You LOVE Minecraft (of course!), and you probably also love playing in different biomes, but how much do you really know about them? There are a LOT – more than you might think! – and the variety is absolutely incredible! This super-fun guide will explain what biomes are, how you can find the rare biomes, and why the Void absolutely counts as a biome! We’ve got more Minecraft waiting for you when you’ve finished reading – find out what kind of player you are, which character from A Minecraft Movie you’re most like, or which Minecraft block you are!

1. Biomes are real!

They’re not just a Minecraft thing! In the real world there are biomes, too. A biome is just an area of the earth with a specific climate, plants and animals. Scientists actually disagree about exactly how many biomes there are on Earth, so you’ll find contradicting opinions if you research them! A simplified version is that there are seven biomes: tropical rainforest, temperate rainforest, desert, tundra, taiga, grassland and savanna. The ocean also has its own biomes, and some people argue that there is such a thing as “anthropogenic biomes”, which are biomes created by humans for human use (like farmland, or indoor spaces).

2. There are nine kinds of biome in Minecraft

There are a LOT of biomes in the game, just like in real life – and just like in real life, some gamers disagree over exactly how many kinds of biome are in Minecraft! The official Minecraft help centre lists nine kinds: plains, woodlands, caves, mountains, swamps, sandy areas, water areas, the nether biomes and the end biomes. There are different numbers of biomes depending on whether you’re playing the Java or Bedrock edition of the game.

3. They’re based on their real-life equivalents

Well, some of them are at least! You can find the plants, animals, weather and geographical features of real biomes in your Minecraft world. So, for example, in a forest biome the blocks include grass, flowers, logs, leaves and bee’s nests – and you can get mobbed by sheep, chickens, cows and wolves! The less realistic biomes like the Nether use made-up assets – so, if you’re in Soul Sand Valley you’ll find bones, crimson roots and soul fire and get mobbed by skeletons and endermen, which doesn’t happen in real life (as far as we know).

4. Some are rarer than others

Plains and forests are pretty easy to come by, but there are LOTS more biomes that you might not know! One example is the Sunflower Plain, which is very similar to the regular Plain, but with one key difference (can you guess it?)! A fun fact about the sunflowers – they always face east, so you can use them to navigate, too! Another rare biome is the Badlands, also known as the Mesa, which is FULL of incredible treasures. The ground is terracotta, perfect for smelting clay blocks, and gold generates more commonly than other biomes. Or, if you really want to feel terrified, try the Deep Dark Biome, which is full of everything horrifying in Minecraft!  

5. There are unused biomes

All games end up cutting assets, and Minecraft is no exception! Some biomes, such as Desert Lakes, Mountain Edge, Deep Warm Ocean and the rare Snowy Taiga Mountains, were removed from Java edition and won’t generate any more in the Bedrock edition. Others, like the Ice Desert, were never implemented in the first place. Dedicated fans have still found ways to explore them, though!

6. And joke biomes!

What is a game without a little bit of tomfoolery? Some biomes only appear in April Fool’s snapshots of the game, so you’d be lucky to find them! These include: Between, which is a hilly terrain full of end ships; Shapes, which is full of geometric blocks; and Biome For Player With No Time For Nonsense, which is Snowy Taiga full of mineral and redstone blocks instead of ore.

7. The colour of the sky changes between biomes

You might not have noticed this interesting little detail between the biomes! You’ve probably noticed that the colours of the grass and soil change between biomes, but if you take the time to look up, you’ll see that the skies are also different! Each sky has its own colour code, and this depends on the temperature of the biome. The warmer the biome, the brighter the sky will be! Colder biomes tend to feature skies with more of a purplish tone. Have a look next time and see!

8. The Void is a biome

Even though the void seems like the total opposite of a biome, it actually counts as one! It’s the empty space that’s usually found under the map, and you can enter it either by glitching, using commands, using Map Editor, using Creative or Spectator mode – or by entering The End! As part of the End, it counts as its own biome. Sure, there’s not much to do in there (in fact you’ll die if you fall in), but if you enter it in creative mode you can actually build stuff!

9. Items can be unique to biomes

Remember the Sunflower Plain? It’s the only place in the game where you can get sunflowers, which you can use as decoration or turn into yellow dye! Yep, exploring the rare biomes is the best way to get your hands on items that can’t be found anywhere else in the game, and each biome has something unique to offer!  For example, the Badlands plain is the only place to get red dust, the Cherry Grove is the only place you’ll find cherry logs and pink petals, and if you want pale moss or creaking heart, you’ll need to find the Pale Garden!

10. You can use a Seed Map

So, what’s the best way to find those rare biomes? One solution is a useful tool called the Seed Map! All you need to do is find your Minecraft World Map Seed, which is in your game settings (there are more detailed guides out there to help you out!). Then you need to input the seed code to the Seed Map app, which can be found on a website called Chunk Base. The app then lets you find new seeds and locate biomes, structures, slime chunks and more in your current world!