Minecraft: How to play Minecraft

How to play Minecraft: Your classmates are always talking about their games of Minecraft and so you have decided that it is time to join them in this videogame adventure. Would you like to have fun with this popular sandbox game but, since your computer knowledge is a bit lacking, would you need some help to succeed? Don’t worry, I’m ready to help you!

How do you say? Wondering if I can explain how to play Minecraft, but also how to download it? Of course! It is essential to download the title, to be able to delve into its vast procedurally generated world. In the course of this tutorial, in fact, I will show you in detail how to purchase and download the game on the main platforms where it is available and I will also talk to you about how to take your first steps in the virtual environment of this famous title with pixelated graphics . .

Are you ready to get started? Yup? Very well! Sit comfortably in front of the computer, possibly also keep the mobile device you intend to use to play Minecraft at hand and take a few minutes of free time to read this tutorial. You will see that, at the end of the reading, Minecraft will have no more secrets. Let it bet? I wish you a lot of fun!

Index

• Download Minecraft
  • System requirements
  • Download and install Minecraft on computer
  • Play Minecraft Classic from a web browser
  • Download and install Minecraft on smartphones and tablets
  • Download Minecraft on console
• Play Minecraft
  • The commands
  • First steps
  • Mining and crafting
• How to play Minecraft online
• How to play modded Minecraft

Download Minecraft

After hearing so much about it, you’ve decided to play Minecraft but would like some advice on how to take your first steps in this hugely popular title. It’s so true? All right, don’t worry, I’m here ready to help you.

First of all it should be noted that Minecraft is a sandbox video game, therefore it does not have a specific purpose or particular missions that must be completed: you have to spend your time collecting materials, building objects, building shelters and avoiding the attack of the monsters that haunt the night. the world of play.

We will deal with this later, as, if you want to play Minecraft, you must first buy the game: its cost is € 23.95 for Windows, macOS and Linux, in its Java Edition version. If you have a Windows 10 PC, you may want to play the Windows 10 Edition, which costs slightly more: $ 26.99.

Minecraft is also available on Android (€ 6.99), iPhone / iPad (€ 7.99) and is also present on Xbox consoles ( Xbox 360 and Xbox One at a price of € 19.99) and PlayStation ( PS3 and PS4 at cost of € 18.99).

If you want to try Minecraft before buying it, you can download the demo version which is present on all the platforms mentioned (except on smartphones and tablets), which has all the features of the full version and allows you to play for a limited time.

System requirements

To make sure you can play Minecraft on your computer, make sure your device meets the minimum and recommended system requirements listed below.

Minimum system requirements (Java Edition)

• CPU: Intel Core i3-3210 3.2 GHz / AMD A8-7600 APU 3.1 GHz or equivalent.
• RAM: 2GB.
• Integrated video card: Intel HD Graphics 4000 (Ivy Bridge) or AMD Radeon R5 series (Kaveri line) with support for OpenGL 4.4.
• Dedicated video card: Nvidia GeForce 400 series or AMD Radeon HD 7000 series with support for OpenGL 4.4.
• HDD: at least 1GB of free space.
• Operating system: Windows 7 and later, macOS 10.9 Mavericks and later, Linux (distributions starting from 2014).
• Internet connection to download game files and play online.
• Latest version of  Java

Recommended system requirements (Java Edition)

• CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz / AMD A10-7800 APU 3.5 GHz or equivalent.
• RAM: 4GB.
• Video card: GeForce 700 series or AMD Radeon Rx 200 series with OpenGL 4.5 support.
• HDD: 4GB (SSD recommended).
• Operating system (64bit recommended): Windows 10, macOS 10.12 Sierra, Linux (distributions starting from 2014).
• Latest version of  Java.

Minimum system requirements (Windows 10 Edition)

• CPU: Intel i5-4690 / AMD A10-7800 or equivalent.
• RAM: 4GB.
• Video card: Intel HD Graphics 4000 or AMD Radeon R5.
• Operating system: Windows 10 version 14393.0 or later.
• Internet connection to download game files and play online.

Recommended system requirements (Windows 10 Edition)

• CPU: Intel i7-6500U / AMD A8-6600Ko equivalent.
• RAM: 4GB.
• Video card: NVIDIA GeForce 940M or AMD Radeon HD 8570D.
• Operating system: Windows 10 version 14393.0 or later.
• Internet connection to download game files and play online.

Download and install Minecraft on computer

Before explaining how to play Minecraft, if you are interested in Minecraft Java Edition, I have to show you how to create an account on its official website (essential operation to access the title) and how to download the game. To get started, go to the Minecraft website and click the Buy Minecraft button.

On the next screen, fill out the registration form, entering your e-mail address and a “strong ” password, to be sure to protect your account. Then indicate your date of birth ( day, month, year ), tick the box I accept the collection of usage data and click the Create an account button. Then confirm your email address by typing the verification code, which was provided to you via email, in the text field on the screen. Once this is done, click on the Verify button and log in with the newly created data ( email and password ).

After pressing the Login button, enter the details of the payment method you have chosen to purchase the game (you can pay by VISA, MasterCard or American Express credit card, via PayPal or Paysafe Card ) and proceed with the payment, by clicking on the Buy item for € 23.95.

If, on the other hand, you are interested in downloading the trial version, after creating an account, go to this link and press the Download button, under the heading  Minecraft Java Edition.

You can possibly download the trial version of Minecraft  Windows 10 Edition, by going to the Microsoft Store: once you have found the game through the internal search engine, press the icon  (…)  and click on the item  Install evaluation version. At this point, if you have never associated your Microsoft account with the Windows store, enter your credentials to complete the operation. Don’t have a Microsoft account? Do not worry! I advise you to consult my guide dedicated to the subject.

The installation procedure of Minecraft on Windows and macOS is the same, whether you have downloaded the trial version or if you have purchased the game. When the download is complete, in fact, on Windows, you have to start the executable Minecraft.msi and you have to install the game by pressing Next for two consecutive times then on Install, Yes and  Finish. In case you are shown an error message, it is probably because you have not installed or updated the Java software on your computer: in this case, fix it by following the instructions I have given you in this tutorial. 

To install Minecraft on macOS, on the other hand, wait for the download for the Minecraft.dmg file, double-click on it and drag the Minecraft icon into the MacOS Applications folder to finish the procedure. Then, start the game by right-clicking on it and pressing the Open item from its drop-down menu twice consecutively (this is necessary to bypass Apple’s restrictions on software from non-certified developers).

On the Minecraft home screen, enter the account details you created on the video game website and click login and then Play. In case, subsequently, you need to translate the game menus into Italian, go to the Options> Language section and select the Italian (Italy) item in the screen you see.

At this point, start a new game and choose to create a new world. There are three game modes available: the Creative one in which there are unlimited resources, the Survival one, in which you have to get the resources and the Extreme one which is very difficult and grants only one life to the player.

Play Minecraft Classic from a web browser

In case you don’t want to install Minecraft on your computer, you can try to play a completely free and usable version from a web browser:  Minecraft Classic. It represents one of the very first versions published in 2009, the year in which this video game was made available.

For this reason, Minecraft Classic does not come close to the current gaming experience offered by the most recent versions of this video game. However, this does not mean that it shares its basic elements: it is possible, in fact, to destroy and build the game world, using the 32 blocks available.

Plus, thanks to WebRTC support from web browsers, you can invite up to nine friends to your gaming session by simply sharing a dedicated URL.

If you are interested in  Minecraft Classic, go to the official webpage and press the Copy button to copy the session URL which you can share with your friends. Once this is done, indicate a  nickname in the appropriate box and press the Start button to start playing.

Download and install Minecraft on smartphones and tablets

As anticipated, Minecraft is also available for purchase on Android via the Play Store and iOS via the App Store but, in this case, on mobile devices, it is not possible to try the game with a free trial version.

However, the download procedure after purchasing the game on Android and iOS is identical to the one you can usually perform to download a free game or app. At the end of the purchase and download, you can start the game by tapping the Open button from the Play Store or the App Store, or press on its icon that will have been added to the home screen of your device.

Download Minecraft on console

Do you need to download Minecraft on platforms other than those mentioned, such as on consoles? Would you like a hand to carry out this operation? No problem, I’ll help you in the blink of an eye.

First of all, make sure that the console is connected to the Internet: for example, on Xbox One consoles, go to the Network> Network settings menu and press the Configure wireless network button, to connect it via Wi-Fi. Otherwise, make a wired connection using an Ethernet cable.

Once this preliminary operation has been carried out, start the virtual store of the console you are using (for example, press on Store from the menu bar at the top, to start the Microsoft Store on Xbox One ). Locate Minecraft through the internal search engine and choose whether to make the purchase ( Buy button ) or to download the trial version by pressing the Install button.

At the end of the download or purchase – obviously by choosing to buy the game you will have to enter a valid payment method (for example on Xbox One you can pay by Credit / Debit Card or PayPal ) – you just have to click on Play, to start the game.

For more information about it, I suggest you read my tutorial on how to download Minecraft in which I tell you in detail how to download the game on all the main platforms where it is available.

Play Minecraft

Once in the game, you first need to know the basic controls to navigate it, but you also need to learn how to take your first steps in this popular sandbox title.

The commands

The ones that I indicate to you in the following lines are the default commands of Minecraft, but nobody forbids you to enter the game menu (by pressing Esc on the keyboard) and modify them to your liking.

• Mouse cursor– moves the camera
• Left click– break objects, dig, attack
• Right click– places objects and serves to interact with them
• W– forward (pressed twice in succession allows you to run)
• S – back
• A– left
• D– right
• Space– jump
• Shift– stealth walk
• E– inventory
• Q– leave the item in the player’s hands
• T– chat (multiplayer) / command console

First steps

Once you are familiar with the controls, you just have to find out how to play Minecraft for the first few minutes of gameplay. The world your character is immersed in is populated by trees, animals and evil monsters called mobs, which only come out at night and try to attack your avatar.

For this reason, before anything else, it is very important to build a shelter and, moreover, you must do it before night falls. Keep in mind that the day/night cycle in Minecraft lasts 20 minutes: 10 minutes of day, 1 and a half minutes of sunset, 7 minutes of night and 1 and a half minutes of sunrise.

To build your shelter you have to perform the two fundamental operations that give the game its name: mining and crafting. The first consists in the collection of material for the construction of work tools, weapons and buildings, the second, on the other hand, is the combination of the materials collected previously to create objects of various kinds.

Mining and Crafting

At the beginning of the game you can only rely on your bare hands to collect materials to use to build tools and buildings. So go near the trees and hold down the left mouse button to collect a good amount of wood.

Next, access the game’s inventory and use the 2 × 2 grid in it to create a workbench with which to build new tools. The procedure to follow is very simple: all you have to do is select the raw wood from the bottom of the screen and move it to any of the cells of the grid, in order to obtain four oak planks.

Once you have the axes, select them with the left click and use the right mouse button to distribute them in all four cells of the grid: you will get your workbench. Then insert the bank in the first place of the inventory and drop it anywhere in the world of Minecraft, via left click.

Now, right-click on the worktable, to see a 3 × 3 grid appear, thanks to which you can create complex tools and facilitate crafting. Below I give you some example “recipes”.

• Sticks– insert two wooden planks on top of each other.
• Shovel– insert the wooden plank in box 2 and two sticks in boxes 5 and 8.
• Ice ax– insert the wooden planks in the first three squares of the grid and the sticks in squares 5 and 8.
• Torch– place the raw coal above and the stick below, anywhere on the grill.

Coal can be collected using the ice ax in a rocky area. You can use it – as just mentioned – to create torches to place in the shelter in which to spend the night, because remember: a dark shelter allows evil mobs to attack you freely.

To create a building, all you have to do is enter the material in which to build it (eg wood) in the first place of the inventory and release the various blocks that make it up anywhere in the world of Minecraft using the right mouse button. Later, you can enrich the shelter with windows and other decorations, reinforce it with rock and modify it to your liking in other ways.

How to play Minecraft online

As you have surely noticed from the start menu, Minecraft can also be played in online multiplayer mode. In fact, it is enough to connect to a server among the many available on the Net and start your adventure with other users connected from every corner of the globe.

There are numerous servers, each with different game modes and rules: for example, modified variants of the game are added to the standard Creative, Survival and Extreme modes, such as PvP in which you have to fight against other players and the RPG that redefines Minecraft. in roleplay sauce.

The list of Minecraft servers is very long, for this reason, I suggest you read my guide dedicated to the subject, in which I explained in detail where to find Minecraft servers and how to enter them.

Furthermore, an alternative solution to play Minecraft online is that offered by the purchase of Minecraft Realms servers (prices starting from € 3.99 for those designed for two friends in the Android / iOS version and € 7.19 / month for the purchase of dedicated servers for the computer version ).

It is the possibility of playing online in particular virtual spaces managed by the Minecraft development team, in which it is possible to invite your friends for free: only the owner of the Realm is, in fact, required to pay the subscription.

At this point, you should have been able to take your very first steps within Minecraft, but remember – you’re just getting started. To learn more about the topic, I suggest you read the Minecraft Wiki and search on YouTube for gameplay videos in Italian. Just type in Minecraft gameplay or Minecraft gameplay ita, to find plenty of them.

How to play modded Minecraft

One of the most popular features of Minecraft is the wide availability of mods that significantly change the game, thus allowing players to customize it in an advanced way.

Minecraft is a game full of mods, each with different characteristics; it is therefore necessary to know where to find them and how to install them, to activate them correctly. In this regard, I recommend reading my guide dedicated to the topic, in which you will find all the useful information for the purpose. Have fun!