What to play on?
You can play Minecraft on an xBox, Playstation 3 or 4, laptop or computer and tablets or phones. For more advanced users there is an edition for the Raspberry Pi, and a Virtual Reality edition for people with Oculus Rift.
I personally like to play on the xBox 360. The edition of the game for phones and tablets is called "Pocket Edition" since it has less features than the console versions. This could be a less tough starting point for beginners.
Minecraft costs money to play. Make sure you check with the person in charge of your account before you buy anything! The full version on a computer costs over €20 and the pocket version for phones and tablets is around €7.
You can try a demo version for a laptop by following this link. The computer demo gives you about one hundred minutes play time for free (that's five in-game days).
I personally like to play on the xBox 360. The edition of the game for phones and tablets is called "Pocket Edition" since it has less features than the console versions. This could be a less tough starting point for beginners.
Minecraft costs money to play. Make sure you check with the person in charge of your account before you buy anything! The full version on a computer costs over €20 and the pocket version for phones and tablets is around €7.
You can try a demo version for a laptop by following this link. The computer demo gives you about one hundred minutes play time for free (that's five in-game days).
Creating an account
To use Minecraft, you need to set up an account. Minecraft was created by a company called Mojang and is owned by Microsoft, so do not be surprised if you see any of these names when setting up your account. You will need an e-mail address and you will have to come up with a password. Try not to forget your password because it is a pain in the butt to reset it.
Tutorials
The best way to learn the game is to play the game. Each version starts differently, so learning to play depends on which version you're using. Here I have linked some tutorials for absolute beginners.
xBox 360 Edition
My favourite version to play on is the xBox 360. This version has a tutorial for beginners which makes it a very easy way to learn the game. That's why I recommend it.
- General Minecraft Beginners Guide
- Getting Started on Minecraft Pocket Edition
- Official Minecraft "How To" Guide
xBox 360 Edition
My favourite version to play on is the xBox 360. This version has a tutorial for beginners which makes it a very easy way to learn the game. That's why I recommend it.
Game Modes
There are a few different ways to play Minecraft. Some people like to play a few different modes; some people like to stick to just one mode. Beginners usually start in survival mode, although some might like to start in creative mode. The rest of the modes are usually for more advanced players, and they're easy to learn as you progress in the game
Demo
This a limited play mode that you can try for free.
Survival
This mode is a classic, you’re dropped into a fresh new world with absolutely nothing and... well that’s all that’s really to it! You just have to first build a base, watch out for monsters and look after your health and hunger. If you die, you appear back at your spawn point (your spawn point is the point where you started the game; after you build a bed and sleep in it, that becomes your spawn point.)
Creative
You can, if you want start on creative, it doesn’t give you any achievements or anything like that, it’s meant for building and unleashing the creativeness within you, I mean it’s called "creative" for goodness sake!
Adventure
This is a game mode where you can't break or place blocks because you are playing on a player-created map. Some real-life people like to go around destroying player's builds. In Minecraft these people are called "Griefers". Adventure mode allows you to share your world without risking damage from griefers.
Spectator
This is a simple mode because all you do is fly around and watch other worlds and player's characters. This mode is usually used in online servers with minigames, where if you die or are eliminated you can watch the other characters still playing.
Hardcore
IF YOU ARE NEW TO MINECRAFT THEN DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT PLAYING HARDCORE BECAUSE IF YOU DIE EVEN ONCE THE WORLD YOU WERE USING WILL BE DELETED!!!
Demo
This a limited play mode that you can try for free.
Survival
This mode is a classic, you’re dropped into a fresh new world with absolutely nothing and... well that’s all that’s really to it! You just have to first build a base, watch out for monsters and look after your health and hunger. If you die, you appear back at your spawn point (your spawn point is the point where you started the game; after you build a bed and sleep in it, that becomes your spawn point.)
Creative
You can, if you want start on creative, it doesn’t give you any achievements or anything like that, it’s meant for building and unleashing the creativeness within you, I mean it’s called "creative" for goodness sake!
Adventure
This is a game mode where you can't break or place blocks because you are playing on a player-created map. Some real-life people like to go around destroying player's builds. In Minecraft these people are called "Griefers". Adventure mode allows you to share your world without risking damage from griefers.
Spectator
This is a simple mode because all you do is fly around and watch other worlds and player's characters. This mode is usually used in online servers with minigames, where if you die or are eliminated you can watch the other characters still playing.
Hardcore
IF YOU ARE NEW TO MINECRAFT THEN DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT PLAYING HARDCORE BECAUSE IF YOU DIE EVEN ONCE THE WORLD YOU WERE USING WILL BE DELETED!!!