19 Minecraft Statistics: A Look at the Numbers [2024]

Minecraft has been making waves in the gaming industry since its creation in 2011. From 140 monthly active users in 2021, this gradually increased to 22% at roughly 174 million as of 2022.

Its accessibility across all devices, such as PCs, consoles, and mobile, and the friendly community of Minecraft make it appealing across all demographics.

The facts and statistics below will show just how popular and educational Minecraft is.

Highlights of the Article

• Nearly 240 million units of Minecraft have been sold since 2011.
• The Minecraft Pocket Edition sold 93 million in 2021.
• In 2020, there were 5.43 million Minecraft units sold on Xbox One.
• Minecraft has 174 million active monthly users as of 2023.
• The player base of Minecraft grew by 25% during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• With over 3,000 servers, the US ranks one in the number of Minecraft servers.
• 54% of Minecraft players are boys within the 3-12-year-old demographic.
• Latest stats reveal that the average age of a Minecraft player is 24 years old.
• Alexandre Jouniaux from France holds the record for the longest time spent playing Minecraft at over 38 hours.
• Minecraft accumulated 1 trillion YouTube views in 2021.

Minecraft Statistics Overview in 2024

With social games as one of the top game genres at 65%, it’s no wonder Minecraft continues to be on top of the game chain.

There are over 500,000 daily active players on Minecraft, and it will likely continue to increase with the help of streamers from YouTube and Twitch.

Get a closer look at the numbers that drive the success of Minecraft and how it’s changing the course of the gaming industry.

Side Note

Gamers can access Minecraft via PC, laptop, and smartphones. 

This accessibility led to the PC gaming market earning $12.67 billion in revenue and the mobile gaming market reaching $92 billion.

Minecraft Sales and Revenue Statistics

Despite being around a decade and a half old, Minecraft continues to thrive on its way to becoming among the best-selling video games ever, with 174 million monthly active users.

In 2021, Minecraft reached $380 million in revenue, with 41% coming from mobile revenue at $110 million. 

This section will delve deeper into Minecraft’s revenue stats. 

1. Minecraft has sold 238 million units since 2011.

(Statista, GameSpot) 

Mojang, the game’s developer, announced in 2021 that Minecraft has sold 238 million units worldwide. 

The game ranked as the second best-selling video game ever, next to Tetris, which sold 520 million copies. 

2. Minecraft Pocket Edition sales reached 93 million in 2021.

(DigMinecraft)

The Mojang Studios developed the Pocket Edition for mobile devices. 

Pocket Edition has now become part of the Minecraft Bedrock Edition with the Xbox One Edition, PS4 Edition, etc. 

3. Minecraft Mobile’s revenue reached $99.62 million in 2022.

(Statista)

The game’s mobile revenue in 2022 saw a 58% decrease from the previous year, yet it looked promising by 2023, reaching $49.51 million in August. 

Fans of the mobile version credit the game’s steady revenue to Mojang’s effort of consistently providing updates and expansions.

4. 5.43 million copies of Minecraft were sold for Xbox One as of August 2020.

(Statista) 

In the first eight months of 2020, Minecraft sold over five million copies worldwide for Xbox One. 

Of the total, 3.23 million were in the US, another 1.71 million in Europe, and the remaining 490,000 worldwide.

The amount of copies sold is due to the pandemic; players clung to video games as companions, with Minecraft being one of the most played.

Minecraft Player Statistics

Statistically speaking, boys still play Minecraft more often than girls. Moreover, 98% of players are introduced to Minecraft through PlayStation 4.

Find out what comprises the demographic of Minecraft with the data below.

Side Note

Nowadays, Schools have incorporated Minecraft eSports into STEM-related competitions around schools. Debates about whether eSports is a sport are ongoing, and most reasons lean toward YES.

5. Minecraft has 174 million active monthly users as of 2023.

(Statista)

Since its official release in 2011, Minecraft hit 173 million active monthly users worldwide in January 2023, a 22% increase from August 2022.

The constant updates that make the game more interactive and exciting are exactly why more players get drawn to Minecraft.

6. Minecraft players grew by 25% when the COVID-19 pandemic started.

(CNET) 

Microsoft confirmed that Minecraft’s new players increased by 25% in April 2020, which also increased the number of monthly active players to 126 million. 

In the same period, Microsoft recorded a 40% spike in the total number of multiplayer sessions. 

In this announcement, Helen Chiang, Microsoft’s Head of Minecraft, emphasized the role games could play during trying times.

7. The US has the most number of Minecraft servers at 3,653.

(Minecraft Multiplayer)

The Minecraft server statistics show that the US accounts for 56% of the total number of servers in the top 10 countries. 

Minecraft’s English language and widespread internet access are some factors that made Minecraft very popular in the US and other leading English-speaking countries. 

8. The average age of Minecraft players is between 15 to 21 years old.

(Minecraft Seed)

Players aged 15 to 21 make up the largest group of Minecraft’s player base at 43%. 

The remaining 21% consists of players between 22 to 30 years old, and 20.59% are users aged 61 to 80. 

9. Of the 3 to 12-year-old Minecraft players, 54% are boys.

(The Conversation)

A study conducted in Melbourne revealed that among the Minecraft players aged 3-12, 54% are boys, while 32% are girls. 

The difference is more evident in players aged 6-8, where 68% of boys play the game more than girls at 32%.

As per the Let Toys Be Toys organization, the idea that digital games are only for boys highly contributed to the gender imbalance of players in Minecraft.

10. The longest videogame marathon playing Minecraft is 38 hrs. & 1 sec.

(Guinness World Records, Post Crescent)

Alexandre Jouniaux, a Minecraft player from France, is the record holder of the longest videogame playing Minecraft. He played the game straight from June 5 to 7, 2021. 

He beat the former record holder Mark Walls-Sawchuck from the US, who played Minecraft for 35hrs 40 min and 2 sec, from June 1 to 2, 2016. 

Interesting Minecraft Facts

One surprising fact about Minecraft is that 11% of parents play it with their kids. 

Additionally, teachers worldwide used Minecraft at 98% and have since reaped such benefits among their students, especially in problem-solving.

This and more are just some interesting facts about Minecraft that one must know below. 

Side Note

Aside from Minecraft, Roblox has quickly become popular since its creation. As of 2023, over 60 million users play Roblox daily.

Find out through these Roblox 2023 statistics just how popular this game is.

11. Minecraft’s initial release was in May 2009.

(Sportskeeda, Red Bull)

Markus “Notch” Persson, a Swedish programmer, first developed prototypes inspired by popular games. He called one of these prototypes RubyDung, a base-building game. 

Notch took RubyDung to new heights after being inspired by the game “Inifiminer”, a block-based mining game, by adding RPG elements, resulting in the game we now know as Minecraft. 

The first release date of Minecraft was on May 17, 2009, during the TGISource Forum, an assembly of independent game developers. 

12. The full version of Minecraft launched in November 2011.

(Britannica, Spoortskeeda)

Minecraft released its alpha build in June 2010 and entered its beta phase by December. Its release became a major player in eSports’s long history, bringing the industry to a broader audience.

Markus Persson created Mojang with his former colleagues Carl Manneh and Jacob Porser to fully support the game’s developments. Mojang is now widely known as a legendary video game company. 

Mojang officially released Minecraft to the public on November 18, 2011, during MineCon. MineCon is a yearly fan event created to celebrate the game. 

13. The age rating requirement for playing Minecraft is 10+.

(Entertainment Software Rating Board) 

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) established that Minecraft players and users should be at least 10 years old.

The ESRB deems Minecraft inappropriate for small children as it contains fantasy violence.

It also has interactive elements that allow users to communicate with anyone and in-game purchases, enabling players to use real money for in-game items or currency. 

14. Microsoft acquired Mojang and Minecraft in November 6, 2014 for $2.5 billion.

(Microsoft, The Guardian)

Microsoft’s acquisition of Minecraft paved the way for the widely-known block-building game to new players across different platforms. Microsoft also expanded the game beyond Xbox. 

During the deal’s announcement, Microsoft claimed that Minecraft already had 100 million downloads on PC alone since its initial release in 2009. 

Before the deal was closed, Microsoft confirmed that Minecraft would still be available on all the platforms: iOS, PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Android.

Side Note

“Minecraft is more than a great game franchise – it is an open world platform, driven by a vibrant community we care deeply about, and rich with new opportunities for that community and for Microsoft.”

Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s Chief Executive, on the company’s acquisition of Minecraft.

15. A full Minecraft day is just 20 minutes in real-world time.

(Sportskeeda)

Time in Minecraft relies on a system of ticks. One tick corresponds to 3.6 seconds in real time. 

This figure means that one second in the game is 0.0138 seconds in real-time, one minute is 0.93 seconds, one hour is 50 seconds, and one day is 20 minutes.

Also, unlike in real life, day and night always have equal durations (10 minutes each).

16. Microsoft launched Minecraft: Education Edition in 2016.

(Microsoft, TechXplore)

Microsoft’s Minecraft: Education Edition is intended for classroom use. It is a game-based platform that helps students learn creatively and inclusively. 

Minecraft: Education Edition has several immersive content created with big partners such as NASA, BBC Earth, and the Nobel Peace Center. 

Since its release, more than 35 million students and teachers from 115 countries have been using the Minecraft: Education Edition platform. 

17. A Swedish school has compulsory Minecraft lessons.

(The Local, Guinness World Records) 

In 2013, the Viktor Rydberg secondary school in Stockholm, Sweden, made Minecraft compulsory among 13-year-old students. 

180 students participated in the program that aimed to introduce the students to the concepts of world-building, water supply networks, engineering, environmental issues, and electricity grids. 

The school officials said that integrating Minecraft lessons helped develop the students’ way of thinking and had been successful. 

Side Note

“We think it’s a fun way of learning and it’s nice for the students to achieve something.”

Monica Ekman, one of the teachers in Viktor Rydberg, on introducing compulsory Minecraft lessons.

18. Minecraft videos surpassed 1 trillion views on YouTube.

(YouTube, CNET, The Verge) 

Thanks to the 12 years’ worth of daily video uploads and views, Minecraft gained over 1 trillion views on YouTube. 

YouTube celebrated this milestone, hailing Minecraft as the platform’s most popular and viewed game. 

The Minecraft videos on YouTube range from build videos to tutorials, storytelling, commentary, and role-playing content. Minecraft’s YouTube community has over 35,000 creators from 150 countries.

19. Minecraft won the Game of the Year Award in 2012.

(NAVGTR, Forbes, IMDb) 

The National Academy of Video Game Testers and Reviewers Corp. (NAVGTR) awarded Minecraft as the Game of the Year, beating Skyrim. 

Although Minecraft was the first game to bag the Game of the Year award without winning other awards, it has several other awards recognized by other organizations. 

The Endgame

Gamers credit Minecraft’s success to Microsoft’s acquisition in 2014, its massive player base, and the consistent updates. Other new games have come, but none compare to Minecraft’s legacy. 

With more schools worldwide incorporating the game into their curriculum due to its children-friendly features, the lore and population of Minecraft will only get bigger.