Minecraft focuses on allowing the player to explore, interact with, and modify a dynamically-generated map made of one-cubic-meter-sized blocks. In addition to blocks, the environment features plants, mobs, and items. Some activities in the game include mining for ore, fighting hostile mobs, and crafting new blocks and tools by gathering various resources found in the game. The game's open-ended model allows players to create structures, creations, and artwork on various multiplayer servers or their single-player maps. Other features include redstone circuits for logic computations and remote actions, minecarts and tracks, and a mysterious underworld called the Nether. A designated but completely optional goal of the game is to travel to a dimension called the End, and defeat the ender dragon.

Gameplay in most game modes of Minecraft consists mainly of adding and destroying a variety of different blocks in a randomly generated world. With these blocks, players can manipulate the world around them, building and destroying structures. As gameplay in Minecraft is so open and unguided, players often set their own goals and play the game as they see fit.

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.

Bedrock Edition (also known as the Bedrock editions, Bedrock versions, or just Bedrock) refers to the multi-platform family of editions of Minecraft developed by Mojang Studios, Xbox Game Studios, 4J Studios, and SkyBox Labs. Prior to this term, as the engine originated with Pocket Edition, this entire product family was referred to as "Pocket Edition", "MCPE", or "Pocket/Windows 10 Edition", to which it is still frequently referred to as.