Overworld

The Overworld is the dimension in which all players begin their Minecraft world.

Creation[]

The Overworld is the only dimension created when the player creates a new world. The other dimensions—The Nether and The End—aren't created until a player enters the corresponding dimension for the first time.

Seeds[]

A new world in Minecraft is generated through the use of a randomly generated seed, which is an integer used as a starting point for the world generation formula. The player can specify a seed or allow the game to generate one randomly. If given a non-integer input (such as the word "Glacier"), the game converts it into a corresponding integer (such as 1772835215).

A given seed generates almost exactly the same world every time, provided the same edition, game version, and world type are used. Although the exact spawn point varies, the coordinates of all-terrain features are the same. Seeds in Bedrock, Education, and New Nintendo 3DS editions also generate identical worlds for the same version and world type, but these are completely different from the worlds generated by those seeds in other editions.

Environment[]

The Overworld is an incredibly complex environment with a wide variety of features.

Biomes[]

A river biome running through a badlands biome.

The Overworld is divided into biomes of various types. A biome's type determines the basic characteristics of the terrain within it, and almost all of them have several variations that alter these characteristics to create more realistic terrain. The biome type also influences the biome's size, determines which mobs can spawn within it and affects how environmental behaviors such as weather are expressed within it.

Natural structures[]

A village, one of many naturally generated structures in the Overworld.

The Overworld is composed of a large number of terrain patterns, called generated structures, whose arrangement varies widely from one seed to another. The exact structures are unique to each world, while the types of structures that can be generated at a given place are determined by the biome type. Structures are meant to represent real-world equivalents such as mountains, caves, and lakes. "Impossible" (in the real world) formations, such as floating islands, can also be found throughout the Overworld.

Along with terrain features, natural structures include naturally-generated buildings, such as villages, dungeons, mineshafts, and ruined portals.

Daylight cycle[]

The Overworld is the only dimension with a daylight cycle and the only one where the environment reflects the passage of time. In contrast to time zones in the real world, Overworld time is universal; it is always the same time for every player in the dimension regardless of how far apart they might be, even in an "infinite" world.

During the daytime, the sun acts as a powerful light source, with a light level of 15, the maximum. Sunlight is strong enough to grow plants and affect the way mobs spawn, among other interesting effects. During the nighttime, the moon is the only natural light source. However, moonlight is comparatively dim; the light level falls to a minimum of 4, allowing hostile mobs to spawn. Other than during thunderstorms, nighttime is the only time players may sleep in a bed.

The daylight cycle can effectively be measured using a clock, which allows players to determine the approximate Minecraft time anywhere in the Overworld. Time can also be changed or stopped with the use of the /time command.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, just as it does in the real world. Observing its motion is a simple method of telling direction without a compass.

Mobs[]

The Overworld is home to a wide variety of mobs. Mobs vary greatly in behavior and the level of danger they present to the player. Different mobs spawn at different times and places depending on the light level and the biome, among other factors. On occasion, a mob can move between the Overworld and another dimension, such as The Nether, by using a portal, but this is uncommon. Boss mobs like the ender dragon and the wither cannot enter portals.

Passive mobs[]

Neutral mobs[]

Hostile mobs[]

Generation[]

As with all other dimensions in the game, the Overworld can generate infinitely. However, there are some limitations, as detailed below. Like the other dimensions, it is divided into 16×256×16 (in 1.17, 16×384×16) block sections called chunks.

The Overworld encompasses a three-dimensional volume that extends vertically from the Void up to the build limit (y=0..256; after 1.16, y=−64..320), and horizontally for a virtually infinite distance in each direction. This volume is filled (virtually speaking) with air, terrain, and structures. Technically, the terrain is formed by generating multiple noise maps to produce differing elevations, general land shapes, and complex mountain and cave systems.

Limitations[]

Visual cutoff point of an old *Minecraft* map (Left is normal *Minecraft* generation, the right is after limitation.)

While the world is virtually infinite, the number of blocks a player may physically reach is limited with where the limits are depending on the edition of the game and the world type being played.

In Java Edition, the map contains a world border located by default at X/Z coordinates ±29,999,984. The world border is an animated wall of blue stripes. Standing near the border results in a red vignette appearing around the screen. Most entities are unable to pass the border, except by teleporting. Players who breach the border receive constant damage unless they are in creative or spectator mode. The player can teleport past the world border and continue as far as X/Z ±29,999,999, where there is an invisible wall. However, the player can travel a few chunks further by riding horses, pigs, and minecarts through it.^[verify]

In Bedrock Edition, Old-type worlds are limited to 256 blocks each in the X and Z directions. The edge of the world is barricaded with an invisible barrier. Infinite-type worlds have no fixed horizontal limits, but either generation stops or normal game behavior begins to break down at extreme distances; the exact details depend on the platform. However, experiments suggest that players can generally reach at least X/Z ±30,000,000 before such problems occur.

Terrain features[]

The Overworld contains numerous terrain features, at a wide variety of scales.

Blocks[]

Naturally generated[]

"Naturally generated" includes blocks that are created through the world seed.

Naturally created[]

Naturally created means a combination of events that cause a new block to be placed by natural causes, not the player. Some of these blocks may also be created as part of world generation.

Structures[]

Same as naturally generated, but these blocks are created only with the "Generate Structures" option enabled.

Technical information[]

ID[]

Name	Resource location (JE)	Numeric ID
Overworld	`overworld`	`0`

Folder[]

In Java Edition, information on the Overworld is stored in the region folder of the .minecraft/saves/worldname directory, with "worldname" being the name of your world.

Deleting the region folder resets the Overworld so that all player-made changes and buildings in that dimension are undone.

Achievements[]

Some achievements and advancements can only be obtained in the overworld, as their conditions cannot be replicated in the Nether or the End at all.

Icon		Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS4)
PS4	Other platforms	Achievement	In-game description	Actual requirements (if different)	Gamerscore earned	Trophy type (PS4)
		Adventuring Time	Discover 17 biomes.	Visit any 17 biomes. Does not have to be in a single world.	40G	Silver
		Treasure Hunter	Acquire a map from a cartographer villager, then enter the revealed structure	Visit the structure indicated while the purchased map is in your main hand (hotbar).	40G	Silver
		Let It Go!	Using the Frost Walker boots, walk on at least 1 block on frozen water on a deep ocean	—	20G	Bronze
		Atlantis?	Find an underwater ruin	—	20G	Silver
		Sail the 7 Seas	Visit all ocean biomes	Visit all ocean biomes except the deep warm ocean/legacy frozen ocean (as they are unused)	40G	Gold
		Ahoy!	Find a shipwreck	—	20G	Silver
		Me Gold!	Dig up a buried treasure	Open a buried treasure chest	30G	Silver
		Echolocation	Feed a dolphin fish to have it lead you to treasure	Feed a dolphin raw cod and have it lure you to treasure.	20G	Silver

Advancements[]

Advancement	In-game description	Parent	Actual requirements (if different)	Resource location
Eye Spy	Follow an Ender Eye	We Need to Go Deeper	Enter a stronghold.	`story/follow_ender_eye`
Subspace Bubble	Use the Nether to travel 7 km in the Overworld	Nether	Use the Nether to travel between 2 points in the Overworld with a minimum horizontal distance of 7000 blocks between each other, which is 875 blocks in the Nether.	`nether/fast_travel`
Uneasy Alliance	Rescue a Ghast from the Nether, bring it safely home to the Overworld... and then kill it	Return to Sender	Kill a ghast while in the Overworld.	`nether/uneasy_alliance`
Sweet Dreams	Sleep in a bed to change your respawn point	Adventure	Lie down in a bed. The advancement is granted as soon as the player is in the bed, even if the player does not successfully sleep.	`adventure/sleep_in_bed`
Adventuring Time	Discover every biome	Sweet Dreams	Visit all of these 42 biomes:‌^{[until JE 1.18]} Badlands Badlands Plateau Bamboo Jungle Bamboo Jungle Hills Beach Birch Forest Birch Forest Hills Cold Ocean Dark Forest Deep Cold Ocean Deep Frozen Ocean Deep Lukewarm Ocean Desert Desert Hills Forest Frozen River Giant Tree Taiga Giant Tree Taiga Hills Jungle Jungle Edge Jungle Hills Lukewarm Ocean Mountains Mushroom Field Shore Mushroom Fields Plains River Savanna Savanna Plateau Snowy Beach Snowy Mountains Snowy Taiga Snowy Taiga Hills Snowy Tundra Stone Shore Swamp Taiga Taiga Hills Warm Ocean Wooded Badlands Plateau Wooded Hills Wooded Mountains Visit all of these 31 biomes:‌^{[upcoming: JE 1.18]} Badlands Bamboo Jungle Beach Birch Forest Cold Ocean Dark Forest Deep Cold Ocean Deep Frozen Ocean Deep Lukewarm Ocean Desert Forest Frozen River Jungle Lukewarm Ocean Mushroom Fields Old Growth Pine Taiga Plains River Savanna Savanna Plateau Snowy Beach Snowy Taiga Snowy Plains Sparse Jungle Stony Shore Swamp Taiga Warm Ocean Windswept Forest Windswept Hills Wooded Badlands The advancement is only for Overworld biomes. Other biomes, if any, may also be visited, but are ignored for this advancement.	`adventure/adventuring_time`

History[]

The classic finite generator used in late 2009

The version of the terrain generator used prior to Alpha v1.2.0

The world generator used from Alpha v1.2.0 to Beta 1.7.3.

The world generator used in release 1.7 to 1.17.1.

The world generator used in 1.18 onwards.

Java Edition pre-Classic
Cave game tech test		The map is originally finite, with randomly-generated terrain.
rd-132211		The map terrain is changed to be completely flat.
rd-160052		The terrain is now composed of hills and valleys.
Java Edition Classic
0.0.12a		Terrain changed to shallow hills.
		The Minecraft world is now surrounded by an ocean with a floor of bedrock.
		Pressing N generates a new level.
August 25, 2009		New generator showed off with terrain given more cliffs, longer and narrower caves.
Java Edition Indev
20100212-1		Added the daylight cycle.
Java Edition Infdev
20100227-1		First test of infinite world generation, using the same terrain generator as in Indev.
20100327		New terrain generator, removing flowers and caves temporarily.
20100327		Height limit increased to 128.^{[is this the correct version?]} Previously the build limit was 64^[verify] (32 blocks above sea level and 32 below).
20100611		Changed terrain generator.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.2.3		The `F3` key toggles a debug console that shows the player's exact coordinates.
Java Edition Beta
1.3		Player's can now specify a world's name and seed.
1.5		Added weather.
1.7		An 'f' value was added to the debug console, indicating the direction the player is facing.
1.8	Pre-release	New terrain generator.
1.8	Pre-release	The Far Lands were removed.
Java Edition
1.2.1	12w07a	The build limit has been increased from 128 to 256
1.7.2	13w36a	Cave Generation was tweaked, making caves less dense and interconnected.^[1]
1.7.2	13w36a	New biomes were added and some old biomes were changed.
1.8	14w17a	Added a world border, which appears one chunk before the world boundary, and can be penetrated.
1.13	18w08a	Added the warm ocean, lukewarm ocean, cold ocean, deep lukewarm ocean, deep cold ocean, and deep frozen ocean biomes.
	18w08a	Frozen oceans now generate again and have been given a new look.
	18w15a	Ocean variants now have their own water colors.
Upcoming Java Edition
1.18	Experimental Snapshot 1	Terrain now generates using the multi-noise biome source type.
		Terrain generation is now independent from biomes, with biomes adapting to whatever terrain they happen to generate throughout.
		Terrain is now smoother and more extreme.
		The build limit has been increased by 64 blocks above and 64 blocks below, now reaching from -64 to 320.
		Added 3 Noise caves: Cheese, spaghetti and noodle.
		The values C, E, T, H, and W have been added to the Debug Console under the Multinoise line, representing the biome's continentialness, erosion, temperature, humidity, and weirdness, respectively.
		The Terrain line has been added to the Debug Console, which lists values related to terrain generation.
	experimental snapshot 2	Clouds now spawn at y=192, rather than y=128.
		Biome generation has been tweaked.
		Old Mountains are now labeled as Extreme Hills, and Gravelly Mountains are now Gravelly Hills.

Issues[]

Issues relating to "Overworld" are maintained on the bug tracker. Report issues there.

Gallery[]

The select world menu in Beta 1.2.
The create world menu in Beta 1.6.x.
Creating the new world in 1.17.1.
More world options in 1.17.1.
Game rules option in 1.17.1.

Trivia[]

The maximum number of blocks that can be generated in the Overworld is approximately 921.6 quadrillion (9.216×10¹⁷) blocks, assuming a distance of 30,000,000 blocks in either direction.
- The total area is about 8 times the surface of the Earth, or approximately the surface area of the planet Neptune.
- This means that storing a filled world, with no entities or block entities, would require 3.6864 quintillion (3.6864×10¹⁸) bits (409 petabytes) for the block data alone, based on the fact that each standard block is assigned 4 bits of information.
- By manually modifying the game, it is possible to generate the world up to 2,147,483,647 blocks (the 32-bit integer limit) in either direction.
A 1:1 (1 block = 1 meter) scale map of the Earth, built-in Minecraft, would be 510.9 trillion (5.109×10¹⁴) blocks in size.
- Assuming the map is one block deep and uses 1 byte per block, its size would be approximately 475,800 GB (464.7 TB).
- A Moon-sized map would be made of 37.95 trillion (3.795×10¹³) blocks. Its data size would be 35,340 GB (34.52 TB).

References[]

↑ http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1981051-it-seems-that-the-underground-is-no-longer-swiss-cheese-anymore/page__hl__cave%20generation%20swiss%20cheese

Environment

[1] ttp://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1981051-it-seems-that-the-underground-is-no-longer-swiss-cheese-anymore/page__hl__cave%20generation%20swiss%20cheese

[1]

Minecraft Wiki