98% accurate, real-time transcription in just a few clicks. 58 languages and multiple platforms supported.
Unlike most games on the market, which often have a shelf life of two years, Minecraft has seen an increase in players every decade. Having created content in the gaming space for years, I've always found it interesting to do so for such a large user base. This is a brilliant example for anyone building a game from scratch and looking to market it. So, I’ve listed 40+ Minecraft statistics in this detailed guide for your reference.
The beta version of Minecraft sold 1 million copies in less than a month of its release, and as of May 2020, it had sold 200 million copies worldwide.
The US has the highest percentage of Minecraft players at 21.1%.
Minecraft’s revenues peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic, generating $158.15 million in IAP revenues in 2021.
In 2021, Alexandra Jouniaux played Minecraft for 38 hours and 1 second, setting the record for the longest video game marathon.
Minecraft’s overall revenue for 2022 was $365 million, of which the mobile revenue was $164 million. This amounts to 44.9% of the overall yearly revenue.
Since its release in 2011, Minecraft has built a massive active user base globally. The two sections below describe the player base's size, demographics, and the game’s regional popularity.
How many people play Minecraft? What is the Minecraft demographic makeup? Here are a few numbers that will surprise you:
In less than a month since its release, the beta version of Minecraft had reached 1 million in sales.
As of May 2020, it had sold 200 million copies worldwide.
For example, in just the first five months of 2021, the game generated $59 million in global revenue.
According to Microsoft’s Minecraft head Helen Chiang, the average age of Minecraft’s players is 24 years.
According to Phys.org, 53% of children aged 6 to 8 and 68% aged 9 to 12 actively play Minecraft. More than half of those play once a week.
Sources: Statista, Active Player, PCGamesN
Which regions is Minecraft most popular in, and what is the global distribution of its user base? Here are a few numbers:
The USA has the highest percentage of active Minecraft players, accounting for 21.1% of the total players globally.
Brazil is second with 6.17% of the game’s total active players, and Russia is third with 5.59%.
These are followed by the UK and Germany at 5.06% and 4.60% respectively.
As of November 2020, 400 million players in China alone were playing the game’s free-to-play version, which is specific to the Chinese market.
Sources: Vintage Is The New Old, Twitter
Understanding Minecraft’s popularity also involves knowing how much revenue it generates and its economic impact. The following sections dive deeper into these details.
How much revenue did the different versions of Minecraft generate? Here are the numbers:
According to Sensor Tower, 2018 was the most successful year in terms of the revenue Minecraft generated on mobile, with a total of $110 million bought in via Google Play and the App Store.
By the first half of 2024, Minecraft had generated a total of $43.14 million in global IAP revenues. In 2023, this number stood at $82.28 million.
However, Minecraft's total revenue was at its highest during the COVID-19 pandemic, with total IAP revenues in 2021 reaching $158.15 million. This is the highest yearly revenue the games have generated so far.
The Pocket Edition of Minecraft sold one million copies back in 2012.
According to Pocket Gamer, Minecraft Earth had 2.5 million downloads in the first 12 months after its launch in 2019. The US alone accounted for 1.2 million downloads, or 86%.
Sources: Sensor Tower, Statista, Twitter, Pocket Gamer
What is the nature and popularity of the in-game purchases on Minecraft and its marketplace economy? Here are a few important statistics:
Since the launch of Minecraft Marketplace, more than 1.7 million pieces of content have been downloaded, and the creator community has generated more than $500 million.
The App Store takes 30% of the cut from Minecraft Marketplace, after which more than 50% is paid to creators themselves.
Creators on the marketplace are mostly generating skins and world templates.
Regarding the number of pieces of content by type, 26,193 are skin packs, and 11,126 are world templates.
Sources: Games Industry, MC Market Stats
Minecraft also has an entire merchandise section on its website, with clothing and accessories for adults and kids alike. In addition, there are plush toys, vinyl figures, and collectibles its fans can purchase.
Regarding cross-industry collaborations, Merlin Entertainments, a global leader in branded entertainment destinations, has collaborated with Mojang Studios to bring Minecraft adventures to real life in an immersive manner.
Sources: Minecraft, Merlin Entertainments
Understanding the numbers related to Minecraft’s engagement is key to understanding how popular this game is. The three sections below offer some surprising insights.
According to a report published on Statista in 2022, Minecraft has gained 141 million active players worldwide since its release in 2011.
In fact, according to a report on Active Players, as of October 2024, Minecraft had 185.7 million monthly active players, an increase of 3.65 million from September 2024.
Sources: Statista, Active Player
According to Windows Central, Minecraft had logged a total of 1 billion play hours on Minecraft by 2020.
The record for the longest video game marathon, playing Minecraft, is 38 hours and 1 second. Alexandra Jouniaux achieved this in 2021.
Sources: Windows Central, Guinness Book of World Records
Given Minecraft's popularity and the strength of its community, the company also hosted an annual event called Minecon. Here, the company talks about upcoming features, updates to the game, and more, boosting player engagement.
Minecon started even before the game's release in 2011. Soon, it became a global event that fans could attend by purchasing tickets, and the number of attendees rose from just a few people in 2010 to 12,000 in 2016.
Minecon changed its format in 2017 to become Minecon Earth, a 90-minute interactive event that was live-streamed in 2017 and 2018.
Minecon Earth was then rebranded to Minecon Live from 2019 to 2023. Unlike Minecon Earth, which was streamed on the official website, Minecon Live was live-streamed on YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook.
Besides this, Minecraft’s community on Reddit also has a whopping 7.9 million members.
Sources: Sportskeeda, Reddit
Over the years, Minecraft has become more than just an interactive game. It has also had a crucial impact on education and social projects. The two sections below mention the key statistics regarding Minecraft’s use in education.
Minecraft Education is an educational version of the game that the company launched in 2016. It allows 30 players to play without setting up a server, which has played a key role in improving students’ collaborative skills.
Besides improving collaborative skills, it has also played a key role in improving students’ problem-solving abilities.
Minecraft Education was introduced for the iPad in Autumn 2018.
The game offers lesson plans divided into age groups and subjects such as history, visual arts, and gaming.
The Viktor Rydberg Secondary School in Stockholm, Sweden, also won the Guinness World Record for introducing compulsory Minecraft lessons to its 13-year-old students. The lessons, designed to introduce students to world-building water supply networks, engineering, and electricity grids, were delivered to 180 students.
Sources: Minecraft Fandom, Guinness Book of World Records
Minecraft grew by almost $30 million in revenue between 2020 and 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak. It offered people around the world a virtual space to connect and interact with others, especially when many found themselves alone with restrictions imposed on their movements.
Streaming the Minecraft game on YouTube was very popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 35,000 creators across 150 countries creating content. In fact, in 2021, videos related to Minecraft on YouTube crossed one trillion views.
Interestingly, while most creators are male, the creator who generated the most views was a woman named Aphmau. She became the most viewed Minecraft creator in 2020, with followers and viewers heavily engaging in the comments, forming friendships, and creating groups for collaborative gameplay.
Given Minecraft's global popularity, it’s no wonder that it is available on almost every platform and operating system.
You can play Minecraft on devices running Windows 10 and above, Mac/iOS, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation, Android, FireOS/TV, Samsung Gear VR, and Nintendo Switch.
In terms of monthly active users, Minecraft Pocket Edition is the sixth most popular mobile game. It also ranks 6th in the total time spent on the app.
Sources: Minecraft, Data Reportal
Which devices do people prefer playing Minecraft on? Here are the details:
According to the revenue generated by Minecraft’s mobile app, most users prefer playing it on their smartphones globally. Minecraft’s overall revenue for 2022 was $100.51 million.
A survey found that 80% of children play Minecraft in the company of their friends, family members, or other players online.
54% of boys play Minecraft, while only 32% of girls play it.
32% of 6-8-year-old boys watched Minecraft content on YouTube, while the number dropped to 9% of girls. Despite the many benefits of this game in education, these numbers have even sparked a conversation about the gender imbalance at play.
Sources: Statista, Phys, The Conversation
One key trend you can expect to see is a metaverse-like future for Minecraft. With Minecraft Earth and its existing compatibility with VR headsets, the game will continue breaking down the digital and physical barriers.
With this in mind, it’s helpful to note that Statista estimated the global metaverse gaming market size to reach $20.9 billion in 2024. By 2030, this number is set to increase to $168 billion, showing just how much scope there is for this trend.
Additionally, Minecraft was recorded as the PC game with the highest monthly active users as of May 2023, so it goes without saying that it will immensely contribute to the growth of the global gaming economy.
Minecraft has had a major impact on the global gaming industry. You will find these 40+ Minecraft statistics incredibly useful if you're a developer or a marketer. When marketing a new game, you must record all your discussions accurately. An AI note-taker like Notta can seamlessly automate this process by recording, transcribing, and summarizing your meetings with 98% accuracy.
Notta offers the most integrated AI meeting notes, summaries, and action items so nothing gets missed.
Learn More