With dim, flourishing lights, the islands bring a sense of tranquility. As you’re gazing toward the night sky, you get hit with a feeling of nostalgia and melancholy. Over the many years, you experienced the most entertaining and fun times, incomparable to anything else. Yet the world grew old, the fun began faltering, so now it is time for you to take a rest, and return some other day.

Minecraft, widely recognized as the best-selling video game of all time, seems unlike anything else. Over the span of almost 12 whole years since its release, it has accumulated over 238 million copies sold. That’s almost the entire population of Pakistan! Though, 12 years brings a lot of change. Long time players, most of which having grown up playing Minecraft, have been complaining about the game’s current state and started drifting away from playing. Common complaints include that Minecraft just ‘isn’t the same’, or most likely, that Minecraft isn’t fun anymore.

“Minecraft as a whole has begun to stagnate,” AJ Wechner, long-time Minecraft enjoyer, stated. “Why this is confuses me, because when you look back around 9 to 10 years, we couldn’t get enough of it.

This quote explains the mindset I contained while mustering up some explanation for this, and when the conclusion that was reached, I realized that it was right in front of us this entire time. The game’s simple premise has grown old and worn, almost all veteran players have explored everything the game itself has to offer. Not to mention the rampant commercialization following Microsoft’s acquisition of Mojang in 2014. The updates have been less frequent, and no new major updates have been made to player progression for 3 years. So, it’s no wonder the game’s fun is slowly drifting away.

With these thoughts in mind, I’ve taken it upon myself to address this issue. It’s not like anyone can walk up to employees of Mojang and demand change. So, to appeal to a community in need, this is a list of 9 things that may be able to ignite the love for Minecraft back into the hearts of many. If you yourself have found yourself drifting from the game, but still yearn to enjoy it, this was made just for you.

1. Downgrading the Version.

If you’re like me, you’ve played Minecraft through practically all its 21 major updates. You remember making memories on these old versions of the game, like maybe building a castle or becoming a god by upgrading your gear throughout your journey. Thankfully, on Minecraft’s Java Edition, which is only accessible on computer, these old Minecraft versions have been archived. It’s all a matter of choosing which version you want and pressing play. If you’re not sure how to do this, there are many guides on the subject accessible on the internet.

2. Customizing World Settings

Have you ever yearned to play in a world that’s completely flat, with steep mountains and low valleys, or perhaps just an ocean? Well, that’s entirely possible! When creating your world, head on over to the “More world options” and keep clicking until you find one that suits your fancy. Some of the most notable of these types are “amplified”, which makes your world have very high mountains and very low valleys. Another one is a “flat” world, which makes your world completely flat, and with only 3 blocks keeping you from the treacherous endless void at the bottom of your world, though that is able to be customized. One final world type is titled “single biome”, which makes your entire world a single biome. You can use this to make your entire world a cave, an ocean, or perhaps you make it all a taiga because you love spruce wood, I know I do.

3. Playing With Friends

This is probably one of the best options on this list! If you’re reading this, you’ve probably played Minecraft with a couple friends back in the day. Now imagine what it’s like now to have all your buddies in a call while playing Minecraft. If you haven’t done this yet, I’m positive that it will get you going again. With friends, you get multiple unique experiences that you would never get in a single-player world. For instance, nothing beats the feelings of beating the final boss with your friends, building a mega base, or starting a witch hunt because your buddy Caiden thought it would be funny to steal your hard earned 23 diamonds even though he can literally get them himself but he’s just “too lazy to” … or maybe that’s just me. Either way, playing with friends is probably one of the best suggestions on this list.

4. Taking it Slow

This one right here is essential. When you start a new world today, your first instinct is most likely to complete the game like it’s a life-or-death situation. This may be for several reasons. Perhaps it’s to get a pair of elytra wings, or to create a very efficient “enderman” farm. When doing this, however, you rush the game and lose out on experiences you could have had before. Every single world is different, whether you think so or not. Try making the defeat of bosses a later, but still large, goal. In the meantime, you could be building a house, acquiring quality gear, or exploring the vast blocky world ahead of you. Doing these things earlier might take a little slower than you would if you progressed faster, but that just adds to the sweet satisfaction of completion.

5. Modding

Everyone knew this would be coming. Mods are a simple concept; they are an addition to a game that was not made by the game’s developer. There are many mods out there, each with their own unique premises. Some aim to improve the overall gameplay experience, these are called quality of life mods. While others may aim towards giving the player the greatest gameplay experience they will ever experience in their life. Either way, mods can help give a bit of razzle dazzle to your regular Minecraft world. You can find many mods on a site like “Curseforge”, which is your best bet for scouring for anything remotely interesting.

6. Hardcore Mode

A perilous challenge with a simple premise, “hardcore mode” makes you appreciate the freedoms you have in a regular world. For those who don’t know, hardcore mode takes away endless revives and locks the world into the hardest difficulty. Any one mistake can lead to the loss of your entire world. All your progress gone, with one risky step. Yet with the risk comes the thrill. Every single action you make, every step you take, is a chance at losing everything. Whether you use that information to be cautious or a daredevil is up to you. It’s also worth mentioning that this mode is only fully available on Minecraft’s Java Edition, but it’s possible to try hardcore mode on other devices if you delete the world when you die.

7. Improvement

Where there is anything in life, there’s always room for improvement. This same philosophy applies to Minecraft as well, believe it or not. There are many aspects of the game to improve in, whether it be combat or building, there’s always something to improve on. Besides, in a infinite sandbox, who Plus these skills will always stay with you, so they’re always worthwhile to learn!

8. Restriction

It’s clear that challenging yourself keeps the serotonin pumping, so why not try to restrict what you can use in a regular playthrough? Perhaps in can be something small like “no enchanting”, or something as atrocious and painful as “no moving” or “no left/right clicking”, or maybe even beating Minecraft without dying and with a literal steering wheel (no, someone actually did that) of all things. These, of course, make the game extra difficult, but that’s where the fun comes in. Experiencing your journey with a restriction makes even the smallest tasks look gargantuan because you got there without doing this or doing that, so make sure you take pride when looking back!

9. Taking a Break

This is the final entry on this list, and the one I recommend the most. Minecraft isn’t ever going to keep perpetually being fun all the time, so it’s not worth being the only game you play. I suggest stepping down from a bit to most people who have this problem, and if your craving for pixelated sandbox games is still there and hungry as ever, maybe playing a game like Terraria in the meantime might soothe that. Either way, a break helps make sure that the next time we play, you’ll be exhilarated beyond comprehension.

With the list completed, I hope you’ve maybe taken one of the things shown in this article and have implemented it into your own experiences. The blocky world is your oyster, but if you don’t prefer oysters, you might as well get your fishing rod because you still owe me my 23 diamonds, Caiden. The clock is ticking.

“Although Minecraft’s charm has mostly dissolved away,” AJ Wechner spoke with hope in his eyes. “Our love for it and its influence reigns supreme to this day.”