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Minecraft Earth has begun rolling out to Android devices as part of a closed beta period. So far, developer Mojang has flipped the switch in five cities, including Seattle, London, Tokyo, Stockholm, and Mexico City. More will be added, and if you want know when you can play on your handset, you need to head over to the Play Store and jot your name down.
"Discover a new dimension of Minecraft as you create, explore, and survive in the real world. Join a community of builders and explorers spanning the planet, collect resources for your builds, craft in augmented reality and then place them at life-size. You can even team up with others for mini-adventures!," Mojang explains.
You can pre-register for the augmented reality (AR) title at the Play Store, or sign up on the game's standalone product page for receive updates. Should you do the latter, you will get a free skin, and also have a chance to be one of the first to play (i.e., participate in the beta).
The launch of the closed beta on Android follows a roll out (also in beta) to iOS devices last month. Interestingly, however, Android users will have access to Rubies, the in-game currency, before iOS users do. The game itself is free-to-play, but through the acquisition of Rubies—earned in-game or purchased—users can can be spent in the in-game store. Anything bought, earned, or built in the beta will carry over to the final release.
It's still not clear when Minecraft Earth will exit beta and launch as a finished product. Whenever it does, however, it will likely draw scores of users just as Pokemon Go did. Minecraft is one of the most popular games of all time.
