Is Minecraft a Dead Game in 2023? Is It Worth Playing?

One of the biggest games of the last two decades is definitely Minecraft. This popular sandbox game managed to procure amazing content creators, game mechanics, and a game culture that could not be the same without Minecraft. The game was first released in 2011, and people started speculating about the game’s potential doom. In this article, we will discuss the state of Minecraft and see if it’s truly a “dead game”.

Minecraft is NOT a dead game. The game still attracts over 170 million players worldwide and regularly showcases its activity with various updates. Another great example is the number of views and traffic the Minecraft content creators are getting every day – the Minecraft player Dream has over 31 million YouTube subscribers and over six million Twitch followers, with 3 million regular viewers per video. Funnily enough, Dream is not the only Minecraft player who attracts this many views – there are many.

We will discuss this topic more by mentioning some numbers, why people think the game is going to die, discuss Java and Bedrock versions, and conclude the article with our estimation of Minecraft game faith. If you are interested, stay with us until the end of the article.

Is Minecraft worth it?

After years of success, some people always like to speculate that a certain game is dying or it already did without any proof besides some shallow information. This point of view seems harsh, but it is true – multiple games, especially the ones that came out in the 2010s, are constantly under attack from various communities. Why is that the case?

Some people just like to speculate, “stir the pot, ” or legitimately think that is the case. One thing is for sure, Minecraft is far from a dead game, and buckle up because this is the sentence you will see a few more times in the article.

Now, is the Minecraft game worth playing in 2023? It absolutely is. There are important updates that will change the gameplay of the Minecraft modes. Sometimes the players fall into the trap of playing the same modes and strategies, and the game becomes too repetitive. A gamer cannot be satisfied with everything within the game, but they can be happy about the new additions to the game for it to stay relevant.

For example, the recent big update, 1.19, showcased the new terrain and additions to the Minecraft game’s Java and Bedrock editions. The Mangrove Swamp is added to the game, and a player can find valuable resources for creating gear. The bees could be found there, the only source of Honey in Minecraft. Besides Mangroves and Bees, there are many different additions to the terrain, new items, music, effects in the Dungeons before fighting the Wardens, and so much more.

Now, some players can argue that these updates are unnecessary and maybe be unhappy about the new effects and game mechanics. Still, Minecraft is trying to stay relevant, and frankly, it is doing a great job. At the end of the day, the game developers cannot fundamentally change its gameplay or atmosphere, but they can enrich it with great, and immersive additions that make sense.

Some of the older content creators came back to Minecraft after years of playing other games on their platforms and that says a lot about the development of Minecraft – it cannot be always perfect, but the game still has a pullover for older and newer players.

Is Minecraft considered a dead game?

Now to the main topic of the article. Is Minecraft considered a dead game? Absolutely not. Maybe some gamers are tired of Minecraft’s popularity and just say things for the sake of it because the numbers say otherwise. For example, during the writing of this article, Minecraft currently has over 170 million average monthly players. 

Of course, the numbers decreased over the years, but people need to understand that not any game in existence can consistently have over 200 million players worldwide. Some months of the year have more players and some less, but that depends on the updates, special events, and other Minecraft content.

Gamers always like to speculate about other games and their longevity, and as someone who has been playing games for a really long time, some people are just “jealous.” In the end, it is true – some players feel like they are “protectors” of their game and like to stress the flaws of other games, and that’s a natural feeling in the gaming community.

The Minecraft gamers are the same since most of them think their game is the best in existence, and that is totally fine since the love for each game is subjective. I love Mafia II, and it is one of my favorite games of all time, but I am also aware of its flaws.

Gaming is simultaneously odd and beautiful, and Minecraft is definitely part of it in a big way. However, Minecraft is far from a dead game; even without mentioning Minecraft, content creators have millions of views on every YouTube video or thousands of viewers on Twitch streams.

Is Minecraft Java dead?

Before we start analyzing the Java version of the Minecraft game, we need to look into what the Java edition of Minecraft entails and compare it to the newer Bedrock game version. One of the biggest changes Minecraft got with the release of the Bedrock version of the game was the ability for players to play crossplay. This was not the case with the Java version, which “prevented” the players from playing multiplayer with other gaming platforms.

Other differences are – Java is available only for PC, Mac, and Linux, is more complicated in controls like Redstone and other commands, has a Hardcore mode, and is overall much more versatile than Bedrock, besides the controllers.

Moreover, the Java edition has a higher ceiling in terms of graphics and game performance, while Bedrock is more limited; however, it lets lower-end machines boot the game and make it work on their devices. Also, modders like the Java version more for its freedom.

It seems to me that the Bedrock version of Minecraft is developed for attracting new players. At the same time, Java edition demands more skill and grind actually fully to learn it – and when you do, it is exceptional. So, we cannot say that the Java version is dead if the game developers are constantly releasing updates and working on the Java edition of the game. More experienced gamers love Java edition more, and that is a fact.

So no – the Java edition of Minecraft is not dead.

Will Minecraft be ending?

By the looks of it, Minecraft the game will not die anytime soon. One of the biggest advantages this game has is its versatility, and the pull it has over players who decide to move over to some other game. This is a normal way of things in the gaming world – people don’t want to be burned out or bored with the game and decide to play something else.

Longevity and popularity are important to Minecraft, and if Mojang and Microsoft continue to work on the game in the future, and it seems they will, Minecraft will not end, or die, as some people on the Internet are saying.