Edition

Minecraft has several editions, some of which are discontinued.

Java Edition[]

Minecraft: Java Edition (formerly Minecraft) is the original version of Minecraft, developed by Mojang Studios for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Notch began development on May 10, 2009, publicly releasing Minecraft on May 17, 2009. The full release of the game was on November 18, 2011, at MINECON 2011. The latest Java Edition version is 1.18.2.

Bedrock Edition[]

Bedrock Edition (also known as the "Bedrock editions", "Bedrock versions", or just "Bedrock") refers to the multi-platform versions of Minecraft developed by Mojang Studios, Xbox Game Studios, and SkyBox Labs and based on the Bedrock codebase. The latest Bedrock Edition version is 1.18.33.

Legacy Console Edition[]

Legacy Console Edition refers collectively to several nearly identical versions of Minecraft developed by 4J Studios for game consoles. It comprises of:

Xbox 360 Edition (Final version: TU75)
Xbox One Edition (Final version: CU58)
PlayStation 3 Edition (Final version: 1.84)
PlayStation 4 Edition (Final version: 1.95)
PlayStation Vita Edition (Final version: 1.84)
Wii U Edition (Final version: Patch 43)
Nintendo Switch Edition (Final version: 1.0.17)

Legacy Console Edition introduced new features such as a simplified crafting system, in-game tutorials, leaderboards, built-in mini games and split-screen multiplayer (excluding PlayStation Vita Edition), as well as online multiplayer for up to sixteen players,‌^{[Xbox One and PlayStation 4 editions only]} which required a PlayStation Plus membership (PS4), Xbox Live Gold membership (Xbox One), Nintendo Network ID (Wii U), or Nintendo Switch Online membership. As with all editions, updates were free of charge.

Other[]

Minecraft 4k[]

Minecraft 4k was an version of Minecraft developed for the 2010 Java 4K contest, where the entry games were required to be within four kibibytes (4096 bytes) in size.^[1]

MinecraftEdu[]

MinecraftEdu is a sandbox indie educational video game written in Java, developed by TeacherGaming, published by E-Line Media, and licensed by Mojang Studios.^[2] It is meant as an educational version of Minecraft.

Pi Edition[]

Minecraft: Pi Edition is a version of Minecraft developed for the Raspberry Pi. It is based on Pocket Edition Alpha v0.6.1 but slightly cut down, containing a revised feature set and support for multiple programming languages. Pi Edition is intended as an educational tool for novice programmers.

Education Edition[]

Minecraft: Education Edition is an educational version of Minecraft specifically designed for classroom use. It is being developed by Mojang Studios and Xbox Game Studios and contains features that make Minecraft easy to use in a classroom setting.

China Edition[]

Minecraft: China Edition is a localized version of Java and Bedrock editions for mainland China, developed by Mojang Studios and NetEase.

New Nintendo 3DS Edition[]

Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition is the version of Minecraft developed by Other Ocean Interactive and Mojang Studios for the New Nintendo 3DS/2DS systems, but is not compatible with the original Nintendo 3DS/2DS systems. The final version was 1.9.19.

List[]

	Java Edition	Bedrock Edition ^{[note 1]}^{[note 2]}	Legacy Console Edition ^{[note 3]}	Other editions
Active		Pocket Edition Windows 10 Edition	—	Education Edition China Edition
Discontinued	—	Pocket Edition Gear VR Edition Apple TV Edition Fire TV Edition	Xbox 360 Edition Xbox One Edition PlayStation 3 Edition PlayStation 4 Edition PlayStation Vita Edition Wii U Edition Nintendo Switch Edition	Minecraft 4k 🌐 MinecraftEdu Pi Edition ^{(ARM only)} China Edition New Nintendo 3DS Edition
Development versions	Pre-classic Classic Indev Infdev Alpha Beta Snapshot Pre-Release Release Candidate	Pocket Edition Alpha Pocket Edition Beta	—
Merged with LCE ^{[note 4]}	—	Xbox One Edition Nintendo Switch Edition PlayStation 4 Edition	—

Dates[]

Edition		Released on	Discontinued on
Java Edition		May 17, 2009	—
Bedrock Edition	📱 Pocket Edition	August 16, 2011
	Windows 10 Edition	July 29, 2015
	Gear VR Edition	April 27, 2016	September 3, 2020
	Apple TV Edition	December 19, 2016	August 7, 2017
	Fire TV Edition	December 19, 2016	April 22, 2021
	Xbox One	September 20, 2017	—
	Nintendo Switch	June 21, 2018
	PlayStation 4	December 10, 2019
Education Edition		November 1, 2016
China Edition		August 8, 2017
Legacy Console Edition	Xbox 360 Edition	May 9, 2012	April 30, 2019
	Xbox One Edition	September 5, 2014	December 3, 2019
	PlayStation 3 Edition	December 17, 2013	April 15, 2020
	PlayStation 4 Edition	September 4, 2014	September 9, 2019
	PlayStation Vita Edition	October 14, 2014	April 15, 2020
	Wii U Edition	December 17, 2015	March 19, 2019
	Nintendo Switch Edition	May 11, 2017	June 21, 2018
Other editions	🌐 Minecraft 4k	December 2, 2009	December 4, 2009
	MinecraftEdu	November 5, 2011	April 5, 2016
	^{(ARM only)} Pi Edition	February 11, 2013
	New Nintendo 3DS Edition	September 13, 2017	January 15, 2019

Notes[]

↑ The official Bedrock Edition for PCs, mobile devices, consoles, TVs, and VR devices.
↑ Before the release of the Better Together Update, the Bedrock Edition was split into many different platform editions.
↑ The official Legacy Console Edition for consoles.
↑ The Xbox One and Nintendo Switch editions, unlike the other editions listed, could not be updated directly into Bedrock Edition. Bedrock Edition had to be bought separately from the Legacy Console Edition versions, excluding the PlayStation 4 Edition. However, those who purchased said Legacy Console Editions received a free digital copy of the Bedrock Edition upon it coming to the console, and things like worlds and skin packs could be transferred to the Bedrock Edition.

References[]

↑ "Minecraft 4k (very early build)" (archived) by Markus_Persson – Java-Gaming.org, December 3, 2009. "Widescreen! Many block types! Building and destroying blocks! Different mouse look that frees up both buttons! Less bugs! Also, the .pack.gz is STILL under 2kb :P"
↑ Where can I buy Minecraft? - Mojang Support; last updated December 18, 2015