Minecraft Stays Paid: 'Best Deal Globally'

In an era where numerous live service games have shifted to a free-to-play model, Minecraft remains steadfastly a premium experience. In a recent interview with IGN, Mojang's team reaffirmed their commitment to the "buy and own" approach, even 16 years after the game's launch. Don't hold your breath for Minecraft to become free-to-play anytime soon.

"Yeah, it doesn't really work with the way we built it," explained Ingela Garneij, executive producer of Minecraft Vanilla. "We built the game for a different purpose. So monetization doesn't work in that way for us. It's a purchase of the game and then that's it. For us, it's important that our game is available for as many people as possible. And so I think that's a very core value that it should be accessible for everyone. It's the best deal in the world."

As the gaming industry has evolved, many titles have transitioned to free-to-download models, often supplemented by battle passes and cosmetic packs, with varying degrees of success. Notable examples include Overwatch 2, Destiny 2, and even Minecraft's Microsoft counterpart, Halo Infinite, at least in terms of its multiplayer component.

Despite the industry's pressure on developers to innovate in monetization to stay afloat, Mojang seems immune to these pressures. "No, no. What's important for us is that many people can enjoy it still and that's going on strong still," said Garneij.

Agnes Larsson, game director of Minecraft Vanilla, further elaborated on this stance: "For me, it's part of the important values of Minecraft. I think it's become such an important thing of what Minecraft is and the perfect culture and values, and I think we all here can agree on that. It's a thing for the game and it's one part of what makes the game strong. It has strong values."

Minecraft Vibrant Visuals Comparison Screenshots

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Minecraft will continue to evolve, offering new features like the upcoming Vibrant Visuals graphics overhaul, which will be available to players at no extra cost in the coming months. With no plans for a Minecraft 2 on the horizon, there's no need to repurchase the best-selling game of all time anytime soon, unless you're looking to play it on a new device from the ever-expanding list of platforms it supports.

For more details on what's coming to the game, be sure to check out everything announced at Minecraft Live 2025.