Minecraft China Edition: List of all differences

One of the biggest divides in gaming is that between the two different versions of Minecraft, Java and Bedrock. However, this is another version of Minecraft that is much more removed from these two versions than they are from each other, with much more interesting differences. This under-discussed version of the game is Minecraft China, a version of both Java and Bedrock localized by Mojang and NetEase for mainland China. The full list of differences in Minecraft China Edition is as follows.

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Changes in Minecraft China Edition

Price

The first, largest, and most interesting change between the worldwide and Chinese versions of the game is the price point at which people can get it. The worldwide version costs $29.99, whereas China Edition is completely free.

However, this does not mean that worldwide players can download Minecraft China Edition to avoid paying Mojang. A valid Chinese ID is required to actually play China Edition, and the game will verify your location as well.

Language

This change is a minor one, and it makes sense, given the purpose of China Edition. While the worldwide edition of the game has many languages that players can freely swap between, China Edition is locked into simplified Chinese and features no other language options.

Censorship

Text within China Edition is much more heavily censored than the worldwide version. This censorship applies to text within chat, book and quills, written books, signs, command blocks, spawn eggs, and name tags. This even applies to text outside of the game itself. For example, servers are not allowed to be named and are instead only referred to with a numerical ID.

Realms and servers

The worldwide edition of Minecraft has Realms, a service where players can pay Mojang to host a server for them. China Edition has something similar, with server rentals being available in the game's launcher.

Realms allow players to upload and download server maps, while China Edition does not. Additionally, China Edition servers have a hard cap on world size at six gigabytes, with servers being shut down once this space is taken up. China Edition Java players can also have community made mods installed right from the launcher, putting mod support for realms to shame.

Minecraft as a service

A panda, added into China Edition as part of a community mob vote (Image via Mojang)

This is a range of changes made to China Edition that transform Minecraft from a traditional buy-and-play video game to a live service experience.

The launcher features several tabs, including a marketplace where players can purchase cosmetics, mods, patches, and maps. There are two currencies for this marketplace: emeralds and diamonds. There is also a VIP system where players can pay each month to receive a 40% discount on marketplace goods.

Players can also receive some of these premium currencies for free by watching ads to earn scratch-off lottery cards, which reward varying amounts of emeralds and diamonds. Players can also get lucky and earn texture packs, mods, maps, and more via these tickets.

Game modes

There are also two entirely new game modes in China Edition. The first is Chaos/Apocalyptic, which is a game mode in which players find themselves in a new apocalyptic realm, exploring new biomes and collecting items, all while fighting off new enemies and bosses.

The second is the Three Kingdoms: Chibi game mode. This game mode adds a ton of new content, including but not limited to mobs, NPCs, bosses, special abilities, blocks, currency, vouchers, and weapon forging.

Miscellaneous changes

The first of many smaller changes is that the Java version of China Edition features cloud storage, allowing players to take their worlds on the go. The China Edition also comes with a short list of preinstalled mods automatically included.

This next change is as strange as it is minor. Most of the game's settings have been moved out of the game and into the launcher. For example, a lot of world settings have to be made from the launcher rather than the game.

The Bedrock version of China Edition has some quirks. The first is that it has no achievements. The second is that there is virtual joystick support. There is also a totally new UI and pause menu.

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A piece of promotional art for the China Edition of Minecraft (Image via Mojang)

All in all, this version of Minecraft is very different from the one most of the world is familiar with. However, there are interesting ideas in China Edition, such as the new realm, cool mobs, and interesting boss fights, that could be brought over into the base game.