When will Minecraft go on sale?
Every time Minecraft was actually discounted, why Black Friday doesn't count, and when to expect the next sale: our forecast for 2026–2029.
In 15 years, Minecraft has been discounted only a handful of times. So whenever a “Minecraft sale” headline pops up, half the players rush to the store and find the usual price. Here’s when the game was really on sale and what to expect next.
How much Minecraft costs right now
On PC the game comes as one Java & Bedrock bundle for $29.99, both versions included. The Bedrock version on Xbox, PlayStation and Switch costs $19.99, and the mobile version is around $7. As of October 31, 2026, there’s no discount anywhere.
We track the price, and the current status is always in the How to buy cheaper section of our Minecraft page.
When Minecraft was on sale
| When | Occasion | Discount | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2019 | 10th anniversary | up to 50% | PC, Xbox One, PS4, Switch |
| May 15–31, 2024 | 15th anniversary | 50%, 70% on mobile | all (Switch until June 4) |
| Dec 16, 2025 – Jan 6, 2026 | holiday sale | up to 25% | all |
Between 2019 and 2024 the game itself wasn’t discounted once. That’s five years at full price. Then the same thing happened again from mid-2024 until the end of 2025.
The 2024 sale was also the first time ever that the mobile version got cheaper: on iPhone it dropped from $6.99 to $1.99. That hasn’t happened again so far.
So why do so many people think Minecraft goes on sale all the time? Every year in late November Mojang runs Block Friday, and in late December there’s a New Year sale. Both only cover the Marketplace, meaning skins, maps, texture packs and add-ons. Those get up to 75% off, while the game keeps its full price.
Will there be a sale, and when?
Mojang doesn’t announce its sales in advance. What follows is our forecast, based on how the company has behaved in recent years.
Black Friday, November 27, 2026
Almost certainly nothing for the game itself, just Block Friday on the Marketplace. Mojang has never cut Minecraft’s price for Black Friday. Some retailers run their own deals on codes, but that’s not an official promotion.
Holidays, December 2026 – January 2027
This is our main bet. Last winter’s 25% was the first holiday discount on the game itself, and if it sold well, Mojang may well do it again. We expect it to start in mid-December at around 25% off. No guarantee, though: last year’s sale could have been a one-off.
May 2027, 18th anniversary
Not very likely. As far as we know, there was no discount on the game for the 16th anniversary in May 2025, and Mojang has only marked round anniversaries with sales so far.
May 2029, 20th anniversary
Here we’re fairly confident. Both the 10th and the 15th anniversary brought 50% off on every platform, so a sale for the 20th looks close to certain. Whether anyone wants to wait two and a half years to save $15 is another question.
How to save without an official sale
On PC the easiest option is PC Game Pass, which includes Minecraft Java & Bedrock. If you only want to play with friends for a couple of months, the subscription costs less than buying the game. The catch is obvious: when the subscription ends, so does your access.
Big retailers like Amazon sometimes sell digital codes for less than the official site. In December 2025, for example, they had the Java & Bedrock bundle for $21.99. Key marketplaces can go even lower, but they come with the usual risk of cheap keys: if the code turns out to be stolen or region-locked, getting your money back is hard.
