All about Minecraft Legends, from release date to gameplay

Minecraft Legends will surprise players with a massive twist on the Overworld on its release date, which happens to be right around the corner.

When gamers think of Minecraft, they usually think of idly chipping away in underground mines or slowly accumulating the resources to build giant wizard towers. However, Mojang has very different ideas for what fans want from the franchise.

The newest title in the Minecraft franchise will shift to an action strategy title, mixing the likes of Pikmin and Total War into an innovative new game. If you and your friends love starting wars in your own Minecraft server, Legends will be right up your alley. 

With a release date set for just weeks away, here’s everything you need to know about Minecraft Legends.

Release date for Minecraft Legends

The planned release date for Minecraft Legends is April 18, 2023.  That date was revealed in an official gameplay trailer released on January 25. 

Minecraft Legends was first revealed on June 12, 2022 with a cinematic trailer. That first look also clarified that the story of Minecraft Legends is literally an in-universe legend passed down by the villagers. The first trailer’s unclear genre drew some confusion, but additional promotional material has cleared up exactly what kind of game Minecraft Legends will be.

What kind of game is Minecraft Legends?

Minecraft Legends is a third-person action strategy game where the player leads armies into battle. It features real-time combat with a wide variety of controllable units and enemies.

Gameplay works somewhat similarly to other commander-style strategy games like Pikmin and Battalion Wars. Players amass an army of units and then travel to enemy encampments to do battle and accomplish objectives. Based on the trailer, the most common goal will be to free trapped units from enemy bases. The scale of these battles will vary, with some being small hillside skirmishes while others are full-on sieges of enemy castles.

In addition to standard villagers, Minecraft Legends players will also be able to recruit enemies from the original game to aid them in their quest. These include zombies, golems, and even creepers. Details on the single-player mode are still scarce, but the game has confirmed that players will be able to play with each on both friendly and unfriendly terms.

The game will feature a single-player campaign that can also be completed in cooperative mode with friends. Progression for the game is unclear, but based on similar titles in the genre, it will probably include unlocking new types of units and cosmetics.

Minecraft is all about self-expression, and the player character’s outfit is already confirmed to be customizable. Your personal general also gets a trusty steed to ride into battle on, so expect to see several skins for your horse as well.

Minecraft Legends doesn’t show signs of offering a live service-based monetization model, but players won’t know for sure until the April 18 release date.

Will Minecraft Legends have multiplayer?

Minecraft Legends will indeed have multiplayer, with both cooperative and competitive modes available in the game at launch. 

Gameplay footage for Minecraft Legends multiplayer is scarce, but trailers and developer comments have confirmed that players will be able to join each other online. 

The first option for Minecraft Legends will be cooperative play, where two or more players can join together and command their own armies in large-scale battles. The PvE mode will let up to four players team up to take on the campaign, though there may be randomly generated battles to fight in as well. Coop gameplay for Minecraft Legends is currently under wraps, but players will likely lead their own armies into battle against the piglins.

The more exciting multiplayer game mode for Minecraft Legends is competitive, where two teams of up to four players each will fight against one another. Details are under wraps, but Mojang has confirmed eight-player lobbies with crossplay.

It’s unlikely that Minecraft Legends will have much esports potential, but the game’s release will probably get people’s competitive spirit up. There will be plenty to discover about managing a Minecraft Legends economy when the game drops on its April 18 release date.

To help fill up those surprisingly big lobbies, Minecraft Legends is confirmed to have complete crossplay between all of its platforms. In addition, the game will be accessible for gamers on all sorts of hardware.

Launch platforms for Minecraft Legends

Minecraft Legends will be available on all of the following platforms at launch.

• Nintendo Switch
• PC
• PlayStation 4
• PlayStation 5
• Xbox One
• Xbox Series

The list is fairly comprehensive, with both the current generation of home consoles and both companies’ predecessors being fully supported. Nintendo Switch is an obvious inclusion considering the game’s target audience. PC was to be expected from the beginning, but Apple devices are notably absent from the list of Minecraft Legends platforms.

In fact, the lack of any mobile option at all is fairly surprising, considering the franchise’s popularity. Strategy games are notorious for their clunky controls, though the gameplay for Minecraft Legends will probably be closer to Pikmin than StarCraft.

However, it may still be too much for mobile devices. It’s possible that a Mac, iOS, and Android release will come later after the release. Still, don’t expect to employ any advanced strategy game techniques like queuing multiple actions, setting control groups, or individual unit micro. There probably won’t be an APM counter.

How much will Minecraft Legends cost on its release date?

Minecraft Legends’ launch price will be $40 for the base game and $50 for the deluxe edition on all platforms, including the physical release.

The standard version of Minecraft Legends includes the full game with no additional content. All gameplay is included with the cheaper version, so there’s no need to worry about missing out. The deluxe edition is purely for cosmetic collectors, as it includes a custom player character outfit and four different battle standards for your steed.

The description also states that there will be an additional mount skin “when it becomes available,” which hints that the horse may not be the only option for riding into battle. With the theme of teaming up with normally hostile enemies, should players expect to ride a Nether Dragon?

Players on Xbox and PC will have an even cheaper way to try out the blocky RTS, as Minecraft Legends will be available on Xbox Game Pass starting as soon as its release date. The inexpensive service costs much less than the full game, though access will be taken away after starting the subscription.

For players on those platforms, Game Pass is the cheapest way to experience Minecraft Legends and sidestep the full retail price as soon as it comes out.