Survival

**Survival** is one of the game modes in *Minecraft*. Players must collect resources, build structures, battle mobs, eat, and explore the world in an effort to survive.

In *Java Edition*, advancements are available on any world type regardless of whether cheats are turned on or off.

In *Bedrock Edition*, players may receive achievements in a world not set to Flat while playing Survival mode with cheats off, add-ons off, and host privileges off. If a player creates a world in Creative mode and then loads it in Survival mode, the player cannot earn achievements in this world.

## Gameplay

In Survival, players have an inventory that consists of four rows of slots used to store items, nine of which are found on the hotbar. All blocks require a certain amount of time to break, unlike Creative mode where blocks can be instantly destroyed. These items can be used in recipes to create tools and other items. This process is known as crafting. The recipes can also be accessed by clicking the recipe book under the 2×2 crafting grid. Most crafting recipes require a crafting table. Some items cannot be obtained by crafting normally and require a furnace for processing (e.g. glass requires sand for smelting). Various other crafting stations exist for other uses, such as brewing, repairing, and enchanting.

In Survival mode, the player is able to receive damage from the environment (fall damage, suffocation, lava, and freezing) and from hostile mobs (unless playing on Peaceful, where hostile mobs are disabled). A player who receives enough damage dies and returns to the world spawn, or to a previously slept-in bed, or in the Nether to a respawn anchor if the player set one.

If cheats are enabled, a player can switch to Survival mode by using the command `/gamemode survival` but cannot earn achievements and advancements.

### Goals

See also: Tutorials/Beginner's guide

In Survival, the main goal is to survive, build, explore, and have fun, but another optional goal in Survival is to defeat the ender dragon.

The player can "beat the game" in Survival mode by defeating the ender dragon in the End, but this does not terminate play; it provides a trophy item (a dragon egg), a large amount of experience, triggers the "End Poem" and unlocks a gateway to allow easier access to the outer end islands; another common goal is to fulfill all the predefined achievements‌[*Bedrock Edition only*]/advancements‌[*Java Edition only*]. Oceans also invite exploration, as they have corals, monuments, and adapted creatures like guardians, fish and drowned. The player can also optionally fight the wither boss in order to obtain a nether star so that they can craft a beacon, which also completes all of the in-game achievements. A player can search for an elytra and more after finding an end city in the End.

### Survival single-player (SSP)

Survival single-player is the default game mode of *Minecraft*. Single-player may be played online or offline, as long as the player has played the game at least once in order to allow the game files to be downloaded to their device.

### Survival multiplayer (SMP)

Main article: Multiplayer

Survival multiplayer allows players to connect to a central *Minecraft* server. This enables them to interact with each other and work together (or against each other) in order to achieve their goals. This is mostly used for friends to play on a private server together.

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## History

 June 14, 2009
 August 4, 2009
 August 18, 2009
 0.24 SURVIVAL TEST
 0.31
 20100327
 v1.0.15
 v0.2.0
 v0.3.0
 TU1