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Microsoft announced on May 18, 2020, that Minecraft had sold more than 200 million copies and was being played by 126 million people each month. Those are historical figures from the COVID-19 pandemic—not current totals—and they measure different things: cumulative copies sold and a monthly player audience.
What Microsoft reported in May 2020
In an Xbox Wire announcement published May 18, 2020, Microsoft Studios said more than 200 million copies of Minecraft had been sold to date and 126 million people were playing the game every month.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Minecraft - Nintendo Switch | $29.83 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Minecraft: Switch Edition | $32.65 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Minecraft Legends Deluxe Edition | $49.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Minecraft | Standard Edition | XBOX Digital Code | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Minecraft | Java & Bedrock Deluxe Collection | Windows Digital Code | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
The two numbers are not interchangeable. Sales are a cumulative total of copies sold; the monthly figure describes people playing during a month. The announcement did not explain its counting methodology or say how it handled people playing on multiple platforms, so it does not establish how many unique individuals owned a copy.
How the pandemic fits the story
The milestone arrived during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Microsoft described games as a source of escape and social connection. That was the company’s framing of the moment, not a measured estimate showing how much the pandemic caused Minecraft’s sales or player count to change.
#1 Best Overall
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
In a March 24, 2020 Xbox Wire post, Microsoft described unprecedented demand for gaming and outlined a pandemic response that included free educational content in a Minecraft Marketplace education category through June 30, 2020. The post also discussed family settings for managing screen time, content, purchases, communication and sharing.
Reported increases in new players and multiplayer
A contemporaneous GeekWire report said new players had increased 25% and multiplayer sessions 40% in the preceding month, attributing those percentages to The Verge. They are secondary-reported growth figures, not percentages stated in Microsoft’s May announcement.
Rank #2
- Explore randomly-generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in Creative Mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armour to fend off the dangerous mobs
Other dated milestones
Microsoft’s April 2021 franchise fact sheet reported more than 238 million copies sold and nearly 140 million monthly active users. These later figures show that both measures had grown by that date, but they are not 2026 totals. Microsoft has not established a current figure in the sources cited here.
The May 2020 Xbox Wire announcement also said the free educational content had received more than 50 million downloads since its March 24 launch. That is a download count for the content, not a count of students or players.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- DELUXE COLLECTION — Includes Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition, three Bedrock add-ons, three exclusive Character Creator items, and 700 Minecoins.
- CREATE YOUR WORLD — Build whatever you imagine in an infinite world that’s unique in every playthrough.
- EXPLORE AND CRAFT — Discover biomes, resources, and mobs, then craft your way through a sandbox world filled with surprises.
- SURVIVE THE ADVENTURE — Face mysterious foes, travel across exciting landscapes, and venture into perilous dimensions.
- PLAY TOGETHER — Play cross-platform with friends in Bedrock Edition on console, mobile, and PC, or join community servers in Java Edition on PC, Mac, and Linux. Online console multiplayer requires a platform-specific subscription (sold separately).
Rank #4
- CREATE YOUR WORLD — Build whatever you imagine in an infinite world that is unique in every playthrough.
- EXPLORE AND CRAFT — Discover biomes, resources, and mobs, then craft your way through a sandbox world full of surprises.
- SURVIVAL ADVENTURES — Face mysterious foes, travel across varied landscapes, and venture into perilous dimensions.
- PLAY TOGETHER — Play solo or join friends in local split-screen and cross-platform play across console, mobile, and PC. Online multiplayer supports up to 8 players.
- COMMUNITY PLAY — Connect with players on community servers, or subscribe to Realms Plus (sold separately) to play with up to 10 friends on a private server.
Rank #3
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