Similar to
Minecraft,
Minecraft Earth was centered around building structures, gathering resources, crafting, and exploration. The game utilized the same
Bedrock game engine as most other versions of
Minecraft. In "build mode", players could build augmented reality structures on "Buildplates" in collaboration with other players, then explore them in full size with "play mode". In both Build mode and Play mode, the buildplates were overlaid onto the real world using
augmented reality (AR) and the built-in phone camera. Players could gather resources by collecting "tappables" in the in-game map and by completing "adventures" which may be a puzzle, a specific task, or a virtual location with hostile entities to defeat.
Minecraft Earth considers physical objects such as trees and lakes so there are fewer incidents and interferences with the AR simulation.
Minecraft Earth included many different kinds of in-game entities called "mobs" that are exclusive variations of the mobs in
Minecraft. The game had two in-game currencies: "rubies" and "minecoins". Rubies could be earned through gameplay or purchased with real money and could be used to purchase items that affect gameplay such as "build plates". Minecoins, which are present in all Bedrock editions of
Minecraft, could only be purchased with real money and are used to purchase cosmetic items, such as texture packs and character skins. In the final update, Mojang removed all real-money microtransactions, reduced in-game currency costs, and reduced crafting/smelting times in order for players to "get the most out" of the game before it shut down. ==Development==