It feels like Minecraft‘s been around for ages. Heck, 10 years is a long time. It may as well be ages!
Minecraft‘s been toiling around the game industry for longer than a decade, but the game’s full release in 2009 took the game from a simple fad to a full-on worldwide phenomenon.
Today people know what Minecraft is, even if they don’t know an Enter key from a Start button. While Fortnite may have superseded Minecraft in terms of trendiness, the blocky sandbox continues to be a force to be reckoned with here in 2019.
We’ve seen how Minecraft has evolved over the years — the Marketplace, texture and mashup packs, and content updates that have pushed it well past its initial vision. The 2014 acquisition of Mojang by Microsoft changed the fate of the game forever, many would say for the better.
Today’s the game’s 10th anniversary, a milestone for Mojang and the Minecraft community at large. As a Minecraft player, you’ve got to celebrate! Luckily there are a few ways to do so.
The first is the most exciting: Minecraft Earth!
Mojang announced Minecraft Earth today, an augmented reality (AR) mobile game that will bring those pixelly blocks to the real world… virtually.
Minecraft Earth will allow players to build their own creations anywhere in the world, viewable via the game. This isn’t going to just be a Creative Mode affair, though. The announcement specifically mentions Survival and the ability to fight them in the AR title. No simple sandbox here!
So how do you get into the Minecraft Earth beta? You can sign up for the Minecraft Earth closed beta right now by heading over to the beta sign-up page.
Those who sign up get a free special limited skin for Minecraft Earth and Bedrock, so get to it! It’s too cute to pass up. You should get the skin within 24 hours of registering for the beta, whether you get in or not.
Mojang stated they will be rolling the beta out to hundreds of thousands of players, so just about everyone’s got a chance to get in. However, you must be 18 or older to be eligible for the beta.
10th Anniversary Sale!
Maybe you’re a longtime player trying to get their friends to hop on the Minecraft train or someone just considering jumping in, now’s the time to throw some cash Mojang’s way. The game is 50% off on Windows 10, Java, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One.
There’s really never been a better time get into Minecraft considering the recent Village & Pillage update that’s been rolling out across platforms (the PlayStation 4 Edition still doesn’t have the whole thing, however) and this big sale.
The Minecraft Marketplace is also going through a sale, discounting the top 10 most popular worlds, mash-up packs, and skins by 10% for a limited time. Not the best discount, but it’s certainly better than nothing!
So what are you planning on doing for Minecraft‘s 10th anniversary? Sound off in the comments below, and keep your eyes peeled for your beta invites as Mojang rolls out the Minecraft Earth beta to blend your real life with your favorite game.
Also check out our awesome Minecraft seed lists, which millions of players have used thus far and are well-worth checking out. Have fun!
