Minecraft is a skillful game that teaches players all about the fundamentals of programming, problem-solving, teamwork, and project management, and also promotes more creative and “out of the box” thinking.
Sure, Minecraft is a boatload of fun to play, but the true enjoyment of the game begins when you get to explore the inner workings of its different modes.
There are plenty of Minecraft servers out there for players to use for their gameplay. But have you ever wondered just how many game modes are readily playable in Minecraft? Well, worry no longer. We are here to provide all the answers you need.
Selecting the right type of game mode for Minecraft is essential if you want to have a great experience with the game.
If you want to know more to make a decision, here’s everything you need to know about the different Minecraft game modes.
How Many Minecraft Game Modes Are There?
Currently, Minecraft offers five different game modes for players to enjoy. This includes Survival Mode, Creative Mode, Spectator Mode, Adventure Mode, and Hardcore Mode, although the latter is only available on Java Edition.
Each mode offers a set of unique limitations and rules that govern how a player can interact with the world that they are playing in.
We have outlined the key features of each mode below so that you can understand a little bit more about them.
Survival Mode
This is the way that Minecraft is supposed to be played and is the true bread and butter of the game. With this game mode, you’re dropped into the game without anything more than the resources at your disposal and some much-needed know-how.
Crafting, mining, surviving, and defending are the key aims that you must remember when it comes to Minecraft’s survival mode.
This mode makes it far more common for players to suffer damage and lose their lives in-game. It also sees a player’s hunger bar depleted more often which requires the player to gather more resources and replenish the bar.
Players must craft the right kind of tools to harvest each block. These tools can then eventually be used to build a shelter in the world.
Unlike other Minecraft modes, dismantling the blocks in survival mode takes considerably longer. You also have to build your inventory. To thrive, keep an eye on your inventory as you will lose it whenever you die in the game.
There are multiple difficulty levels in survival mode:
Peaceful
Easy
Normal
Hard
Hardcore
Creative Mode
This Minecraft mode is just as fun as others but doesn’t require all the difficult survival mechanics! You cannot die in the creative mode which means you have no hunger and life indications to potentially attract monsters.
It’s also just as popular as survival mode although players do not spawn with hunger or health bars.
Once you spawn in creative mode, you are practically invincible and have all blocks readily available at your fingertips for some well-deserved and uninterrupted building time. This makes it suitable for all sorts of artistic Minecraft projects.
How fun does that sound?
If that’s not enough, gamers can also fly around freely and, upon opening their inventory, also have unlimited access to nearly every item or block in the game. This makes it a brilliant game mode for both experimenting and building.
Although there is no clear-cut goal with this Minecraft mode, it’s a brilliant way to have some fun building things without having to cope with creepers or skeletons.
Spectator Mode
To easily access spectator mode in Minecraft, players can type in the command /gamemode spectator in the chat.
This feature offers something unique: the ability to watch other players in the game without having to interfere yourself.
It’s not technically a game-playing mode as you cannot play Minecraft and are invisible to other players, but it does allow you to seamlessly interact with and discover the world around you.
Fortunately, you can still check out mines and caves (or other secret areas that are difficult to find underground) to get a better overview of the game.
With the help of some commands, you can also observe other people’s playing strategies and creations, picking up some valuable hints and tricks as you go. These may make a huge difference the next time you choose an in-game playing mode!
With spectator mode, you can freely fly around and can even phase into the ground and through walls. As freeing as it may seem, there are still some huge limitations with this mode of the game.
You cannot interact with inventories or chests, nor can you open loot chests in a single-player world as the loot will not have been generated yet.
Adventure Mode
As the Minecraft game has grown over the years, so has the dedicated community of loyal players surrounding it. As a result, there are now plenty of player-created adventure maps featuring interesting stories that utilize everything that Minecraft has to offer.
To support these maps, adventure mode has been established within the game. This can be accessed through the command /gamemode adventure.
Many of the basic survival mechanics remain in play with adventure mode, including managing your hunger, and health, and also fighting off hostile mobs that might intercept your path.
The main difference between adventure mode and the other modes, however, comes from the fact that it features maps made by other players, meaning that you cannot break or place any blocks by hand.
You can still interact with different elements including chests, buttons, and levers, but you cannot destroy all blocks even if you have the right tools in your inventory. This also works to prevent the accidental spoiling of the adventure maps.
Hardcore Mode
To put it simply, hardcore mode is survival mode but on a whole new level. It is a lot more merciless and requires a lot of experience due to the added stakes of not being able to respawn.
As the title suggests, hardcore mode is constantly locked on the hardest difficulty and features permadeath, which means you have just one in-game life. This means there is no going back into the game world once your character dies.
If you were to die while playing the hardcore mode of this game, you will be left with two options. The first would allow you the opportunity to spectate (fly around as an observer without being able to place blocks) while the second would require you to delete the entire world and move to a new one.
This makes it a gameplay mode that is best suited for more experienced Minecraft players.
If you’re new to Minecraft, this is not the game mode for you. The same applies if you are not looking to lose your game progress in a single creeper explosion.
Hardcore mode should only be used by players with plenty of Minecraft experience seeking a new and exciting challenge, or a way to brush up on their skills.
Summary
After reading this guide, hopefully, you now have a better understanding of what the different Minecraft game modes are, and the amazing things that they can offer to players.
To keep things simple, there are plenty of Minecraft games and modes for you to enjoy playing – regardless of your experience with the game itself.
If you’re a beginner or aren’t as confident while playing Minecraft we would recommend avoiding the hardcore mode and opting to play in the creative mode instead.
