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What is Minecraft?
Last verified: Oct 14, 2026
Minecraft is a sandbox building game from Mojang/Microsoft. Bedrock Edition runs on consoles, phones, tablets and Windows. Java Edition runs on PC/Mac/Linux.
How it works
- Worlds: saved games on the device, single-player or shared with friends on the same network.
- Realms: Mojang's paid, private, invite-only servers.
- Servers: run by third parties, some with thousands of strangers and their own rules, chat and stores.
What parents should know
- Public third-party servers mean chat with strangers under each server's own moderation.
- Marketplace and server stores can take real money.
None of this means the platform is unsafe by default. It's why the controls exist and why they're worth ten minutes to set up.
Why it's rated the way it is
The core game is gentle, but online play isn't covered by the age rating. Multiplayer is controlled through the Xbox/Microsoft family settings on child accounts.
⚠ We haven't yet checked this title's current rating listing. Look it up at esrb.org/search or on the store page.