How many people play Minecraft? Players and sales
Minecraft hit a record 155 million monthly players by September 2025 and passed 425 million copies sold in September 2026.
About 155 million people a month played Minecraft in July to September 2025, the most Microsoft has ever reported, CEO Satya Nadella said on the company’s earnings call that October. By 26 September 2026 it had sold more than 425 million copies, and about 300,000 people were playing it for the first time every day, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said at Minecraft Live.
Seventeen years after its first release in 2009, Minecraft is not just surviving. It is the best-selling video game of all time, a Guinness World Record, and its 2025 film made nearly $1 billion at the box office. Here are the numbers.
Minecraft key statistics
- 425 million+ copies sold by 26 September 2026, more than any other video game, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said.
- 155 million monthly players in July to September 2025, the highest Microsoft has reported.
- 300,000 new players a day, on average, as of September 2026.
- July to September 2026 was Minecraft’s best quarter ever for players and revenue, Satya Nadella said on Microsoft’s 28 October 2026 earnings call.
- 800 million+ registered players on the Chinese edition by April 2025, NetEase said.
- $500 million+ earned by Marketplace creators by 2022, Microsoft said.
- $960 million worldwide box office for A Minecraft Movie (2025), Box Office Mojo shows.
Minecraft sales
Minecraft has sold more than 425 million copies, the best-selling video game of all time
- Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said at Minecraft Live on 26 September 2026 that the game had passed 425 million copies sold.
- Guinness World Records lists it as the best-selling video game in history, at 350 million copies in April 2025.
- The game crossed 300 million copies in October 2023 and added another 125 million in under three years.
| When | Copies sold | Reported by |
|---|---|---|
| June 2016 | more than 100 million | The Verge |
| October 2018 | 154 million | Microsoft, via PocketGamer.biz |
| May 2020 | more than 200 million | Xbox Wire |
| April 2021 | 238 million | GameSpot |
| October 2023 | 300 million | The Verge |
| April 2025 | 350 million | Guinness World Records |
| September 2026 | more than 425 million | GamesRadar+ |
No other video game has sold more copies across all platforms combined. Grand Theft Auto V, the next best-seller, was at 225 million at the end of 2025, Take-Two said.
Minecraft players
Minecraft hit a record 155 million monthly players in 2025
- Monthly players reached 155 million in July to September 2025, the all-time high, Satya Nadella said on Microsoft’s October 2025 earnings call.
- That beat the pandemic-era peak of more than 141 million in August 2021, Windows Central reported.
- In April 2020, early in the pandemic, Minecraft saw 25% more new players and 40% more multiplayer sessions, GeekWire reported. By October 2020, multiplayer sessions were up nearly 90%, Mojang said.
| When | Monthly players | Reported by |
|---|---|---|
| June 2016 | more than 40 million | The Verge |
| September 2018 | 91 million | Microsoft, via PocketGamer.biz |
| May 2020 | 126 million | Xbox Wire |
| October 2020 | more than 131 million | Windows Central |
| April 2021 | nearly 140 million | GameSpot |
| August 2021 | more than 141 million | Windows Central |
| July–September 2025 | 155 million (record) | GamesMarket |
Is Minecraft dying? No. The 155 million monthly players Microsoft reported for July to September 2025 is the game’s highest count so far, and on 28 October 2026 Microsoft said July to September 2026 had set new all-time highs for players and revenue. In September 2026 it was still adding about 300,000 new players a day.
The Chinese edition has more than 800 million registered players
- The free Chinese edition, run by NetEase and launched in 2017, passed 800 million registered players by April 2025, NetEase said at its developer conference that month, Ali213 reported.
- Growth by year: 100 million (May 2018), 300 million (November 2019), 400 million (November 2020), 800 million (April 2025).
- The Chinese edition is free to play, with content you can’t get anywhere else.
China’s registered player count is almost twice Minecraft’s global paid sales figure. It’s the single largest concentration of Minecraft players anywhere in the world.
Minecraft revenue
Minecraft had its best quarter ever for revenue in July to September 2026
- Satya Nadella said on Microsoft’s 28 October 2026 earnings call that Minecraft set all-time highs for players and revenue in July to September 2026.
- Microsoft paid $2.5 billion to buy Mojang in 2014, GeekWire noted.
- Creators on the Chinese edition had earned a combined RMB 1.6 billion (about $220 million) from their worlds and mods by April 2025, NetEase said.
A Minecraft Movie
A Minecraft Movie grossed $960 million worldwide in 2025
- A Minecraft Movie earned $960,387,780 at the worldwide box office, Box Office Mojo shows.
- Domestic (US and Canada) gross was $424 million (44.2%), and international was $536 million (55.8%).
- Its $162.8 million first weekend in the US and Canada, 4 to 6 April 2025, was the biggest opening of 2025 there.
| Market | Box office |
|---|---|
| Domestic (US and Canada) | $424,087,780 |
| International | $536,300,000 |
| Worldwide | $960,387,780 |
Nearly $1 billion at the box office makes A Minecraft Movie the third highest-grossing video game film ever, behind only The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.36 billion, 2023) and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie ($1.01 billion, 2026), Box Office Mojo shows.
Minecraft Marketplace and mods
Minecraft Marketplace creators have earned more than $500 million
- By 2022, Marketplace creators had earned more than $500 million from over 1.7 billion downloads, Microsoft said, GameDaily reported.
- That was up from more than $350 million and 1 billion downloads in April 2021, Satya Nadella said on that quarter’s earnings call.
- The Marketplace launched in 2017 with just 9 approved creators. By 2022 there were almost 300.
Minecraft Dungeons
Minecraft Dungeons passed 25 million players
- Minecraft Dungeons, the action RPG spin-off released in May 2020, passed 25 million players across all platforms by September 2023, Mojang said.
- It hit 10 million players in February 2021. By then the final boss had been defeated 5.9 million times, and the Redstone Monstrosity 7 million times in 19.5 million attempts, Windows Central reported.
- Those first 10 million players spent a combined 6,660 years fighting enemies.