Minecraft Stays Paid: 'Best Deal Globally'

In an era where many live service games have shifted to a free-to-play model, Minecraft continues to stand firm as a premium purchase. During a recent interview with IGN, Mojang's team expressed their commitment to maintaining the "buy and own" approach, even 16 years after its initial release. So, if you're hoping for Minecraft to become free-to-play, you might want to keep waiting.

"Yeah, it doesn't really work with the way we built it," said Ingela Garneij, the 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 to 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, numerous titles have transitioned to a free-to-download format, often filled with battle passes and cosmetic packs, yielding varied outcomes. Examples include Overwatch 2, Destiny 2, and even Minecraft's Microsoft counterpart, Halo Infinite (specifically its multiplayer component).

The pressure to find new monetization strategies is a common challenge for game developers and publishers. Yet, Mojang appears to remain unaffected by these pressures. "No, no. What's important for us is that many people can enjoy it still and that's going strong still," Garneij emphasized.

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's commitment to its players means that the game will continue to evolve without requiring additional payments for new features. This is demonstrated by the upcoming Vibrant Visuals graphics update, which will be available to all players at no extra cost in the coming months. And with no plans for a Minecraft 2 in sight, fans won't need to repurchase the best-selling game anytime soon—unless they want to enjoy it on another of the many devices it supports.

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