Mojang is launching a new version of Minecraft for Windows 10, but the full version of the game isn't actually going to be ready come the Windows 10 launch date of July 29. Instead, Mojang is dubbing the game "Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta."
"Just like the first release of Minecraft all those years ago, this version will develop and evolve over time with the help of your feedback. That's why it has 'Beta' in the title – because it's not quite finished, and will become even more fun over time. Just like the other versions of Minecraft, all future updates will be free. We spoil you. We really do," Mojang said in a blog post.
On the plus side, the game won't cost a penny for existing Minecraft gamers.
"If you're one of the 20 million(!) players who have the PC edition of Minecraft (referred to by techy people as the Java version) you'll be able to download Windows 10 Edition Beta from the Windows 10 store for free. Other players can get it for the paltry price of $10 during the beta period (the length of which is still being decided)," Mojang said.
The Windows 10 version of Minecraft will still support the same kind of gameplay as all the other versions of Minecraft: namely, multiplayer gaming, as well as "creative" and "survival" modes (the latter for those who want to add a little spice to their world building).
Additionally, Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta gamers will enjoy a few extras that have been pulled in from the Pocket Edition version of the game—the mobile variant for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and Amazon's Fire OS.
Windows 10 gamers will be able to play online with Pocket Edition gamers (via an update shortly after the game's launch), and the Windows 10 version will support up to eight players in each multiplayer gaming session—either locally or over Xbox Live. A built-in GameDVR will let you record all of your adventures, and it will allegedly be pretty easy to switch between using a controller, a touch interface, or a keyboard and mouse to play Minecraft on Windows 10.
That's in addition to "chickens, zombies, pigs, boats, armed skeletons, potatoes, zombies, baby squids, enchantment tables, villagers, naked sheep, iron golems, potions, ghasts, pickaxes, carrots, and all the weird and wonderful goodness you've come to expect from Minecraft," Mojang said.