is a well-known Minecraft content creator with over eleven million YouTube subscribers. He is also known for playing with other popular Minecraft players and is a member of the popular team Dream SMP. Tom plays various Minecraft modes, which include different servers as well. His content consists of Minecraft mods, Hypixel Skyblock videos, and testing different hacking devices in Minecraft games.
Professionally, TommyInnit performed at almost every MCC event and has won the competition three times – MCC 4, MCC19, and MCC 22. Tommy mostly performs well in various PvP modes like Parkour Tag and Meltdown. Today, he is one of the most popular Minecraft content creators and it looks like it will stay that way for a long time.
10. Purpled
Content creator Purpled, also known as Greyson, is a Minecraft Youtuber and Twitch streamer. He is fairly new to the Minecraft community but quickly became one of the more popular Minecraft content creators today. He became famous for playing on Hypixel and its BedWars game mode, where he managed to get to the highest positions on the leaderboard.
He is one of the best speed bridgers and PvP players in the game, and since his first appearance in the MCC 20, Purpled managed to win one event in 2022. He is consistently at the top of the Minecraft player’s table and obviously possesses the talent for the game. He is still young, so we can expect more from him in the future. He is also a member of DreamSMP but wanted to branch out to other games like Subnautica, Fortnite, and more.
9. Grian
This next Minecraft player is more of a teacher and educator than a competitive player, but he is still one of Minecraft’s most impressive creative minds. Grian, also known as Charles, is a Minecraft YouTuber who became famous for his cool tutorials about buildings, especially houses. His tips and tricks brought him more than seven million YouTuber subscribers, and some Minecraft fans and players consider him the most creative mind in Minecraft.
His videos are more educational than not, and how good of a builder he is, is the fact that he has a building style named after him – “Grian Style of building.” He lacks Redstone skills, but his skill in other building areas overshadow his weaknesses. Grian’s Hermitcraft and Third/Last Life SMP series are very popular in the community, and he even owns his server called Wynncraft.
8. CaptainSparklez
One of the OGs of the Minecraft community is CaptainSparklez, also known as Jordan Maron. His content mostly revolves around Minecraft-themed song covers of popular mainstream songs. His most popular video was “Revenge,” a Minecraft parody of Usher’s “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love,”
with almost 300 million views.
Despite being mainly a content creator, CaptainSparklez is a skilled player who participated in multiple MCCs and reached the Dodgebolt twice, a final round of the MC Championship. One of the Minecraft OGs actually participates and plays the game of Minecraft, and it does not look like he will stop anytime soon. He mostly plays Survival mode which includes customized campaigns and Let’s Plays.
7. GeorgeNotFound
The next entry on this list is reserved for GeorgeNotFound, or simply George. He is one of the most popular Minecraft content creators and MCC participants and co-owns a popular whitelisted Minecraft server DreamSMP. His collaborations with other Minecraft content creators are still popular, and his participation in MCC tournaments was quite notable.
George’s Minecraft series “Minecraft Endermen Destruction from 2019 and other challenges videos are what got him famous, but the MCC participation is where he always flourishes. He won three MCC tournaments – MCC 11, MCC 12, and MCC 24, with non-canon MCC AS, and MCC 22. He is still good, and we expect him to participate in future MCC tournaments.
6. xNestorio
xNestorio, also known as Nestor, is an Ecuadorian Minecraft streamer and content creator. Nestor is known for his YouTube challenges and videos with various mods, usually in the UltraHardcore mode. His series like Cube UHC, Spawning 1,000,000 … in Minecraft UHC, and more, became really popular in the community and brought him over four million YouTube subscribers.
Nestor did not participate that much in the official MCC tournaments. Still, the ones like Minecraft Monday, Minecraft Ultimate, and the MCC Rising are tournaments that propelled him in the community even more. In the MCC Rising, Nestor finished ninth overall, ultimately winning the whole thing with his team. He is very talented, and we will probably see him in future MCC tournaments.
5. jojosolos
Women can rejoice, we have the first female on this list, and she is quite skillful in Minecraft. Jojo is a newer Minecraft player known for her Among Us collaborations and Roblox videos. Recently, Jojo started participating in the MCC tournaments, and her career as a Minecraft content creator kickstarted pretty fast.
Since her first appearance in the MCC 21, Jojo has been consistently at the top of the standings and was the best-placed Minecraft player in the recent MC Championship 25. She won another tournament, MC Championship Rising, and her skills in race-based and PvP modes are what brought her success at the MCC tournaments.
4. Fruitberries
Fruitberries, also known as Josh, is a Minecraft Twitch streamer and content creator who became prominent with his skills in the MCC and other tournaments. His skills mostly revolve around trapping in UHC and Skywars, in which he traps another player and ultimately wins the game with their items. Josh is also known for his speedrunning compilations and has won Minecraft Twitch Rivals with fellow Minecraft players.
He is an active participator in MCC tournaments and has won two – MCC 6 and MCC 9. He is consistently at the top of the MCC standings in team play and individually. Fruitberries is truly one of the best Minecraft players.
3. sapnap
One of the best Minecraft players and content creators of recent years, Sapnap definitely belongs to this list. Also known as Nick, his content revolves around collaborations with other Minecraft players, including Dream, George, and others. That’s not surprising since he is one of the Dream team members and his “Minecraft, but it’s raining cats and dogs” and other similar challenges propelled him to Minecraft stardom.
It does help that he is a really skilled Minecraft player, and his winning record in MCC tournaments is something to admire. Sapnap won five MCC tournaments and a non-canon one, MCC AS. He is really good in PvP modes, like Battle Box and Parkour Tag, which is seen in his results in most recent tournaments – he finished second individually in the MCC 25.
2. Dream
We are already at the end of this list, but we won’t announce the top Minecraft player yet. The second place on this list is Dream, the most popular Minecraft player today. He was never the best, but his speed-running challenges and videos propelled him to the highest realms of stardom. He has over 30 million YouTube and seven million Twitch subscribers and is a part of the Dream Team’s collaborative group, including GeorgeNotFound and Sapnap.
Dream’s YouTube channel is one of the fastest-growing channels in history, gaining over 10 million subscribers in only a year. His rivalry with Illumina and other speedrunners is already legendary, and his participation in MCC tournaments is well-known, to say the least. He won five MCC tournaments, including two non-canon ones, and is hailed as one of the best Minecraft players ever. Well, not this year, if you ask us.
1. IlluminaHD
Illumina, also known as Kye, is currently, at least in my opinion, the best Minecraft player. He has been a Minecraft content creator and speedrunner for years, and his records are still hailed as one of the best in Minecraft’s history. To not go through every single accomplishment, I will mention his official awards, tournaments won, and how he faired against his fellow Minecraft buddies.
He has won two MCC tournaments and a non-canon one, MCC 21. At only 23 years of age, Illumina is already one of the best Minecraft players ever. His wins in MCC tournaments resulted in reverse sweeps, which made for really entertaining finals and gave Kye the reputation of being one of the “most clutch” and skilled players. The duo is a feared team when paired with his friend and roommate, Fruitberries. Illumina still holds records in various MCC tournament modes, like Hole in the Wall, TGTTOSAWAF, and more.
Honorable mention: Technoblade
Of course, we cannot close out this article without mentioning Technoblade, probably the best Minecraft player that graced our screens. Firstly, Technoblade was a great Minecraft content creator who gained over 10 million subscribers on YouTube.
He is arguably the best Minecraft player in recent years, and his skill in PvPs is something that only a few players could match. Dream, considered the best Minecraft player for years, was beaten by Technoblade multiple times and cemented who’s better in at least one Minecraft game mode.
He participated in the MCC tournaments multiple times in the past and won two – MCC 4 and MCC 8. Alex left a huge impact on the Minecraft community and will stay in our memories as the best Minecraft player – if he were here, he would definitely be first on this list.