Fans of augmented reality gaming will soon have yet another option on iOS. In May, Microsoft teased that it was working on an AR version of Minecraft dubbed Minecraft Earth for iOS, and now we know the app will begin its rollout as soon as next month.
Microsoft has taken to Twitter this weekend to reveal that Minecraft Earth will start rolling out in select countries in October (via Engadget). It’s unclear which countries the initial launch will include, but this also means we should expect widespread access sooner rather than later.
As we detailed in May, Minecraft Earth for iOS integrates augmented reality to let users create and explore worlds. Fans of the traditional Minecraft experience will also be pleased to know that many core features will also be available in Minecraft Earth. This includes things like collecting unique variants, exploring the entire world, and more.
Here are some of the tentpole features of Minecraft Earth teased by Microsoft:
- Go on Adventures! In Minecraft Earth, you’ll go out in the real world to find small clusters of blocks, chests, or mobs called Tappables. As you walk, you will also find Adventures, which are small slices of Minecraft worlds that you play in life-size AR — your sidewalk becomes a mine where there may be diamonds under your feet, or your local park may have Minecraft trees where skeletons lurk, ready for a skirmish! Players will collect resources, fight mobs, and gain experience points to progress in their career.
- Collect, explore and survive! Minecraft Earth features many of the Vanilla Minecraft mobs that our players know and love, along with new ones we can’t wait to reveal (later). Over time, players will get the chance to discover and collect unique variants and use them to populate builds, as well as gather resources and take on nearby challenges.
- Experience your creations in front of you or ALL AROUND YOU! Players can build their own permanent creations in Minecraft Earth through Build Plates — the best implementation of the creative spirit of the Vanilla game. Build in small, tabletop-sized environments where you can interact from above, or place your Build Plates on the ground to see your creations outside in life-size scale.
- Collaborative multiplayer! Optimized for social multiplayer experiences, anyone with an AR-capable smartphone and Minecraft Earth installed will be able to join your session quickly and have fun together.
If the gameplay of Minecraft Earth for iOS sounds familiar, it’s because it was demonstrated at WWDC in June as an example of augmented reality capabilities of iOS and iPadOS. Check out a video of that demonstration below.
Will you give Minecraft Earth a try once it’s available? Let us know down in the comments.
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