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How to play the oldest version of Minecraft in 2022?

By Akshat Kabra
Modified Aug 18, 2022 08:36 GMT
Players can experience the history of Minecraft by playing the game's oldest version (Image via Sportskeeda)
Players can experience the history of Minecraft by playing the game's oldest version (Image via Sportskeeda)

Minecraft is one of the oldest games that is still extremely popular in 2022, with millions of users playing the game on a regular basis. Since the game's first release, Minecraft has come a long way, adding hundreds of new features over the course of the past 11 years. However, many enthusiasts and fans of the game would love to experience its earliest iterations.

The famous sandbox title was released back in 2011, but the game's development started two years earlier in 2009. Markus Persson (Notch), the creator of Minecraft, started working on the game in May 2009 and made a few alpha versions to test the very basic mechanics. Luckily for players, they can easily download and play these older alpha versions, even in 2022.

Steps to play the oldest version of Minecraft in 2022

1) Open the official game launcher

The official game launcher can also run the oldest version of the game (Image via Sportskeeda)
The official game launcher can also run the oldest version of the game (Image via Sportskeeda)

The official game launcher that players receive after purchasing the game allows them to download almost all the versions of the game, including the old historical versions. Players can simply open the official game launcher and select the Java Edition version.

2) Making historical versions visible

Checkmark the last settings in the 'General' tab (Image via Sportskeeda)
Checkmark the last settings in the 'General' tab (Image via Sportskeeda)

In order to see all the historical game versions, players must toggle a setting. Simply head to the main settings of the launcher from the bottom left corner. Then under the 'General' tab, players will be able to find a checkbox that says 'Show historical versions of Minecraft: Java Edition in the Launcher'. Players can go ahead and check the box.

3) Finding and installing the oldest version

Players can scroll down to find the oldest game version (Image via Sportskeeda)
Players can scroll down to find the oldest game version (Image via Sportskeeda)

Once this is done, players can go ahead and select 'Installations' on the Java Edition page. Here, players will see all the installed game versions along with the 'New Installations' button. Players can create a new installation and scroll all the way down to the oldest game version the launcher offers.

The name of the oldest Minecraft version is 'rd-132211'. Players can select the version, name the installation, and click 'Save' on the bottom right.

4) Select the oldest version and play

Select the oldest version and hit play (Image via Sportskeeda)
Select the oldest version and hit play (Image via Sportskeeda)

Finally, players can simply go ahead and find the new installation in the drop-down menu on the main Java Edition page and click 'Play'. Players will be surprised to see how quickly the launcher downloads and opens the game. This is because this version of Minecraft is extremely old and only has the most basic mechanics.

Players will only be able to place cobblestone and remove it (Image via Mojang)
Players will only be able to place cobblestone and remove it (Image via Mojang)

Players can right-click on the mouse to place a cobblestone block and left-click on the mouse to remove a block. The game won't have any main menu, settings, HUD, or terrain generation. This is where the journey of one of the most popular games of all time began.