Puzzle & Sandbox · 2010s

Minecraft

A world of blocks with no required goals: mine, craft, build, survive the night, or just build something beautiful. Created by Markus Persson and grown by Mojang, it became the best-selling video game ever made.

Why it matters

It is the most-played and most-watched game in history, a default creative medium for a generation, and the clearest proof that player freedom outperforms scripted spectacle. Its modding and server cultures sustain entire ecosystems.

Play it today

Sold on every current platform; one continuous, actively updated game across all of them.

Start here

Survival mode, first night: punch a tree, make tools, build shelter before dark. That single loop — need, make, improve — is the whole game in miniature, and it teaches itself.

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minecraft — release history, developer, sales record

Sources for this page were checked 2026-09-21.