The Important Moments in the First 15 Years of Minecraft

Minecraft, the game that lets you build castles, mine diamonds and fight dragons all before breakfast, is celebrating 15 years.

Since Markus “Notch” Persson released this pixelated wonder in 2009, Minecraft has evolved more than any Pokémon.

Let's take a look at the most iconic moments from this journey, because, honestly, what else do we have to do besides play?

Initial Launch and Expansion

2009: Minecraft first appeared as an alpha version in May. It was simpler than trying to build a sandcastle, but it worked. In December 2010, the beta version arrived, and in November 2011, the full version was released. Nothing like selling the same game three times.

2011: The first Minecon took place in Las Vegas, turning nerds into tourists. The full version was officially released, and the convention became an annual event, like Comic-Con, but with more creepers and fewer heroes.

Acquisition by Microsoft

Expansion to Consoles and Mobile Devices

2012-2014: Minecraft arrived on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and mobile devices. Who didn't want to build their diamond fortunes in the bathroom? This expansion made the player base explode.

Bedrock Edition Launch

2017: Bedrock Edition was released, allowing cross-platform play. Now you could play on your PC, continue on Xbox and then on your phone, because who needs a social life when you have Minecraft?

2020: Minecraft has sold over 200 million copies. It's the best-selling game of all time, proving that breaking blocks is more addictive than candy.

Updates and Additional Content

2021-2023: Updates like Caves & Cliffs and The Wild Update brought new blocks, mobs and mechanics. Because, of course, the already perfect game needed more things to make us lose sleep.

To mark 15 years, Mojang is giving away freebies and discounts for 15 days, as well as offering exclusive items on Character Creator. It's their way of saying “thank you” for all the time you should have been working or studying but were mining for that blessed diamond.

So, prepare your pickaxe, enter the mine and celebrate the Minecraft legacythe game that turned blocks into works of art and reminded us that sometimes the real adventure is just digging deeper.