How to Survive Your First Night in Minecraft (Beginner Guide)

Guide Java Bedrock

What you need

• 20+ logs from trees (day one priority)
• 8 cobblestone for a furnace
• 3 wool for a bed if you find sheep
• A door and torches before dark

Step by step

1. Punch a tree: hold left-click on the trunk until it drops. Collect 20 or more logs - everything else follows from wood.
2. Open your inventory, turn logs into planks, then planks into a crafting table. Place it down.
3. Craft a wooden pickaxe, mine 11 stone, and upgrade immediately: stone pickaxe, axe and sword beat wooden ones.
4. Build a furnace from 8 cobblestone. Use it later for charcoal if you find no coal.
5. Watch the sun: daytime lasts about 10 minutes, followed by sunset. By mid-afternoon you need a shelter plan.
6. Shelter options: dig into a hillside, bury yourself in a 1x1 hole with a torch, or build a tiny 5x5 hut. All equally valid on day one.
7. Light it: torches (coal or charcoal + sticks) inside and around the entrance. Monsters spawn in the dark, so keep your shelter and the area around it well lit.
8. Make a door: 6 planks craft 3 doors. A closed door blocks most mobs, so close it behind you.
9. Found 3 sheep? Craft a bed (3 wool + 3 planks) and sleep - the night skips in seconds and your spawn point is set.
10. No bed? Wait inside. The night lasts about 7 minutes. Use the time to organize chests, cook food and plan the mine.

Java vs Bedrock

Identical on Java and Bedrock. Controls differ by device, but the survival checklist is the same everywhere. A full day lasts 20 minutes: about 10 of daytime, plus sunset, night and sunrise.

Versions: Describes the current Java and Bedrock releases. See the edition note above for differences.

Frequently asked questions

Related:How to Build a Good Starter House in MinecraftHow to Make a Bed in MinecraftGuides