The lights are going out for Minecraft Earth on June 30, 2021, Mojang announced, citing obstacles to "free movement and collaborative play" in the current COVID-19 environment. Yet there are still some surprises and updates in store before Minecraft Earth goes offline for good.

The final Minecraft Earth build is live now and tweaks the game in a number of ways, including:

• Removing real-money transactions

• Reducing ruby costs

• Including all completed, unreleased content currently in development

• Reducing crafting and smelting time requirements

• Replacing unused crafting & smelting boosts with radius boosts of the same level

On July 1, 2021, Mojang is deleting Minecraft Earth and all player data connected to it, except character creation data and Minecoin entitlements.

Mojang pledged a free copy of Minecraft's mobile version for those who spent any money at all on Minecraft Earth from the time it first released. Players' ruby balances will get converted to Minecoins for use in the Minecraft Marketplace.

That still leaves a few months before Minecraft Earth ends, and if you're new to the Minecraft AR game, our Minecraft Earth guides have everything you need to know.

[Source: Minecraft.net]

It's hard to get enough Minecraft. But Mattel is teaming up with the block-building giant to make filling that void a bit easier, with a brand-new line of toys based on Minecraft.

The partnership was unveiled as part of Toy Fair 2020 in New York City, and there are several toy lines planned for throughout this year and beyond. P.J. Lewis, Mattel's Vice President and Global Head of Action Figures, described it as a new chapter for both brands, saying:

With Minecraft Earth Boost Minis, it's a new chapter to what is already an incredible lineup of toys that through the years has brought delight to millions of Minecraft fans of all ages.

Fortunately, the unveiling included images, price points, and expected release dates for the various Minecraft toy figure lines. While we didn't attend the event ourselves, the folks at GameSpot captured all the pertinent information.

Minecraft Comic Action Figures

Price: $9 each

Size: 3.25 inches

Release Date: Spring 2020

These figures each come with a block to stand out and an accessory item, plus a swappable face. They'll also each have a scannable code to be used in the Minecraft app's Comic section

Minecraft Dungeons Explorer Figures

Price: $10 each

Size: 3.25 inches

Release Date: Fall 2020

These explorers are based on the upcoming Minecraft Dungeons, featuring heroes, armor, and weapons pulled straight from the game.

Minecraft Redstone Monstrosity

Price: $25

Size: Big? (Seriously, we don't know. No sizing info was provided)

Release Date: Fall 2020

No specific size is available for this one, but the giant monster — complete with spring-loaded arms — will be more than twice the size of the previous figures. That's at least 7 inches or bigger (you're welcome for doing the math).

Minecraft Earth Boost Mini Figures

Price: $5 each

Size: Unknown (but mini)

Release Date: Spring 2020

This is a collectible line of mini-figures drawn from Minecraft Earth. More than 20 will be available, and you can scan them with your phone to unlock some bonuses in Minecraft Earth, including XP and boosts.

Minecraft Minis

Price: $3.50 each

Size: Unknown (but mini again)

Release Date: Spring 2020

This is another series of collectible mini-figures inspired by different elements of Minecraft depending on the time of year; the first is another Earth inspiration. The catch? You buy them without knowing what they are. Each is sold individually in a blind pack, so it's a surprise every time.

That's it for this first wave of Minecraft x Mattel merch, but we're sure there will be more on the way. Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more Minecraft news as it develops.

Wondering how to build a house in Minecraft Earth? Well, you've come to the right place. 

Minecraft Earth is out now on Android and iOS, meaning that you can already run around the real world and hunt down block nodes or get resources and treasure from Adventures. But what can you do with your blocks once you've gathered them? Why, you can build stuff with them. Just like in regular Minecraft! 

Read on to learn how to claim your own buildplate and build a house right on top of it, that you can take anywhere you'd like and even share with your friends.

Minecraft Earth: How to Build a House

How to Secure a Plot in Minecraft Earth

Select the Store menu at the bottom right of your screen. You see this when you first log into Minecraft Earth.

In the next screen, you'll be given the option to buy buildplates, which are plots of land that cost a premium currency called Rubies.

You can earn enough Rubies to buy a buildplate through a few days of regular gameplay. But if you'd like to speed things up, there's a microtransaction shop on the next menu that sells Rubies in different dollar increments.

Once you've chosen the buildplate that you'd like, purchase it and tap Build when the option becomes available.

You may also have a complementary buildplate already available when you first load up Minecraft Earth, depending on whether Microsoft continues giving those out to new players or if that deal ends at some point.

Minecraft Earth House Building 101

Once you're building on a buildplate, you'll be asked to designate a specific spot in the real world. Point your phone camera at a well-lit and spacious area nearby, then plop down your buildplate to begin building.

To actually build your house, hit the treasure chest icon on the lower right of the Build screen, then select which blocks you'd like to use from your inventory.

When you've made a selection, tap the hotbar at the bottom of the screen to assign a block type to a slot on the hotbar. You can go back and forth and continue rearranging the blocks in your hotbar as much as you'd like.

Placing blocks is simple. Choose the block you'd like to place, then tap wherever you'd like to place it. All buildplates have a designated maximum area (such as 8x8 blocks) in which you can place as many blocks as you have available.

To interact with an object, such as a door, select the Interact Mode (the finger icon) on the left side of the Build screen, then tap on the object you'd like to interact with. To destroy or collect an object, select the Pickup Mode and tap on the object you'd like to collect.

Note that building things in Minecraft Earth is almost purely for cosmetic purposes!

You can't actually go inside of a house in Minecraft Earth, but you can superposition it to a point in your real house (or anywhere else you go), allowing you to walk around and view it from different angles while you build.

You can even invite another player into your home by tapping on the ellipses on the upper right corner of the screen and hitting "Invite Friend". This will pop up a QR code that another player can scan from the "Join Friend" option in the main menu.

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That's it for our guide on how to build a house in Minecraft Earth! Be sure to stay up to date with our Minecraft Earth guides.

• How to get coal
• How to get iron
• How to delete data
• Moobloom cow guide
• Minecraft Earth tappables
• Minecraft Earth mobs list
• How to get Minecraft Earth

Tappables are little objects scattered across the Map in Minecraft Earth, so named because... well, you tap on them. They ranged from a myriad of things, from mobs, to terrain, to trees, and chests. Generally everything you find on the map is supposed to be a tappable.

When you find one and tap on it, you'll have to tap on it more to reveal what sort of blocks and items it has inside. In the case of mobs, you'll find out what sort of mob it is, from the common cow to the elusive Mooshroom.

Tappables come in a few different types so we'll go over them and what they can net you briefly here.

Minecraft Earth Tappable Types

Generally, you can expect the same kind of stuff you'd find in normal Minecraft to be in it's tappable version.

• Grass — Grass tappables give you dirt and different plants, like grass, flowers and weeds.
  
  
• Stone — These tappables give you different types of stone, from granite, to andesite, to even the regular cobblestone. You can also get sand and redstone.
  
  
• Water — There's a lot of overlap between these tappables and grass, but the difference is you can get lilypads, and water if you have a bucket.
  
  
• Trees — Tree tappables will get you wood logs when you collect them, and sometimes saplings. In my area there are birch, oak, and spruce trees.
  
  
• Chests — These are a rarer tappable that generally contain useful items and blocks.
  
  
• Mobs — Pigs, chickens, sheep, and cows, all classic Minecraft staples with some rare variations you can try to collect.

Keep in mind different blocks, items, and mobs all have different rarities, so you're less likely to get certain items and more likely to get others (like dirt and cobblestone).

You can tell what something's rarity is by looking at it in your backpack and checking what color the frame around the item is purple, blue, green, and white.

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Check more of our Minecraft Earth guides and all stuff Minecraft related!

• How to get iron
• How to get coal
• How to build a house
• How to get MC Earth
• How to delete data
• How to find the Moobloom
• Complete mobs list

You've downloaded Minecraft Earth, but now you're wondering: "How do I delete my data?" Well, you've come to the right place.

For the most part, deleting data has been an issue for early adopters. They signed up for the beta under one platform but wanted to switch to another one. Unfortunately, at the moment, you actually can't technically delete your Minecraft Earth data.

But there is allegedly a workaround that accomplishes the same goal. 

How to Delete My Minecraft Earth Data

You might have noticed there is a link specifically meant to delete your data. This can be found in the Minecraft Earth portion of the Mojang website. Unfortunately, the link doesn't work at this time (whoops).

That may change over time and could just be a temporary issue, so be sure to head over and give it a shot anyway. Right now, it's the only official channel that lets you officially wipe your data. 

If the link above doesn't work for you, there is another option to try.

Create a New Microsoft Account

Your Minecraft Earth data is tied directly to your Microsoft account, so the workaround is to create a whole new Microsoft account. Delete the app from your phone, re-install, and then enter your secondary account info when prompted to hookup to your Microsoft account.

Creating a new account can be pretty annoying, though, since you probably have a number of games and achievements directly tied to your current account. That's not considering you'll need to switch between the two when you play Minecraft Earth — or any other Microsoft connected game.

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Have you found another way to delete your Minecraft Earth data? Let us know your method, and we'll give it a shot!

Be sure to also check out the rest of our Minecraft Earth guides here if you need help finding iron, coal, or rare cows!

• Minecraft Earth mobs list
• How to get Minecraft Earth
• MC Earth tappables guide
• Moobloom rare cow guide
• How to get coal
• How to get iron
• How to build a house

Minecraft Earth for Android and iOS has a few rare, exclusive mobs. One of the coolest (and rarest) is the new Moobloom cow, a special yellow cow that has an affinity for flowers like Dandelions and Sunflowers. But how do you find these awesome new mobs, and what do they do?

Our Minecraft Earth tips guide below doesn't go over all of the new mobs in the mobile game, but it does look at the Moobloom rare cow. We tell you how to find a Moobloom, as well as what it's for and what it drops. 

Minecraft Earth Moobloom Rare Cow Guide

How to Find a Moobloom

Finding a Moobloom is probably players' biggest issue, as little yellow flower cows don't appear anywhere on the map. Instead, you'll simply see normal cows roaming about when looking for this rare mob.

But, when you find a cow, there's an isolated chance that when you tap on it to collect it, that it will become a Moobloom. You'll know the cow is a Moobloom because a short animation will play when you tap it to collect it. Some sparkles will go off, and the cow you were collecting will be revealed as a rare Moobloom!

That part's pretty straightforward: all you have to do is go out into the world (stay safe!) and collect cows until you find what you're looking for. It's an imprecise science, but one that will eventually pay off. 

What do Moobloom do in Minecraft Earth?

Moobloom are mostly a decorative mob, meaning you'll place them in a build mainly to show off. They have AI similar to Mooshrooms from Minecraft, meaning they won't fall off steep cliffs or walk into lava. However, while walking, Moobloom will leave a trail of flowers!

They'll mainly leave Dandelions in their wake, but they will also leave behind rare Sunflowers too! This makes Mooblooms an excellent source for players looking to make lots and lots of Yellow Dye. So if yellow is your favorite color, you're definitely in luck!

---

Moobloom rare cows are a must-have mob for any player who's looking to decorate their build or just really loves flowers or the color yellow. They're a fantastic, useful addition to Minecraft Earth.

Minecraft Earth is free to download and play. Players can find it on the Google Play Store and Apple play for Android 8+ and iOS 10+ devices — even tablets. Not only does the game feature augmented reality building, but it also has a fun, collaborative adventure mode. 

See more of our Minecraft Earth guides — or maybe some of our regular Minecraft stuff while you're here, including useful tips and awesome seeds. 

• How to get coal quickly
• How to get iron faster
• How to build a house 
• How to delete my data
• Minecraft Earth tappables
• Minecraft Earth mobs list
• How to get MC Earth

Mob of Me

This entity mob is used to place NPC characters into your world. Your own character and Mob of Me are synchronized in such a way that if your character changes a skin, then Mob of Me will do the same action automatically.

These mobs can also interact with other NPCs and blocks. For example, they can open doors and enter buildings.

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That's the complete Minecraft Earth mobs list for now. It's possible other mobs will be added to the game in future updates, so we'll be sure to update this list when that happens. For other Minecraft Earth guides, please refer to the list below:

\n
• Tappables Guide
\n
• How to Delete My Data
\n
• Moobloom Rare Cow Guide
\n
• How to Get Iron
\n
• How to Get Coal Quickly
\n
• How to build a house
\n
• How to Get Minecraft Earth Today
\n

Spider

Since they climb walls and usually sit in the shadows around tappables, spiders are definitely very creepy and very scary.

Spiders will attack you and cause you problems, so it's good you can kill them just as you can in Minecraft. When killed, spiders drop several strings that can be used to make bows and other craftable items. 

When killed, spiders drop: 

\n
• 1-3x string
\n

Zombie

You won't see zombies roaming tappables as often as other hostile mobs, but if you do, try to keep a safe distance or they'll punch you, dealing severe amounts of damage.

They can be killed, and if you succeed, they may even drop some iron for you to pick up.

Skeleton

Just like creepers, skeleton mobs are hostile. They shoot their stinging arrows at you whenever you enter their line of sight. Be prepared to encounter at least one of these near each tappable.

Unlike creepers, though, these mobs don't explode on contact, so you can try and kill them for their bones and arrows.

When killed, skeleton mobs drop: 

\n
• 0-2 bones
\n
• 0-2 arrows
\n

Creeper

It's no surprise that creepers have found their way into Minecraft Earth. As usual, you want to keep a distance when you come across them. Otherwise, they will explode when you get near them, dealing a good bit of damage to your character. 

These mobs hide among tappables, so keep your eyes open every time you tap a crate.

Parrot

Just like ocelot, parrots can be found near jungle buildplates. You will almost always find them flying around, trying to imitate the sounds of other mobs, which is really cute. However, keep that in mind since they can imitate the sounds of enemy mobs, too! 

When killed, parrots drop:

\n
• 1-2x feathers
\n

Ocelot

You can find these cute little cats in jungle buildplates, which you can purchase from the Minecraft Earth in-game store.

This mob doesn't drop anything when killed, though it does give you experience. Think twice before hurting them, unless they try to snatch away your chickens. Then, let them have it! 

When killed, ocelot drop: 

\n
• 1-3x experience 
\n

Sheep

The Sheep is another extremely common mob in Minecraft Earth. It comes in about a dozen different colors, and you can use this mob as a source of wool and dye.

You can shear sheep to get the wool on a regular basis without killing them. But if you do kill them, they drop:

\n
• 1x wool
\n
• 1x raw mutton
\n
• 1x experience
\n

Cow

Cows are mainly used for milk, though you'll need a bucket to do so. Just like chicken eggs, cow milk can be used as a food item. 

When killed, a normal cow drops the following items:

\n
• 1x leather
\n
• 1x raw beef
\n
• 1x experience
\n

Chicken

Chickens are harmless little mobs that lay eggs every 5 to 10 minutes. Chicken eggs can be used either as a food or a throwable item. The throwable item is used for breeding more chickens.

When killed, chickens drop:

\n
• 1x feather
\n
• 1x raw chicken
\n
• 1x experience
\n

Rabbit

Ordinary rabbits (or the desert rabbit, as it is usually called), can be seen hopping near desert buildplates.

Rabbits can be hunted for their hide and meat, but they also drop the following items when killed: 

\n
• 1x rabbit hide
\n
• 1x raw rabbit
\n
• 1x rabbit foot
\n

Pig

The oldest and most common mob in Minecraft Earth is the pig. They spawn around tappables and most houses. If you have a buildplate for a house, you will surely see a couple of piglets roaming around the corner.

The ordinary pig drops the following items:

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• 1x raw porkchop
\n
• 1x saddle
\n
• 1x experience
\n

Salmon

Currently, the salmon is the only fish mob available in Minecraft Earth. You can only find it underwater using pond or river buildplates. Of course, you can use these plates to fish for salmon.

When caught, this mob drops:

\n
• 1x raw salmon
\n
• 1x bone
\n

Cluckshroom

The Cluckshroom is a new type of chicken that is covered in mushrooms. When it walks, it leaves a trail of mushrooms behind it, which you can pick up and use. 

Unlike ordinary chicken mobs , cluckshrooms like to dwell in darker areas. They do not fear hostile mobs. 

When killed, cluckshrooms drop:

\n
• 1x feather
\n
• 1x raw chicken
\n
• 1x experience
\n

Moobloom

These strange animals are mooshrooms with flowers growing on top of them. They behave exactly like any other mooshroom, which is strongly reminiscent of the cow's behavior.

Just like mooshrooms, these new mobs can be milked and shorn, which will turn them into a normal cow.

When killed, a moobloom drops the following items:

\n
• 1x leather
\n
• 1x raw beef
\n
• 1x experience
\n

Muddy Pig

The new pig mob loves its mud. Every time it sees a mud block, it will jump into it and become a muddy pig.

It will walk aimlessly until it dries up, and then search for another fresh block of mud to dip into.

The muddy pig drops one of the following items when killed:

\n
• 1x raw porkchop
\n
• 1x saddle
\n
• 1x exeprience
\n

Wooly Cow

This funny-looking cow behaves exactly like any other cow in Minecraft except for two slight differences: it can drop wool when shorn, and it takes no damage. Because of those traits, you can farm the wooly cow for wool. 

When a wooly cow gets killed, it drops the following items:

\n
• 1x leather
\n
• 1x raw beef
\n
• 1x wool
\n

Jumbo Rabbit

The Jumbo Rabbit mod is bigger than your average rabbit mob, and it features a different coloration. 

It also has more life than an ordinary Minecraft rabbit. When killed, it drops one of the following items:

\n
• 1x rabit hide
\n
• 1x raw rabbit meat
\n
• 1x cooked rabbit meat (if killed on fire)
\n

Horned Sheep

The only difference between the new horned sheep mob and the regular horned sheep mob is that the Minecraft Earth version will attack you if provoked. It deals three points of damage.

If you manage to win the fight and kill the sheep, it drops:

\n
• 1x horn
\n
• 1x wool of the corresponding color
\n
• 1x raw mutton
\n
• 1x experience
\n

The overall Minecraft Earth mobs list might not be very big at launch, but that doesn't mean we don't want to know more about them. From the adorable wooly cow and the rare moobloom to the scary spider and the familiar creeper, there's a mix of old and new on display. 

Unlike Minecraft for PC and console, Earth challenges players by forcing them to enter the real world where they can get resources, build structures from blocks, go for an adventure with friends, and, most importantly, engage in crafting, using all the capabilities of augmented reality.

Many of the original Minecraft mobs have been implemented in the Minecraft Earth list. But there are also seven new mobs that are improved versions of the original designs. We go over those in our Minecraft Earth mobs list below, including unique mobs and exclusive mobs —  even the mob of me!  

If you’re a long-time Minecraft fan, you’re already aware that one of the most important items early on in a playthrough is coal, which allows you to craft torches for light and safety. Coal works much the same way in Minecraft Earth, but while you can casually dig coal out of the ground in vanilla Minecraft, it isn’t quite so simple in Minecraft Earth.

With Minecraft Earth officially here on iOS and Android, the game brings the indie classic’s standard gameplay loops (looting materials, finding rare treasures, and building whatever you can imagine) into augmented reality. That said, here's our guide on how to easily get coal in Minecraft Earth.

How to Get Coal in Minecraft Earth

Coal is rarely just lying around in Minecraft Earth.

The simplest and quickest way to find coal in Minecraft Earth is by going on an Adventure, which projects a little square section of in-game land onto a physical location in front of you.

This is like playing actual Minecraft, but you walk around the real world and move your phone around to move around in the game. You can fight mobs, loot treasure chests, chop down trees, place blocks, and most importantly, you can dig into the ground.

Coal is commonly found in the ground while you're on an Adventure, so this is where you should look for coal first in Minecraft Earth.

That said, you'll want to come prepared for this. You can dig dirt with your bare hands, but you won't be able to break coal blocks without a pickaxe. As a new player, you should bring at least one Wood or (preferably) Stone Pickaxe along with you.

How to Craft a Stone Pickax in Minecraft Earth

You can craft a Stone Pickaxe easily, by gathering stone and wood from the overworld environment while you walk. When you find some raw wood, convert it into wooden planks in the crafting menu.

Then, convert the planks into wooden sticks. A single Stone Pickaxe only costs three Cobblestone and two Sticks.

Similar to Pokemon Go, Minecraft Earth uses your device’s built-in GPS to track your movements around the overworld. You can collect random assortments of blocks as you walk around in the real world, which is a great way to find pockets of raw materials like wood and stone as you traverse the neighborhood.

While you'll need those things to construct tools, including torches and mining picks, it's highly unlikely that you'll find coal while you walk around the map. That's why Adventures are so important.

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This concludes our guide on how to get coal in Minecraft Earth. Stay tuned for more Minecraft Earth guides as we continue exploring this creative new take on augmented reality.

• How to get Minecraft Earth
• How to delete my data
• How to get iron
• Complete mobs list
• Moobloom cow guide
• Minecraft Earth tappables
• How to build a house

If you're wondering how to get iron in Minecraft Earth, you've come to the right place. Minecraft Earth launched recently this week. It's a new augmented reality game from Mojang very much in the same vein as Pokemon Go!

Lots of new players are walking about looking all over for crafting supplies like coal, but one of the most important in advancing is Iron. Don't worry if you haven't been able to find any, we're here to help with this Minecraft Earth tips guide!

Minecraft Earth: How to Get Iron

Craft a Stone Pickaxe

To get iron, you'll first need to build a pickaxe. This recipe is the same as it is in most versions of Minecraft: two sticks and three resource blocks. In this case, you'll need three blocks of cobblestone to make a stone pickaxe.

Arrange the stone in the top three spots and the sticks in the middle and middle-bottom so it makes a T-shape. When you're done, you'll have a pickaxe!

Go Out on Some Adventures

Next, you'll have to go out and find some adventures. This is similar to what you have to do for finding coal.

These can be tough to come by depending on where you live, but you should be able to find some nearby on the map. Please remember while playing to keep aware of your surroundings and stay safe!

Dig for Iron

Once you've found an adventure, it's time to start looking for iron. Just start digging down! You'll need to go past the dirt and a little further into the stone to find iron, and sometimes, it will be around the bottom near bedrock.

It might take you a couple of adventures in order to find iron, so don't be discouraged if you don't find any your first time. Iron blocks look the same as they do in Minecraft, so be on the lookout for a pewter-grey stone with light-brown markings. 

Once you have your raw iron, you'll need to refine it at a forge. You may need to wait a bit for the iron ore to melt, so feel free to leave and go look for more iron while it's being refined!

When it's done, you'll get iron bars for every piece of raw iron you put in the forge. 

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Check out more of our Minecraft Earth guides and other tips about the newly-released mobile game. Stay tuned to GameSkinny for more tips on the title as it moves through development. 

• How to get Minecraft Earth
• How to delete data
• How to get coal
• MC Earth mobs list
• Moobloom cow guide
• MC Earth tappables
• How to build a house

Minecraft Earth is finally rolling out in Early Access across multiple regions, and we here in North America (both the U.S. and Canada) are lucky enough to be in the latest wave. Luckily, there's no question about how to get Minecraft Earth: you can just download it.

North American territories aren't the only ones currently with access to Minecraft Earth's Early Access. Minecraft fans in the following countries can hop onto their mobile market of choice and download the game to give it a whirl:

• Australia
• Canada
• Iceland
• Mexico
• New Zealand
• Philippines
• South Korea
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• United States

That's right: if you live in any of these countries, you can play the game right now.

How to Get Minecraft Earth

Users on both iOS and Android can get in on the augmented reality-building action as long as they are within the countries where Early Access is currently open.

Minecraft Earth on iOS

If you're using an iOS device, just hop on over to iTunes and download the game.

Minecraft Earth on Android

If you're using Android, just shuffle over to Google Play and download the game.

Really, there are no extra steps. It's just a tap and download in regions where Early Access is currently available.

Can't Download Minecraft Earth Despite Being in an Applicable Region?

It's always disappointing when you go to download a mobile game and find that it says the game is not available for your region or not compatible with your device. Unfortunately, those with low-end phones are going to run into this with Minecraft Earth.

Minecraft Earth requires ARCore, a set of APIs needed to run some augmented reality (AR) games. This is one of those games.

If Google Play is telling you that the game is not available in your region despite being in one of the countries listed above, chances are your device is not compatible with ARCore.

Most modern Android devices are compatible with ARCore, but if you are somehow unable to download the game with yours, you're out of luck. The only solution to this is to get a newer model phone.

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Minecraft Earth will be rolling out in further countries over the coming weeks, though which ones those are have yet to be announced. We're starting to rev up guides on this bad boy, so keep your eye on GameSkinny for further Minecraft Earth guides and news.

• Minecraft Earth mobs list
• How to delete my data
• How to get coal
• How to get iron
• How to get the Moobloom
• How to build a house
• MC Earth tappables guide

Update 8/22/19: After months and months of waiting, open registration for the Minecraft Earth beta is now live for Android devices. 

Original story: 

Microsoft released a new trailer highlighting the location-based, augmented reality, aspects of the upcoming Minecraft Earth mobile game — in other words, the bits that make this Minecraft's take on Pokemon GO.

Like Pokemon GO, the Minecraft Earth world is based on the player's location. Streets and other notable landmarks are rendered in Minecraft form in the game, and players can expect to encounter a plethora of Minecraft items, collectibles, and enemies as they travel around.

These appear as icons called Tappables, because players tap to interact with them, and they form Minecraft Earth's backbone. Tappables are everywhere, in block form, item form, or even mob form, and interacting with them provides building materials and numerous other bonuses.

For instance, enemy mobs that appear on screen aren't always as they appear. Instead, players must tap them to uncover their true nature, and in doing so, they collect that mob and place it in their inventory. The same goes for chests — always loaded with items — environment blocks, and pretty much everything else.

Players gain experience points with each Tappable collected, though how leveling up affects the game still remains to be seen.

The Minecraft part of the game comes when players want to create using the Tappables they've gathered. To do so, they'll select one among many various Buildplates, which are essentially like mini-Biomes or seeds.

Each Buildplate has a basic foundation to work with, and from there, players can add blocks, mobs, items, or whatever strikes their fancy at the time, and watch their creation come to life. Water flows, animals move around, crops grow, and fires spread in what amounts to a miniature, realized Minecraft world.

Once creation is finished, the Buildplate can then be plunked down somewhere in real life. Friends can add to or take from it, and players can venture inside and interact with the Buildplate.

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!