Mojang shuts down community-run Minecraft servers: Difference between revisions

For the past 5-8 years, [[Mojang]], the developers of the title [[Minecraft]], and a subsidiary of [[Microsoft]]'s [[Xbox Game Studios]] publishing brand, have enforced countless server shutdowns citing violations of the Minecraft End User License Agreement (EULA). However, said enforcement has been unfairly biased against operators of smaller Minecraft Java Edition servers, abusing vague and often inaccessible community guidelines to shut down these servers.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Brose |first=Kian |date=Dec 3, 2024 |title=Hold Mojang Accountable For Their Unlawful Behaviour |url=https://www.gofundme.com/f/hold-mojang-accountable-for-their-unlawful-behaviour |access-date=May 12, 2024 |website=GoFundMe |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251113064608/https://www.gofundme.com/f/hold-mojang-accountable-for-their-unlawful-behaviour |archive-date=13 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Brose |first=Kian |date=Dec 3, 2024 |title=Suing Minecraft Because They Broke The Law & Pissed Me Off |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5RvoPQZQeM |access-date=May 12, 2024 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=C5RvoPQZQeM |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Brose |first=Kian |title=Lawsuit Video Accompanying Document |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l3fxs_pZBTdWu7q_iiRKwQdhkEKp8zkuw0O3KBVWC-I/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.8vmqv8enui5u |access-date=May 12, 2025 |website=Google Docs |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203004450/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l3fxs_pZBTdWu7q_iiRKwQdhkEKp8zkuw0O3KBVWC-I/edit?tab=t.0 |archive-date=3 Feb 2026}}</ref>

Additionally, [https://minecraftonline.com/ MinecraftOnline] was threatened by Mojang in late 2025 over their [https://minecraftonline.com/wiki/Free_Speech freedom of speech policy] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260202234930/https://minecraftonline.com/wiki/Free_Speech Archived]), stating that they need to repeal it, or risk being blacklisted by Mojang, meaning that players would not be able to access the server.<ref>https://minecraftonline.com/wiki/File:MojangStudiosIPEnforcement.png ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260221065143/https://minecraftonline.com/ Archived])</ref>

Minecraft is split into 2 specific versions of the game: Java Edition (JE) and Bedrock Edition (BE). JE is exclusive to PC platforms, and is traditionally where most 3rd-party multiplayer servers are hosted,{{Citation needed|reason=Check comment}}<!--May not be super neccessary, but I feel like it would improve the professional appearance of the article to show data on where most of the MC servers are hosted. - JamesTDG--> such as Hypixel, McWar, and DonutSMP. Most of these servers being shut down are on JE as well,{{Citation needed|reason=Check comment}}<!--Mostly need something listing all of the servers that have been taken down by Mojang.--> as BE's multiplayer system is far more compartmentalized and controlled by Microsoft,<ref>{{Cite web |date=Jun 9, 2024 |title=Request to Continue Providing PDB Files in Future BDS Versions |url=https://feedback.minecraft.net/hc/en-us/community/posts/27425253557389-Request-to-Continue-Providing-PDB-Files-in-Future-BDS-Versions |access-date=Feb 4, 2026 |website=Minecraft Feedback |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251030024525/https://feedback.minecraft.net/hc/en-us/community/posts/27425253557389-Request-to-Continue-Providing-PDB-Files-in-Future-BDS-Versions |archive-date=30 Oct 2025}}</ref>{{Citation needed|reason=Check comment}}<!--Needs to be data on how to start a BE server--> leading to fewer servers being determined as "violating the EULA".

Most shutdowns are currently handled via blacklisting the server URL as a hash,<ref name=":0" /> however, its effectiveness has been proven to only work against non-malicious servers, as servers such as Minepot have been jumping domains to circumvent any block from Mojang.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TheMisterEpic |date=Feb 7, 2026 |title=Exposing the Most ILLEGAL Minecraft Server I've EVER Seen... |url=https://youtu.be/XgCvuUoj6mA |access-date=Feb 8, 2026 |website=[[YouTube]] |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=XgCvuUoj6mA |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>

When Minecraft version 1.9.3 pre-release 2 released in May 2016, the client had an encrypted "server blacklist"<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=u/ceruleanReverie |date=May 2, 2016 |title=Mojang's "server blacklist", what it is, and why it's a big deal |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/4hh3ns/mojangs_server_blacklist_what_it_is_and_why_its_a/ |access-date=Feb 4, 2026 |website=[[Reddit]] - r/Minecraft |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230606115650/https://old.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/4hh3ns/mojangs_server_blacklist_what_it_is_and_why_its_a/ |archive-date=6 Jun 2023}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Blocked server list |url=https://sessionserver.mojang.com/blockedservers |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=Mojang.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222110036/https://sessionserver.mojang.com/blockedservers |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=15773 |date=Feb 24, 2016 |title=Mojang EULA Enforcement |url=https://www.spigotmc.org/threads/mojang-eula-enforcement.125792/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251022040914/https://www.spigotmc.org/threads/mojang-eula-enforcement.125792/ |archive-date=Oct 22, 2025 |access-date=Feb 4, 2026 |website=Spigot Forums}}</ref> where if the user attempted to access a server that was on this blacklist, they would only receive a "java.net.SocketException: Network is unreachable" error.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TuxCoding |first=Alex |last2=Flakey |first2=Foxie |date=2016-04-30 |title=Minecraft-Blocked-Servers/ReadMe.md |url=https://github.com/TuxCoding/Minecraft-Blocked-Servers/blob/main/ReadMe.md |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=GitHub |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250823130907/https://github.com/TuxCoding/Minecraft-Blocked-Servers/blob/main/ReadMe.md |archive-date=23 Aug 2025}}</ref> When this list was discovered shortly after the update, the blacklist covered 31 servers/domains.<ref name=":1" /> As of February 2026, Mojang's list includes [https://mojang-api-docs.gapple.pw/no-auth/blocked-servers cryptographic hashes] of 2595 server addresses,<ref name=":3" /> almost all of which have been decrypted by community members.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burk |first=Austin |last2=PureFallen |last3=Williams |first3=Royce |date=2022-08-23 |title=mojang-blocklist/data/identified.txt |url=https://github.com/sudofox/mojang-blocklist |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=GitHub |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260214131616/https://github.com/sudofox/mojang-blocklist |archive-date=14 Feb 2026}}</ref> <!--Would love to include this as a ref, but the domain has been usurped by a malicious actor, would give better insight into who was banned at the time:

https://blocklist.tcpr.ca/-->While some of these servers were reasonably determined to be violating the EULA at the time, not all of them received fair punishment, especially as the company refused to transparently communicate with the overall community over these issues.{{Citation needed}}

Notably during this period, the servers known to be blacklisted were primarily ones who were selling cosmetics and "pay to win" content, which violated the EULA at the time, however this enforcement eventually became lenient enough to cause some to question the initial rulings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TheMisterEpic |date=Sep 21, 2024 |title=Exposing Minecraft's ILLEGAL Server Gambling Operations... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgrKo1mpeGo |access-date=Feb 4, 2026 |website=[[YouTube]] |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=vgrKo1mpeGo |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref>

===Grand Theft Minecart shutdown (May 2023)===

Shortly after this change, the Grand Theft Minecart (GTM) server was attempted to be shut down by the Mojang Enforcement Team.<ref>{{Cite web |last=SkylixMC |date=May 28, 2023 |title=Mojang Strikes Again |url=https://grandtheftmc.net/threads/mojang-strikes-again.17292/ |access-date=Feb 4, 2026 |website=Grand Theft Minecart forums |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260201112228/https://grandtheftmc.net/threads/mojang-strikes-again.17292/ |archive-date=1 Feb 2026}}</ref> In a response to Mojang's enforcement email, the server owner called out some key details about the unfairness of this enforcement. <!--I have posted the PDF document of the response email to the CRW discord, have zero idea how to properly cite locally-hosted files, so I would appreciate a guide. - JamesTDG--><blockquote>Furthermore, please allow me to ask for clarification when you say “guns and weapons” violate the EULA under this new directive. I am genuinely confused by what is meant by “guns and weapons.” What weapons are not considered adult content? Weapons have been a part of Minecraft since its inception. For example, are swords considered adult content? Are crossbows (which under most municipalities are considered “firearms”) regarded as adult content? How about TNT? Surely bombs can’t be more “kid friendly” than “guns”? To us, this measure feels arbitrary and unnecessary

<blockquote>Editor's notice: There is a lawsuit being prepped for this incident at the moment, please check in with the community under the Minecraft: Consequences Edition discord server,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brose |first=Kian |title=Minecraft: Consequences Edition Discord Server |url=https://discord.com/invite/mojanglawsuit |website=Discord |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250828142914/https://discord.com/invite/mojanglawsuit |archive-date=28 Aug 2025}}</ref> or updates within the lawsuit's GoFundMe<ref name=":02" /> for details.</blockquote>{{Placeholder box|If applicable, add any information regarding litigation around the incident here.