The Minecraft universe is ever expanding, inexorably stretching for the outer limits of possibility in the video game industry. It’s an unstoppable force of impossible size, a juggernaut intent on dominating new areas as it continues to grow. The dominion of Minecraft is inevitable, and the next chapter of its creators’ devious plan will be revealed to all during the next Minecraft Live event.
Jokes about the influence of Minecraft on the video game industry aside, it’s always a big deal when Mojang Studios hosts its annual Minecraft Live event to reveal and discuss the impending future of Minecraft releases, changes, and updates. Minecraft Live is officially returning in 2022, and it should be an exciting one for a number of reasons. Here’s everything you need to know about Minecraft Live 2022, including how to watch it and what viewers can expect.
What is Minecraft Live?
Minecraft Live is the modern, remote iteration of the Minecon of the past, an in-person Minecraft-themed convention that was retired thanks to the affects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Mojang Studios (and potentially guests) host a livestreamed event, during which it reveals the next 12 months of Minecraft. The show is an exciting affair for the Minecraft community year after year, and typically attracts a huge surge of traffic and discussion online.
Minecraft Live began its life in 2020, and is returning for a third year to give players insight into what to expect from the growing Minecraft universe. This year’s show will have new surprises and some major updates to the formula of previous years, but all-in-all should be familiar to those who have joined Minecraft Live in the past. This is undoubtedly the single biggest day of the year for Minecraft and its community, and is a can’t-miss event.
Minecraft Live 2021, for example, revealed Minecraft 1.19 “The Wild Update,” Minecraft Dungeons: The Cloudy Climb (its first Seasonal Adventure), the annual mob vote (which led to the addition of the allay to Minecraft), the arrival of Minecraft: Java Edition to PC Game Pass, and more. We have every reason to believe that this year’s Minecraft Live event will be a just as, if not more, exciting look at some of the best games from Xbox’s Mojang Studios.
Minecraft Live 2022: How to watch
Minecraft Live 2022 officially airs on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. CT / Noon ET / 5:00 p.m. BST.
It has not been revealed for how long Minecraft Live 2022 will run, nor do we know for certain if there will be a pre-show ahead of the main event. It’s reasonable to assume the show will be between 60 and 90 minutes, and that there will be a pre-show, but this is pure speculation at this time. We’ll update this section as soon as we have further information.
When Minecraft Live 2022 begins, you can tune into the show through any of the following official Minecraft channels and sources:
Minecraft Live 2022: What to expect
The Minecraft brand is a veritable franchise at this point, with a variety of games and products in the works. Minecraft Live 2022 is expected to shed light on many of these upcoming expansions to the Minecraft universe, and much of what we can expect has already been teased or is revealed by precedent. Of course, there are bound to be some surprises as well, but we’ll likely have to wait until the actual event to see them.
Without further ado, here’s some of what we can expect from Minecraft Live 2022, including some speculation:
- The next Minecraft content update. Minecraft 1.19 “The Wild Update” is the release that brought plenty of new mobs, blocks, and features to Minecraft, but it is a more modest content update that focused more on polish than major changes. During Minecraft Live 2022, it’s expected we’ll learn about the content plans for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition and Minecraft: Java Edition for 2023, likely falling under the major “1.20” version number.
- Unfortunately, we don’t have any idea what the next named Minecraft content update could be or include.
- We may finally see the arrival of delayed or waysided features like archaeology and birch forest overhauls in addition to the update’s theme, but we’ll simply have to wait until Minecraft Live 2022 to know.
- A new look at Minecraft Legends. One of the most exciting upcoming game releases of 2023 is Minecraft Legends, a brand-new addition to the Minecraft universe that boldly combines real-time strategy and action-adventure elements into a single, epic title. It’s almost guaranteed we’ll see plenty of Minecraft Legends during Minecraft Live 2022, which is slated to arrive in the first half of 2023.
- While I don’t expect a definitive release date this early on, we may see more Minecraft Legends gameplay or get a deep dive into what players can expect from this ambitious game.
- The next Minecraft Dungeons Seasonal Adventure. Minecraft Dungeons has grown into an amazing action-RPG title, with an absurd amount of content contained within its diminutive install size. The latest era of Minecraft Dungeons has shifted from story-based DLC expansions to Seasonal Adventures, which are themed content passes aimed at keeping players engaged over time.
- The Minecraft Dungeons team has been quiet lately, so it’s practically certain we’ll see the next Minecraft Dungeons Seasonal Adventure be revealed during Minecraft Live 2022.
- A new community Minecraft mob vote. Each year, Mojang Studios has proffered three mob designs to the Minecraft community, with one destined to be added to the game. The last mob vote during Minecraft Live 2021 resulted in the allay heading to Minecraft as a part of The Wild Update. This year, the mob vote is returning — but it’s taking a different form.
- Instead of voting on Twitter during the show, Minecraft fans will be able to vote through a Minecraft: Bedrock Edition server, the Minecraft: Java Edition launcher, or on Minecraft.net.
- The voting will also begin on Oct. 14, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. CT / Noon ET / 5:00 p.m. BST, giving people a full 24 hours to cast their votes.
- Mojang Studios will reveal the winner during Minecraft Live 2022.
- An update on Minecraft’s numbers. It’s likely that Mojang Studios will take the opportunity afforded to it by Minecraft Live 2022 to share how the Minecraft community has grown in the last year. Minecraft continues to be the best-selling video game of all time, and the game may have continued to grow in consistent popularity since the last time Mojang Studios provided an update.
- A moment of speculation. Everything listed above stands a decent chance of taking up time during Minecraft Live 2022, although there could be plenty of surprises in store. I’d like to take a moment to speculate on what else could appear during the show, including the absurd and unlikely.
- It’s known at this point that at least one Minecraft movie adaptation is in the works, but there has been silence on the project since well before its original slated release date passed us by earlier this year. Could we finally see an official reveal of the Minecraft movie during Minecraft Live 2022? It’s certainly possible, but I’m not confident.
- With Minecraft Dungeons and the now-defunct Minecraft Earth, Mojang Studios made clear its intention to expand Minecraft into new video game genres. Minecraft Dungeons was a resounding success, and Minecraft Legends looks set to replicate that success in 2023. It’s almost certain that Mojang Studios is working on other Minecraft video game projects, though. Could we see a teaser for a new Minecraft game during Minecraft Live 2022? With Minecraft Legends still fresh on everyone’s minds, I highly doubt this will happen, but it’s fun to dream.
- Minecraft: Education Edition is a powerful educational tool built on top of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, and it’s used by hundreds of schools and organizations all around the world. The platform regularly enjoys new features, updates, lesson plans, and educational worlds, although fanfare tends to be relatively quiet due to the nature of the tool. Still, Minecraft: Education Edition may make an appearance during Minecraft Live 2022, either to announce a new project or collaboration or to share an update on its success and growth.
- Finally, just to throw one wildly absurd wrench in the works… What if Minecraft Earth was revived? Minecraft Earth was a mobile AR game that aimed to bring Minecraft into the real world — with obvious inspirations from Pokémon Go. It had some great ideas but was hampered by poor game design decisions, a confusing and quiet release, and a glacially slow drip of fresh content. Minecraft Earth closed its doors in 2021, never to be opened again… Or could they? No, Minecraft Earth is dead, but I can’t help but imagine a world in which it succeeded.
