The 91 million figure is historical, not Minecraft’s current player count. Xbox Wire used it in 2019 while describing the community around the game’s 2018 cross-play expansion; Microsoft announced Minecraft for Xbox Game Pass later that year, with access beginning April 4. Neither announcement says Game Pass created that audience.
Where Minecraft’s 91 million figure came from
In a January 8, 2019 year-in-review, Xbox Wire described Minecraft as having “91 million monthly players” in the context of Microsoft and Nintendo’s 2018 cross-play work. That work brought players on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Windows, and mobile closer together. Xbox Wire’s 2018 Minecraft year-in-review is the source of the monthly wording.
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The number was a company-reported description of the community at that time. It does not establish how many people play Minecraft each month now.
When Minecraft joined Xbox Game Pass
On March 12, 2019, Xbox Wire announced that Minecraft would be available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers beginning April 4. In that announcement, Xbox Game Pass Director of Product Marketing Parimal Deshpande wrote: “Beginning April 4, Xbox Game Pass members can join the Minecraft community of millions of players from around the world.” The announcement described that community as “over 91 million players of all ages from virtually every country in the world.” Read the Game Pass announcement.
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The announcement gave the audience figure as context for the subscription launch; it did not claim Game Pass caused the player count. Its “over 91 million players” wording is also distinct from the earlier “91 million monthly players” phrasing.
A later historical player figure
An April 2021 Minecraft franchise fact sheet reported “up to 140 million monthly active players.” This is a separate, dated company statement, not an independently audited continuation of the 2019 figure. It should not be treated as a current total or combined with the 2019 wording to infer a trend. The Minecraft franchise fact sheet gives the 2021 figure.
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What the current player count is—and is not—known to be
The official figures cited above are historical: 91 million monthly players in a 2019 retrospective about the 2018 community, “over 91 million players” in the March 2019 Game Pass announcement, and up to 140 million monthly active players in an April 2021 fact sheet. The official material reviewed here does not establish Minecraft’s monthly active-player count in October 2026. None of those older numbers should be presented as the current audience.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to play Minecraft on PC today
The Xbox Store listing checked on October 8, 2026, shows Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition for PC as both purchasable and included with Game Pass. The listing confirms those access paths at the time checked, but catalog availability, eligible plan, price, and regional terms can change. Check the listing for your location and subscription before deciding which route applies.
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Minecraft’s official overview lists PC/Mac/Linux, Chromebook, iOS, Android, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and Amazon Fire among its platform families. Java and Bedrock are different editions, so check the edition and platform your friends use before buying if cross-play is important. The official Minecraft overview explains the editions and supported platforms.
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