block-building Archives

AppWizard

May 8, 2026

Polygon’s Minecraft Documentary Battle of the Boroughs Teaser

Polygon has released a documentary titled "Battle of the Boroughs: The Kids Who Build New York City in Minecraft," directed by Simone de Rochefort. The film focuses on the 2025 Battle of the Boroughs competition, organized by NYC Public Schools, which encourages students to use Minecraft Education to address societal issues like housing inequality and climate resilience. The competition involves a structured process leading to the Mayor's Cup finals, where students engage in block-building to explore urban dynamics. The documentary captures the students' experiences and projects throughout this initiative. The full 40-minute film premiered on May 6 and is available for viewing. A live screening will take place at the NYC Video Game Festival on May 9, alongside competitive gaming events.

AppWizard

April 14, 2026

Minecraft Will Host a TwitchCon Europe Experience in May 2026

TwitchCon Europe will take place from May 30-31, 2026, in Rotterdam, Netherlands, featuring a collaboration with Mojang Studios to create a Minecraft-themed experience. The event will include interactive activities, a Minecraft Arena, and Twitch's Rivals Arena & Glitch Theatre Creator Stage. Attendees can participate in IRL tournaments, panels with popular streamers like Tubbo and Aimsey, and a Minecraft speedrunning tournament hosted by Tubbo. Mary Kish, Head of Community Marketing at Twitch, highlighted the significance of Minecraft in the Twitch community and the event's focus on connecting creators and fans.

AppWizard

April 12, 2026

This developer squeezed a full Minecraft server onto an ESP32, and it actually works

A developer named angelthebox has created a Minecraft server called Macerun that runs on the ESP32-S3 microcontroller, using Minecraft version 1.16.5 rewritten in C. Key features include the ability for players to join the server, explore the world, place and break blocks, procedural world chunk generation, basic crafting mechanics with 2x2 recipes, in-game chat, and tracking of basic physics, health, and hunger. Changes to blocks are saved to the chip's flash memory. However, the server lacks mobs, 3x3 crafting recipes, and the ability to retain player inventories and positions after exiting. The source code is available on the Macerun GitHub page.

AppWizard

March 26, 2026

Tiny Takeover Game Drop

Tiny Takeover is the first Minecraft game update of 2026, featuring redesigned baby mobs that enhance visual appeal and interaction. The update includes new items to enrich gameplay, encouraging exploration and creativity. Additionally, it introduces playful sounds that enhance the immersive experience.

AppWizard

March 13, 2026

A new Minecraft-inspired immersive experience is opening in Chicago this spring

The Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue will open on May 8 at EXP Rosemont, near Chicago. Developed with Mojang Studios and Experience MOD, it features a story-driven quest where participants rescue villagers from zombies across seven realms. Players will gather resources, solve puzzles, and encounter various creatures using an "Orb of Interaction" to track progress. The attraction is accessible to both Minecraft fans and newcomers, with an on-site Trading Post offering themed souvenirs and a commemorative in-game cape. Tickets go on sale March 17 at 9 AM CT, with prices starting at [price not specified]. The event will run for a limited time in Rosemont’s Pearl District.

AppWizard

March 1, 2026

Minecraft Meets No Man’s Sky In New Sci-Fi RPG You Can Try Free

SpaceCraft is an upcoming space exploration game from Shiro Games, set to launch into Steam Early Access in the second quarter of 2026. The game will allow players to explore a vast galaxy with diverse planets, mine and craft resources, design and build ships, and engage in trade with other factions and players.

AppWizard

January 14, 2026

Hytale surges to the most-watched game on Twitch, attracting over 420,000 viewers with its long-awaited launch

Hytale has officially entered early access after a decade of development challenges. The game's announcement trailer from 2018 has received 62 million views. On launch day, Hytale became the most-watched game on Twitch with over 420,000 viewers. Players are encountering challenges with wildlife, particularly bears. Hytale has secured funding for two years of early access development, and expectations are high for over one million players on launch day. There has been a significant spike in global search interest for Hytale on Google Trends. Initial technical issues have arisen, and the development team is working on a hotfix to address bugs and account verification delays due to high demand.

AppWizard

January 9, 2026

Minecraft has redesigned its baby mobs to be even cuter, and I need you to stop and look at them because they’re just too precious

Minecraft is introducing a new update that adds eight baby animals to the game, enhancing the farming experience. The new baby animals include rabbits, wolf pups, kittens, calves, piglets, chickens, ocelots, and lambs, each designed to reflect their infancy more accurately than previous scaled-down models. The update features unique sounds for each baby animal to enhance immersion. Players can access these updates through the snapshot functionality and the Bedrock beta/preview. Additionally, Microsoft is planning a Minecraft spinoff in collaboration with Activision Blizzard.

AppWizard

December 26, 2025

Minecraft x Stranger Things DLC now available

The latest DLC for Minecraft is themed around the finale of Stranger Things, allowing players to explore Hawkins, Indiana, and play as characters like Will, Dustin, Mike, or Eleven, each with unique abilities. Players can visit the Dressing Room to claim a complimentary Hellfire Club T-shirt. The Stranger Things DLC is available for purchase at a price of 1,510 Minecoins.

AppWizard

December 23, 2025

Minecraft could be in line for some big changes as Mojang hires former Ubisoft exec as new ‘head of Vanilla’

Minecraft Vanilla is the unmodified version of the game, maintaining its original gameplay without any mods or enhancements. Katie Scott has been appointed as the head of Minecraft Vanilla, starting in February, and she has a background in integrating microtransactions into games from her time at Ubisoft. Scott's previous roles involved aggressive monetization tactics and live service strategies in franchises like Assassin's Creed and Rainbow Six. Concerns have been raised within the Minecraft community regarding her experience with monetization practices, including 'surprise mechanics' associated with predatory tactics. While Minecraft is already a monetized platform, the implications of Scott's appointment for the future of vanilla Minecraft remain uncertain.