Minecraft is getting free educational worlds to help kids stuck inside

(Image credit: Mojang)

With schools shutting down all over the world due to the coronavirus outbreak, Microsoft is adding a new category to the Minecraft Marketplace that contains free educational worlds. This curated list comes from Minecraft: Education Edition, the version of the game designed for use in classrooms. 

"I have previously stated that I believe gaming has a unique power to bring people together, to entertain, to inspire and connect us, and I believe that’s even more true under these unique circumstances," said head of Xbox Phil Spencer in a message to the community. "Many are looking to gaming to remain connected with their friends while practicing social distancing, and we are seeing an unprecedented demand for gaming from our customers right now."

Microsoft has released the collection to help families "navigate the need to help their children with distance learning and balance that with taking time to have fun." It's designed to let kids play while filling some of the gap left in the wake of school closures, and there are some pretty neat lessons in there that frankly make me a bit jealous. My first school computer was a BBC Micro, so there were no visits to a blocky version of the International Space Station for me. 

As well as learning about the ISS, kids will code with a robot, explore landmarks in Washington DC, build 3D fractals and learn what it's like to be a marine biologist. Microsoft is releasing the lessons on the marketplace today for free, and you'll be able to download them through June 30. 

You can also learn more about using Minecraft as a remote learning tool

Image

Minecraft potions: Recipes and brewing guide
Minecraft enchantments: Magical reference list
Minecraft villagers: All the jobs and trades
Minecraft realms: How to start your own server

Fraser Brown
Online Editor

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog. 

Read more
minecraft diamond level sword
Minecraft's never going free-to-play because as it stands it's 'the best deal in the world'
Hello Kitty and Friends DLC in Minecraft
As if I needed any more reason to jump back into Minecraft, a Hello Kitty and Friends DLC has been released
Various creations in Minecraft, including computers and calculators.
This Minecraft creation blots out the sun for the villagers below, they surely praise it as God, but we know it really to be a functioning 32-bit computer with 2 kB of RAM
Minecraft servers - An above view from Mineplex
The 15 best Minecraft servers
A pig, a cow, and two birds dance
Minecraft Live returns in March with everyone's favorite kind of content: 'exclusive movie content'
Minecraft seeds - a pair of towering islands, a jungle and a mesa
The best Minecraft seeds in 2025
Latest in Survival & Crafting
An April Fool's Day Palworld game concept about dating Pals
From Palworld movies to Palworld TV shows: 'Everyone under the sun pitched us every idea you can imagine,' says Pocketpair's communications director
Pacific Drive Endless Expeditions spring 2025 update trailer still - a sexy, tricked-out 1980s station wagon being blasted with magic healing electricity
Pacific Drive developers change their mind: A year after refusing to give it mid-run saves, it's getting mid-run saves
minecraft diamond level sword
Minecraft's never going free-to-play because as it stands it's 'the best deal in the world'
New shaders in Minecraft following Minecraft Live 2025
In the year of our lord 2025, Mojang is finally adding shaders to Minecraft, making reflective lighting and water effects more accessible for all
A dried ghast, a ghastling, and a friendly ghast all smiling
The latest Minecraft Live uncovered the tragic truth of the Nether's most bothersome mob, which has unlocked new levels of guilt
Three mobs in their regional forms in Minecraft Spring to Life update
Minecraft Spring to Life update: everything you need to know about the newest drop
Latest in News
A female Zoi making two hearts with her fingers.
Following 24 hours of Denuvo-based backlash, Inzoi is taking a surprising step and removing it entirely: 'We want to sincerely apologise for not aligning more closely with player expectations'
An image of a Helldiver from Helldivers 2 shooting at a red dragon from Dungeons & Dragons.
'Ok, so dragon builds are a thing now': galaxy-brained Helldivers 2 player incinerates a bile titan with a hover pack and a flamethrower
An ancient, angry stone mech from No Man's Sky's new Relics update
No Man’s Sky lets you unearth ancient, angry mechs in the astro-archaeology filled Relics update
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft scores a legendary ratio against Elon Musk on his own platform—which hopefully marks a final end to all the Assassin's Creed Shadows' culture war nonsense
Tzarina Katarin Bokha, the Ice Queen of Kislev
Total War: Warhammer 3 rolls out a cool Kislev overhaul, changes befitting Tzeench’s magic, new projectile units and creakier skeletal horses
An image of a golden first place award from Geoguessr
'We're actually getting GeoGuessr on Steam before GTA 6': the Google Street View puzzler arrives on Valve's platform this April