Whether wanting to re-experience that childhood fondness for clicking together LEGO pieces or realise your ambitions of creating an idealised world brick by virtual brick, Minecraft is the go-to platform that continues to spark player imagination. But what if you’re yet to jump on the creative bandwagon and are looking for a place to start? Well, here’s where we have you covered.
The good news is that, as far as getting started is concerned, there are multiple Minecraft versions available. The bad news? There are multiple Minecraft versions available. The Xbox One exclusive, self-proclaimed “Master Collection Edition is without doubt the most comprehensive package, however, featuring the base game, the Starter Pack and Creators Pack DLCs, along with a happy helping of 1,000 Minecoins. For the most content-packed Minecraft experience you simply can’t get any better!
Here we’ll break down what’s explicitly included in the Master Collection Edition as well as the five other major Minecraft versions you may want to check out. Minecraft games are available on PS4, Switch and Xbox One – but with Microsoft having owned Minecraft developer Mojang since 2014, don’t be surprised if you see the most value on the versions exclusive to the latter platform.
Master Collection Edition | Explorer’s Edition | Super Plus Pack Edition
Starter Collection Edition | Favourites Pack Edition | Standard Edition
Story Mode games
Master Collection Edition
Available for: Xbox One
Available exclusively for Xbox One players, the Minecraft Master Collection is arguably the most feature-complete version of the game. It may not come with every skin pack released since its launch in 2011 (that would be insanity), but with both the Starter Pack and Creators Pack DLCs included – in addition to 1,000 Minecoins – the Master Collection is the most comprehensive way to get creative in Minecraft.
- Minecraft (Standard Edition)
- Creators Pack: Adventurer’s Dream Mash-up and Winter Mini-Games Festival by Noxcrew, Relics of the Privateers by Imagiverse, PureBDcraft Texture Pack by BDcraft, Pastel Skin Pack by Eneija, and Wildlife Savanna by PixelHeads.
- Starter Pack: Greek Mythology Mash-up Pack, Plastic Texture Pack, Skin Pack 1, and Villains Skin Pack.
- 1,000 Minecoins: Currency used within Minecraft’s in-game marketplace to purchase community-created skins, textures and worlds.
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Explorer’s Edition
Available for: Xbox One
The Explorer’s Edition is one of the most affordable, hassle-free versions of Minecraft for the Xbox One. It includes both the base game and the aptly named Explorer’s pack DLC, which encompasses five separate unique skin packs.
- Minecraft (Standard Edition)
- Explorer’s Pack: Chinese Mythology Mash-up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle and Beasts Skin Pack, and Campfire Tales Skin Pack.
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Super Plus Pack Edition
Available for: Xbox One
Specifically developed to capitalise on the Xbox One X’s enhanced 4K capabilities, Minecraft Super Plus Pack Edition’s chief inclusion will be the Super Duper Graphics Pack. Though still yet to be released, this optional DLC is crammed full of new HD textures and reimagined visuals that will make use of dynamic shadows, directional highlighting, and more to create the best-looking Minecraft experience possible. The Super Plus Pack Edition, available to pre-order now, also includes all skin packs found in the Explorer’s Edition.
- Minecraft (Standard Edition)
- Super Duper Graphics Pack: Overhauled textures, skins and worlds, 4K HDR graphics, improved lighting, shadows, water effects, and more.
- Explorer’s Pack: Chinese Mythology Mash-up Pack, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle and Beasts Skin Pack, and Campfire Tales Skin Pack.
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Starter Collection Edition
Available for: Xbox One
Pretty much exactly as it says on the tin. Minecraft’s Starter Collection Edition is a good jumping on point for those looking to begin their creative adventures for the very first time. It ostensibly acts as a dialled down version of the Master Collection Edition, removing the Creator’s Pack DLC while still including 700 Minecoins spendable on community-created content.
- Minecraft (Standard Edition)
- Starter Pack: Greek Mythology Mash-up Pack, Plastic Texture Pack, Skin Pack 1, and Villains Skin Pack.
- 700 Minecoins: Currency used within Minecraft’s in-game marketplace to purchase community-created skins, textures and worlds.
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Favourites Pack Edition
Available for: Xbox One
Minecraft Favourites Pack Edition is the sure-fire choice for players looking to pick up the most skin packs in one fell swoop. There are seven in total included here, with the most notable being the Halo Mash-up pack exclusive to Xbox One. This features a fully-fledged Halo world filled with iconic moments to explore and run around in, as well as new skins (such as Master Chief), new textures and the iconic Halo music.
- Minecraft (Standard Edition)
- Favourites Pack: Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts 2 Skin Pack, Natural Texture Pack, City Texture Pack, Fantasy Texture Pack, Festive Mash-up & Halo Mash-up.
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Standard Edition
Available for: Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4
The vanilla version of Minecraft is available on all three major console platforms, acting as the ultimate sandbox where in which players can create and explore the many depths of their own infinite worlds. In
- Minecraft (Standard Edition)
- Super Mario Mash-up Pack (Nintendo Switch exclusive): First introduced with 2015’s Wii U Edition of Minecraft, this now Switch-exclusive skin pack features 40 unique designs based on Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom’s other collection of cute characters.
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How do the Story Mode Minecraft games fit into the picture?
Available for: Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4
In a somewhat ingenious stroke of confused naming strategy, the Minecraft Story Mode games aren’t actually in any way tied to Minecraft proper. Rather than a creative sandbox experience, both seasons 1 and 2 of Story Mode work as totally separate, narrative-driven point-and-click adventure games – similar to other episodic Telltale-developed titles such as The Walking Dead, Tales from the Borderlands and The Wolf Among Us.
If you want to get a feel for what the Minecraft phenomenon is all about but would rather binge content instead of creating it yourself, the Minecraft Story Mode games could be well worth a look.
What is Minecraft: Bedrock Edition?
Eagle-eyed players may notice a Minecraft game simply referred to as the “Bedrock Edition”. Originally tied to what is commonly now known as the “Pocket edition” (available on mobile platforms), today it’s used as a catch-all term that refers to multi-platform family editions of standard Minecraft. No Bedrock Edition will feature any additional worlds, textures or skin packs added post-release; it works more like an alias for the vanilla version of the game.
