Minecraft Dungeons: Gameplay, Pre-Orders, and Everything to Know

Minecraft Dungeons is a new venture for the Minecraft franchise as the game leaves building behind and casts players into dungeons to take on new and familiar enemies while scrambling to find the best loot possible. First revealed in 2019, the game's been delayed since then with continued updates and previews released periodically to keep players in the loop, and its release date is finally almost here. The game is scheduled to release next week for a variety of platforms and will come in more than one version to make sure everyone's accounted for and that they have options when playing.

Whether you're new to Minecraft Dungeons or have any lingering questions about the release, we've got you covered with everything you need to know about gameplay, pre-orders, and more as it pertains to the new Minecraft game. You'll find all that below ahead of the game's launch that's happening in just a few days.

Minecraft Dungeons Release Date

If you're already up to speed on Minecraft Dungeons and just need a refresher, the game is scheduled to launch on May 26th. It's planned to be released digitally, so don't worry about waiting for anything to ship.

Minecraft Dungeons Platforms

Though Mojang is indeed part of the Xbox Game Studios team, this game will release on and outside of the Xbox One. It's scheduled to be released for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC platforms. You can also get it immediately if you're an Xbox Game Pass subscriber.

Minecraft Dungeons Price and Special Editions

Minecraft Dungeons will be available as either the Standard Edition for $19.99 or the Hero Edition for $29.99. The Hero Edition comes with a Hero Cape, two skins, a chicken pet, and the first two DLC packs once they're released.

What Is Minecraft Dungeons?

Minecraft Dungeons is indeed part of the Minecraft franchise, but it's quite different from the game that players have become familiar with over the years. Instead of building things and journeying underground to find gold, you'll be playing from a slightly angled top-down perspective as you arm yourself with weapons, armor, and abilities to take on new and familiar mobs.

If you've played any of the games in the Diablo series, you'll be somewhat familiar with Minecraft Dungeons once you start playing. Whack the enemies, explore everything you can, collect loot, and level up your gear to take on bigger threats by yourself or with friends.

Minecraft Dungeons Gameplay

The overview of the game above touched on the gameplay of Minecraft Dungeons, but for the best explanation of how the game works, check out the video directly above. It shows procedurally generated maps for players to traverse as they fend off skeletons, zombies, and other characters Minecraft players will already be well acquainted with.

The players have unique weapons and also have "Artifacts" shown in their inventories. Weapons can be enchanted while the Artifacts can be equipped to create custom builds fitting for different situations.

Minecraft Dungeons Story

Minecraft Dungeons does have a story, so don't worry about being sent into dungeons without any direction. The video below doubles as the opening cinematic for the game as well as the perfect overview for what's going on.

Are There Classes in Minecraft Dungeons?

Considering how the characters are using different gear and this game is heavily inspired by Diablo-esque dungeon crawlers, you may be wondering if there are any classes in Minecraft Dungeons. The short and sweet answer is that there are no classes.

The developers said that there were no classes in Minecraft, so there aren't any in Minecraft Dungeons. By equipping armors, weapons, and Artifacts, you can build your character as close to a defined class as you want, but you won't have to worry about class restrictions preventing you from using any gear.

Minecraft Dungeons Multiplayer

Just like Minecraft, you can play Minecraft Dungeons with friends. The game supports up to four players at one time through either online multiplayer or local co-op options.

You can only choose either local or online multiplayer though. This means that you can't have two players playing next to each other and then go online to round out the team of four. There also is no online matchmaking, so you'll need to coordinate with your friends for a play session when you go online.

Cross-play will not be enabled at the game's launch, but the Minecraft Dungeons team said they look forward to enabling that in the future.

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