Minecraft (partially found previous versions of sandbox game; 2009-present)

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0.0.22a 05.png

An example of a previously lost version known as "Classic 0.0.22a_05." It has now been recovered from an old player.

Status: Partially Found

Minecraft is a PC Java sandbox game, now available on many different platforms, first developed in May 2009 by Markus Persson (Notch) and later by various developers at Mojang. It has since become one of the best-selling video games of all time. The game was originally developed as a Java applet to be played in a browser, with a few private releases followed by the first publicly released version being shared by Notch to the tigsource forums and other sites such as the java-gaming.org site on May 17th, 2009.[1]

From this point onwards Minecraft went through many stages of development, with the first version of what is called the Release development cycle of the game being released in November 2011, after which Notch officially left the development team.[2]

Unfortunately, as with many large video game franchises, there are many different early builds from the early development cycles of the game that are now missing entirely, both from Mojang's official launcher and from the internet altogether. This is likely due to the nature of the game as an in-browser Java applet when first developed. This meant that without knowledge of how Java applets worked, a user would not know to back up the files, including the minecraft.jar file, found in the AppData/Local/Temp/www.minecraft.net folder where these files were stored. This was also worsened by the sheer amount of updates in a short space of time during the early builds of the game, sometimes many in a single day, which would overwrite the files from the previous update. As the game did not become popular until later on, and Notch was the sole developer, he also seemingly did not keep backups of every version released.

Classic

Classic was the first public development cycle of Minecraft. Originally called "Alpha" (not to be confused with the later development cycle by the same name), it was only referred to as Classic after the development cycle had ended. Any private versions made beforehand, such as the "rd (RubyDung) versions" in the official launcher and the version "0.0.9a" (often grouped with Classic versions, depending on how they're grouped), are generally referred to as pre-Classic. Classic started with version "0.0.11a," released on May 17th, 2009, and ended with version "0.30," released on November 10th, 2009. Within Classic, there were a few other development cycles, including Multiplayer Test and later Survival Test. As Classic was played in the browser, the files for it were stored at the "AppData/Local/Temp/www.minecraft.net/Minecraft folder." There are a lot of different versions of Classic missing, and only 3 versions of it are featured in the official launcher. Luckily, a few other versions have been recovered from various older players over the years, and there is a reasonably good historical representation of most of Classic, other than early Multiplayer Test versions.

Below is a table of Classic versions, with notes for each version as well as download links for found versions. Proof of existence for all versions is included where possible, with an effort having been made to find proofs from 2009-2010. Only a single proof of existence is included in perversion, but for most versions, many are available in the form of screenshots, videos and from Notch's Tumblr blog. If proof for a version is missing, it is either due to the proof not existing or not having been found, or it may be because the version was a silent update (unannounced by Notch) but is now found, so we know of its existence. A timestamp next to a version indicates there were multiple different versions of the same version released publically, or a version that was reuploaded, usually to attempt to fix a bug.

Version Name Release Date Status Proof of Existence Notes
c-20090516-1607 May 16, 2009 Lost #tigirc IRC logs "(16:07:06) notch: minecraft alpha is available. I need someone on windows, someone on mac and someone on linux!"
c-20090516-1616 May 16, 2009 Lost #tigirc IRC logs "(16:16:34) notch: dock, fartron: There's a new version up. Reload the page"
c-20090516-1625 May 16, 2009 Lost #tigirc IRC logs "(16:25:56) notch: dock, fartron: New version, reload the page."
c-20090516-1648 May 16, 2009 Lost #tigirc IRC logs "(16:48:58) notch: dock, fartron, Jrsquee: I've uploaded a new version that fixed the mouse lag for me."
c-20090516-1652 May 16, 2009 Existence unconfirmed #tigirc IRC logs It is unclear whether this message is referring to 0.0.1a, 0.0.2a, or something else.

"(16:52:42) notch: I uploaded a new version with a (huge annoying) version label"

0.0.1a May 16, 2009 Existence unconfirmed No proof Likely existed as version numbers weren't usually skipped.
0.0.2a May 16, 2009 Lost #tigirc IRC logs "(17:05:07) notch: does it say "0.0.2a" in the top left corner of the applet?"
0.0.3a May 16, 2009 Lost #tigirc IRC logs "(18:05:16) notch: fartron: I uploaded 0.0.3 with caves. Does it load the new version properly if you just reload the page now?"
0.0.4a - 0.0.8a May 16, 2009 Existence unconfirmed No proof Likely existed as version numbers weren't usually skipped.
0.0.9a May 16, 2009 Lost Screenshot Was a semi-private release.
0.0.10a May 17, 2009 Lost #LWJGL IRC Logs Crashed upon startup.
0.0.11a May 17, 2009 Lost Video The copy present in the launcher is likely a development build of "0.0.12a."
0.0.12a May 19, 2009 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
0.0.12a_01 May 19, 2009 Lost Notch's Tumblr First version to use _x naming scheme.
0.0.12a_02 May 19, 2009 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
0.0.12a_03-192349 May 19, 2009 Lost #tigirc IRC logs "(23:49:36) fartron: 0.0.12a_03 [...] (19:49:37) fartron: is the newest [...] (19:49:41) PFawkes: yeah [...] (19:49:43) PFawkes: it's that"
0.0.12a_03-200018 May 20, 2009 Found Video Two versions were created a day apart; only the latter has been found. The video in question is also for the second version.
0.0.13a May 22, 2009 Lost Video A build of this version is found in the launcher, but it's likely a development build, as the terrain is always flat in this version, while the final version has normal terrain.
0.0.13a_01 May 22, 2009 Existence unconfirmed No proof Likely existed as version numbers weren't usually skipped.
0.0.13a_02 May 22, 2009 Existence unconfirmed No proof Likely existed as version numbers weren't usually skipped.
0.0.13a_03 May 22, 2009 Found Video We have an original copy of this as well as the launcher version. The original is from the video uploader.
0.0.14a May 27, 2009 Lost Notch's Tumblr Multiple test versions of this such as the offset test were shown on Notch's YouTube, but these were likely just development versions.
0.0.14a_01 May 27, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "(22:36:35) <@notch> 0.0.14a_01 is up, fixing the level load bug"
0.0.14a_02 May 27, 2009 Existence unconfirmed No proof Likely existed as version numbers weren't usually skipped.
0.0.14a_03 May 27, 2009 Lost Screenshot, #minecraft IRC logs "(23:04:14) <@notch> I'd appreciate it if you could reload so you get 14a_03, then try loading your levels"
0.0.14a_04-1735 May 28, 2009 Lost Notch's Tumblr, #minecraft IRC logs http://www.mojang.com/forum/ | 0.0.14a_04 is up. You can now set the spawn point with return."
0.0.14a_04-1743 May 28, 2009 Lost Notch's Tumblr, #minecraft IRC logs "(17:40:22) <mezo> mouse movement seems very bugged [...] (17:40:29) <@notch> I'll try fixing it [...] (17:43:35) <@notch> is the mouse look fixed now? [...] (17:44:02) <mezo> mouse is fixed [...] (17:44:09) <mezo> nm no it's not"
0.0.14a_05-1748 May 28, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "(17:48:13) <@notch> mezo: Restart the browser again, you should get _05 now"
0.0.14a_05-1752 May 28, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "(17:48:58) <@notch> gah, now the mouse isn't working at all [...] (17:52:18) <@notch> ok, try now"
0.0.14a_06 May 28, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "(18:23:30) <@notch> mezo: Reload the page, you should get _06"
0.0.14a_07 May 28, 2009 Lost Screenshot No notes.
0.0.14a_08 May 28, 2009 Found Video Last version before Multiplayer Test.
0.0.15a-05311904 May 31, 2009 Found Video, #minecraft IRC logs "(19:05) <@notch> http://www.minecraft.net/mptest/ [...] (19:05) <Testvan> im joinin dat asap [Our jar dates to 19:04 and came from Testvan]"
0.0.15a-06031816 Jun 3, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs The multiplayer test is up and running again at http://minecraft.net/mptest/index.jsp | I'd really appreciate it if you could log in and run around so I have something to test against.'"
0.0.15a-06031828 Jun 3, 2009 Existence unconfirmed #minecraft IRC logs It is not clear if there was a client update.

"(18:28) <@Notch> the mp test server is updated with better client interpolation. :) [...] (18:34) <@Notch> the players animate better now, I hope?"

0.0.15a-06031900 Jun 3, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "(19:00) <@Notch> ok, restart your clients now. :) [...] (19:07) <Parthon> someone is destroying my stuff [...] (19:07) <@Notch> it's me =D (19:07) <@Notch> restart the client to get player names"
0.0.15a-06031950 Jun 3, 2009 Lost Notch's blog, #minecraft IRC logs "(19:50) <@Notch> try pressing t"
0.0.15a-06041651 Jun 4, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs Multiplayer test is back up!' [...] (16:52) <@Notch> doesn't seem to work, hold on"
0.0.15a-06041658 Jun 4, 2009 Existence unconfirmed #minecraft IRC logs It is not clear if there was a client update.

"(16:52) * Notch changes topic to 'http://www.minecraft.net/ | Multiplayer test is back down, gimme a sec.' [...] (16:58) * Notch changes topic to 'http://www.minecraft.net/ | Multiplayer test is up! Please test it :D'"

0.0.15a-06041703 Jun 4, 2009 Existence unconfirmed #minecraft IRC logs It is not clear if there was a client update.

"(17:01) * Notch changes topic to 'http://www.minecraft.net/ | Multiplayer test is down, hold! | Please test mp (when the server is up) at http://www.minecraft.net/mptest/' [...] (17:03) * Notch changes topic to 'http://www.minecraft.net/ | Multiplayer test is UP! | Please test mp (when the server is up) at http://www.minecraft.net/mptest/'"

0.0.15a_01 Jun 4, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "(17:15) restart your clients to get no more vanishing players" [Version number isn't mentioned but this is the last update before 0.0.15a_02]
0.0.15a_02 Jun 4, 2009 Lost Screenshot, #minecraft IRC logs "(17:53) <@Notch> restart the client and meet me at the spawn, I need some help testing something. :)"
0.0.15a_0x-2045 Jun 4, 2009 Existence unconfirmed #minecraft IRC logs It is not clear if there was a client update.

"(20:45) <Water-Marine> it won't connect to the server :( [...] (20:45) <@Notch> it's back up now [...] (20:45) <@Notch> and my god people connect fast, haha"

0.0.15a_0x-2049 Jun 4, 2009 Existence unconfirmed #minecraft IRC logs It is not clear if there was a client update.

"(20:46) <@Notch> AHHH!!! [...] (21:46) <unknownczar> CRASH [...] (20:47) <@Notch> lol, I'm fixing some stuff. :) [...] (20:49) <Onforty> Notch? MP test up? [...] (20:49) <@Notch> Onforty: Yes"

0.0.16a Jun 7, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs (17:25) <@Notch> http://www.minecraft.net/mptest.jsp"
0.0.16a_01 Jun 7, 2009 Lost Screenshot, #minecraft IRC logs "(18:07) <m0tive> gah! [There was a lot of people mentioning a crash during this, it is then followed by the next message] (18:10) <m0tive> downloading new package..."
0.0.16a_02 Jun 7/8, 2009 Partially Found VideoForum Thread Multiple versions were created to account for bugs. Only one has been found (proof is available in various IRC logs).
0.0.17a Jun 10, 2009 Found Video No notes.
0.0.18a Jun 14, 2009 Lost Notch's Tumblr The proof is the changelog for "0.0.18a_02" which mentions fixing a bug from "0.0.18a."
0.0.18a_01 Jun 14, 2009 Lost Video No notes.
0.0.18a_02 Jun 14, 2009 Found Video No notes.
0.0.19a Jun 20, 2009 Lost Screenshot No notes.
0.0.19a_01 Jun 20, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "P6:28:41 <Snowman> Notch, dont forget to change the version number :D", said ~1 hour after 0.0.19a released.
0.0.19a_02 Jun 20, 2009 Lost Screenshot No notes.
0.0.19a_03 Jun 20, 2009 Lost Screenshot No notes.
0.0.19a_04 Jun 20, 2009 Found #minecraft IRC logs "P7:53:28 <Notch> _04 is up now, fixing that."
0.0.19a_05 Jun 20, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "P8:16:05 <Notch> Rroff: new client up now, try it" [...] "P8:19:57 <Rroff> 19a_05 is the new one?"
0.0.19a_06 Jun 20, 2009 Partially Lost Video Pre-reupload is lost.
0.0.20a Jun 20, 2009 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
0.0.20a_01 Jun 20, 2009 Found Screenshot No notes.
0.0.20a_02 Jun 20, 2009 Found Video No notes.
0.0.21a Jun 22, 2009 Partially Lost Video Pre-reupload is lost.
0.0.21a_01 Jun 23, 2009 Lost Video No notes.
0.0.22a Jun 29, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs Two versions were created, the latter being to fix a server joining bug. Both are lost.

"(21:58:33) <Notch> there we go, the client should work again"

0.0.22a_01 Jun 29, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "P5:13:08 <08Notch> 0.0.22a_01 is up"
0.0.22a_02 Jun 29, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "P5:19:16 < 08Notch > _03 is up now" [...] "P5:19:48 < 08Notch > er, I mean 02"
0.0.22a_03 Jun 30, 2009 Lost Screenshot No notes.
0.0.22a_04 Jun 30, 2009 Lost Screenshot No notes.
0.0.22a_05 Jun 30, 2009 Found Screenshot No notes.
0.0.23a Jul 7, 2009 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
0.0.23a_01 Jul 7, 2009 Found Screenshot Last creative version before Survival Test.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST Sep 1, 2009 Lost Video First Survival Test Version. Various examples of versions labelled "0.24" can be seen on Notch's blog and YouTube channel, however, these seem to be unreleased development versions. This version also simplified the version numbering scheme, removing the 0.0 at the start and the 'a' at the end.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST_01 Sep 1, 2009 Lost Screenshot No notes.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST_02 Sep 1, 2009 Lost Video No notes.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST_03 Sep 1, 2009 Found Video No notes.
0.25 SURVIVAL TEST Sep 3, 2009 Lost Notch's Blog Multiple versions were created; all are lost.
0.25_01 SURVIVAL TEST Sep 3, 2009 Existence unconfirmed No proof Likely existed as versions weren't usually skipped.
0.25_02 SURVIVAL TEST Sep 3, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "A11:26:38 <08Notch> ok, I fixed the creeper craters" [...] "A11:26:43 <08Notch> and added a load button to the death screen"
0.25_03 SURVIVAL TEST Sep 3, 2009 Lost Video Video was referenced in IRC logs, found here. The time this was posted is after 0.25_02.
0.25_04 SURVIVAL TEST Sep 3, 2009 Non-existent Minecraft Wiki A user accidentally changed the version on the wiki to 0.25_04 SURVIVAL TEST, and Notch thought that it was the current version, so he skipped this one.
0.25_05 SURVIVAL TEST Sep 3, 2009 Found Video No notes.
0.26 SURVIVAL TEST Oct 24, 2009 Lost Video No notes.
0.27 SURVIVAL TEST Oct 24, 2009 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
0.28 Oct 27, 2009 Lost Notch's Tumblr and Notch's Tumblr This version changed back to creative mode, although "0.27" was not the last Survival Test version.
0.28_01 Oct 27, 2009 Found Screenshot No notes.
0.29 Oct 29, 2009 Found Screenshot Did not have a graphical bug, contrary to popular belief.
0.29_01 Oct 29, 2009 Found Notch's Tumblr Similar to infdev-20100321, the jar that was found before had some edited textures but the only difference being is some thumbs.db files included. This has been fixed as well with the textures being replaced but since then, the jar in its original form has been found along with Alpha v1.1.1.
0.29_02 Oct 30, 2009 Found Archive.org listing No notes.
0.30 Nov 10, 2009 Partially Lost Searge's list of MD5s, proof of 0.30_01a 3 versions are found, 2 are lost. One is the original creative version, one is the Survival Test version, and the third is the one found in the launcher, labelled "0.30_01c" in the launcher, but this is not the original name, and it is not labelled as such in-game; this is a repackage of the one found on the classic website from 2011 until its shutdown. A fourth version of "0.30" was discovered through a list of MD5s sent to Omniarchive by Searge.

Indev

Indev (standing for In Development), sometimes stylized as /indev/, was the development stage of Minecraft which introduced crafting along with many other features such as mining, smelting and farming. The first Indev version was released on December 23, 2009, and the last Indev version was released on February 23, 2010. Indev was originally creative mode for only the first couple of versions and then later survival mode for the rest of the development cycle. Indev was originally labelled "0.31" in-game until the February 6th version onwards, where it was labelled Minecraft Indev in-game. Much like Classic, it had a limited map size and was played in the browser, meaning the files were stored in the AppData/Local/Temp/www.minecraft.net/Minecraft_sneakpeek folder. Surprisingly, there are absolutely no Indev versions in the launcher, but despite this, many have been found, once again, from old players. There is even one extremely rare creative version of Indev (December 23, 2009-2) archived that was recently recovered by an archivist player known as RidgeX. Unfortunately, there are also many missing versions of Indev too, mainly from its earlier versions.

Below is a table of Indev versions, with notes for each version as well as download links for found versions. Proof of existence for all versions is included where possible, with an effort having been made to find proofs from 2009-2010. Only a single proof of existence is included per version, but for most versions, many are available in the form of screenshots, videos and from Notch's Tumblr blog. If proof for a version is missing, it is either due to the proof not existing or no having been found, or it may be because the version was a silent update (unannounced by Notch) but is now found, so we know of its existence. Because Indev did not have a numbering scheme for the separate versions, the numbering scheme used is based on the release date of the version in the Year-Month-Day format. A -1, -2 etc., next to a version indicates there were multiple different versions of the same version released publically, or a version that was reuploaded, usually to attempt to fix a bug.

Version Name Release Date Status Proof of Existence Notes
indev-20091223-1 Dec 23, 2009 Lost Notch's Tumblr First Indev version released. It was Creative mode.
indev-20091223-2 Dec 23, 2009 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "A8:58:59 <Notch> reload the /indev/ page until it starts reloading the files | A8:59:24 <Notch> it's still loading the cached version"
indev-20091223-3 Dec 23, 2009 Found Notch's Tumblr Was also Creative mode, but this was the last version before Indev switched to Survival mode. Added torches to the game.
indev-20091231 Dec 31, 2009 Partially Found #minecraft IRC logs 6 confirmed versions and 1 potential version of indev were created on this day. Only one has been found (note: the IRC logs are one big 7z file).
indev-20100105 Jan 4, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr Blog post was created on January 5 but this version was released minutes before midnight. There may have been an older version but no evidence exists of it.
indev-20100106 Jan 6, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr Multiple versions were made; all are lost.
indev-20100107 Jan 7, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr Multiple versions were made; all are lost.
indev-20100109 Jan 9, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr Multiple versions were made; all are lost.
indev-20100110 Jan 10, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100111 Jan 11, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr Multiple versions were made; all are lost.
indev-20100113 Jan 13, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr Multiple versions were made; all are lost.
indev-2010011x Jan 13-14, 2010 Lost [1] The day and time of release is unknown, though we know it was released in January because it has floating islands.
indev-20100114 Jan 14, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100122 Jan 22, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr Multiple versions were made; all are lost.
indev-20100124-1 Jan 24, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100124-2 Jan 24, 2010 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "(21:34:19) <Notch> indev works now" (note: the logs are saved in 7z)
indev-20100124-3 Jan 24, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100125-1 Jan 25, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100125-2 Jan 25, 2010 Found To be added No notes.
indev-20100128-1 Jan 28, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100128-2 Jan 28, 2010 Found #minecraft IRC logs "(23:08:24) <Notch> mc's been updated =)"
indev-20100129 Jan 29, 2010 Partially Lost Notch's Tumblr First version with working crafting. The crafting menu itself using the B hotkey was added on the 28th but it did not function properly until this update. Multiple versions were seemingly released but only 1 has resurfaced.
indev-20100130 Jan 30, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100131 Jan 31, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr Multiple versions were made; all are lost.
indev-20100201-1 Feb 1, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This version was actually compiled late at night on January 31st and the blog post is labelled as Sunday night, which was the 31st. However, the post announcing the release was technically posted on February 1st so the version is being listed as this.
indev-20100201-2 Feb 1, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This version seems to correspond with the blog post as it was compiled at around the same time.
indev-20100201-3 Feb 1, 2010 Found No proof Seems to have been a silent update as there were no other version posts on February 1st.
indev-20100202 Feb 3, 2010 Partially Found Notch's Tumblr Multiple versions were made; only 1 has been found.
indev-20100204-1 Feb 4, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100204-2 Feb 4, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100204-3 Feb 4, 2010 Lost #minecraft IRC logs "(21:53:21) <Notch> yes, I just updated it. ;)"
indev-20100205-1 Feb 5, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr Seems to be the last version labelled as 0.31 in the corner.
indev-20100205-2 Feb 5, 2010 Existence unconfirmed Minecraft Forum There are no matching blog posts or IRC logs, but suggests an update.
indev-20100206 Feb 6, 2010 Partially Found Notch's Tumblr First version with farming and seemingly the first version that's labelled as Minecraft Indev in the corner. Pre-reupload is lost, as well as a text rendering update prior to both.
indev-20100207-1 Feb 7, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This may be a reupload.
indev-20100207-2 Feb 7, 2010 Found No proof Found but there isn't any proof on Notch's blog so was probably a silent (unannounced) update.
indev-20100211 Feb 11, 2010 Lost Video Added the day/night cycle. Had lighting bugs. Two other versions potentially exist.
indev-20100212-1 Feb 12, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr Added stars to the night sky.
indev-20100212-2 Feb 12, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100214-1 Feb 14, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100214-2 Feb 14, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100218 Feb 18, 2010 Partially Lost Notch's Tumblr Possible pre-reupload lost.
indev-20100219 Feb 19, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
indev-20100223 Feb 23, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr Last version of Indev.

Infdev

Infdev, which stands for Infinite Development, was the development cycle that immediately followed Indev. Sometimes stylized as /infdev/, it is named after the infinite worlds that it introduced, a now-famous feature of Minecraft. The first version of Infdev was released on February 27, 2010, and the last version was released on June 30, 2010. Infdev was in Survival Mode throughout the whole development cycle. The same as Classic and Indev, it was played in the browser, and the files were stored in the following folder: AppData/Local/Temp/www.minecraft.net/Minecraft_infdev . Infdev was the last development cycle to be played in the browser, but thanks to the archival efforts of many old players, amazingly, almost every single known released version of Infdev has been recovered, apart from two versions: infdev-20100616 and infdev-20100227. Almost half of these versions were recovered from the archivist 2009-2010 player RidgeX. There is only one version of Infdev in the official launcher, which is from June 18, 2010.

Below is a table of Infdev versions, with notes for each version as well as download links for found versions. Proof of existence for all versions is included where possible, with an effort having been made to find proof from 2010. Only a single proof of existence is included in perversion, but for most versions, many are available in the form of screenshots, videos and from Notch's Tumblr blog. If proof for a version is missing, it is either due to the proof not existing or not having been found, or it may be because the version was a silent update (unannounced by Notch) but is now found, so we know of its existence. Because Infdev did not have a numbering scheme for the separate versions, the numbering scheme used is based on the release date of the version in the Year-Month-Day format. A -1, -2 etc., next to a version indicates there were multiple different versions of the same version released publically, or a version that was reuploaded, usually to attempt to fix a bug.

Version Name Release Date Status Proof of Existence Notes
infdev-20100227 Feb 27, 2010 Partially Lost Notch's Tumblr Pre-reupload is lost.
infdev-20100313 Mar 13, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100316 Mar 16, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100320 Mar 20, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100321 Mar 21, 2010 Found [2] The existence of this version was only discovered when it was sent to an archival group by RidgeX.
infdev-20100325-1 Mar 25, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100325-2 Mar 25, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100327 Mar 27, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100330-1 Mar 30, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100330-2 Mar 30, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr Found with an old texture pack meaning the texture files were modified. In the jar provided, they have been replaced with the textures from 0327 which are the same as the original 0330 textures so it should not affect gameplay.
infdev-20100413 Apr 13, 2010 Partially Lost Notch's Tumblr Possible pre-reupload lost.
infdev-20100414 Apr 14, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100415 Apr 15, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100420 Apr 20, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100607 Jun 7, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr
infdev-20100608 Jun 8, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100611 Jun 11, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100615 Jun 15, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100616-1 Jun 16, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100616-2 Jun 16, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100617-1 Jun 17, 2010 Found No proof This version is not "infdev-20100616" as it is compiled after the Tumblr blog for "20100616" was posted.
infdev-20100617-2 Jun 17, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100618 Jun 18, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr First Seecret Friday Update. This version is in the launcher and it is identical to the original.
infdev-20100624 Jun 24, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr Had a completely unique level save format that was added in this version and removed in the next.
infdev-20100625-1 Jun 25, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100625-2 Jun 25, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr Second Seecret Friday Update.
infdev-20100627 Jun 27, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
infdev-20100629 Jun 29, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This version was known as the offline client tech test, and was released as a downloadable offline java executable the day before the first official launcher was released.
infdev-20100630-1 Jun 30, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr Two versions were released on this day but one seems to have been a silent update. This version seems to have been the first version released in the first official launcher.
infdev-20100630-2/Alpha v1.0.0 Jun 30, 2010 Found Video The last infdev version released. Once "Alpha 1.0.1" was released this version was retroactively named "Alpha 1.0.0" by Notch, but this is not evident in game where it is labelled "Minecraft Infdev" like the other Infdev versions.

Alpha

Alpha was the development cycle that immediately followed Infdev. Sometimes stylized as /game/, it is the first version to have an offline client/launcher. The first true version of Alpha was released on July 2, 2010, and the last version was released on December 3, 2010. Alpha was also in Survival Mode throughout its entire development cycle. However, unlike previous development cycles that came before it, Alpha was stored in a different folder, thanks to the at the time new launcher. The files were stored in this folder: AppData/Roaming/.minecraft/bin. This folder is also used all the way up until "Release 1.5.2," as after "Release 1.5.2," a new launcher was made with which versions are now stored in the "versions" folder. Unfortunately, many versions of Alpha are lost, but not as many as previous versions before it, likely due to the versions being played with a launcher and the files being more known about and accessible, as well as due to the game's popularity increasing at the time of Alpha. There are 25 versions of Alpha in the launcher. However, some of those are mislabelled, such as "a1.2.0" actually being "a1.2.0_02." Many have also been recovered from old players as with development cycles before, with only 11 alpha versions being missing if versions without proof are counted.

Below is a table of Alpha versions, with notes for each version as well as download links for found versions. Proof of existence for all versions is included where possible, with an effort having been made to find proof from 2010. Only a single proof of existence is included in perversion, but for most versions, many are available in the form of screenshots, videos and from Notch's Tumblr blog. If proof for a version is missing, it is either due to the proof not existing or no having been found, or it may be because the version was a silent update (unannounced by Notch) but is now found, so we know of its existence. A -1, -2 etc., next to a version indicates there were multiple different versions of the same version released publically, or a version that was reuploaded, usually to attempt to fix a bug.

Version Name Release Date Status Proof of Existence Notes
Alpha v1.0.1 Jul 2, 2010 Lost Video Third Seecret Friday Update.
Alpha v1.0.1_01 Jul 3, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.2 Jul 3/6, 2010 Lost Screenshot No notes.
Alpha v1.0.2_01 Jul 6, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
Alpha v1.0.2_02 Jul 6, 2010 Found Screenshot No notes.
Alpha v1.0.3 Jul 7, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.4 Jul 9, 2010 Found Video Two versions are archived, the original jar and the one found in the launcher which has the same files when extracted but different hashes meaning it has different compression. Fourth Seecret Friday Update.
Alpha v1.0.5-1 Jul 13, 2010 Lost Video The timing of the blog post for this version being before the .jar currently found indicates that it may have been reuploaded.
Alpha v1.0.5-2 Jul 13, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.5_01 Jul 14, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.0.6 Jul 16, 2010 Found Video Fifth Seecret Friday Update.
Alpha v1.0.6_01 Jul 17, 2010 Found Screenshot No notes.
Alpha v1.0.6_02 Jul 17, 2010 Lost Screenshot No notes.
Alpha v1.0.6_03 Jul 17, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.7 Jul 19, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.8 Jul 20, 2010 Lost Screenshot No notes.
Alpha v1.0.8_01 Jul 20, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.9 Jul 21, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.10 Jul 22, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.11 Jul 23, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original. Sixth Seecret Friday Update.
Alpha v1.0.12 Jul 26, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.13 Jul 28, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.13_01-1 Jul 29, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr No notes.
Alpha v1.0.13_01-2 Jul 29, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This reupload version has the 1k in 24h logo on the title screen to celebrate 1000 purchases in 24 hours.
Alpha v1.0.14-1 Jul 30, 2010 Found No proof Seventh Seecret Friday Update.
Alpha v1.0.14-2 Jul 30, 2010 Found Video Two versions of "1.0.14-2" are archived, the original jar and the one found in the launcher which has the same files when extracted but different hashes meaning it has different compression.
Alpha v1.0.15 Aug 4, 2010 Found Video This was the first Alpha version with public multiplayer software, it was misspelled on Notch's Tumblr as "1.0.14."
Alpha v1.0.16 Aug 12, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.0.16_01 Aug 12, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.16_02 Aug 13, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.17 Aug 20, 2010 Lost Screenshot Eighth Seecret Friday Update.
Alpha v1.0.17_01 Aug 20, 2010 Lost Screenshot No notes.
Alpha v1.0.17_02 Aug 20, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.0.17_03 Aug 23, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.0.17_04 Aug 23, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.1.0-1 Sep 10, 2010 Found Video Two versions are archived, the original jar and the one found in the launcher which has the same files when extracted but different hashes meaning it has different compression. Ninth Seecret Friday Update.
Alpha v1.1.0-2 Sep 13, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Alpha v1.1.1 Sep 18, 2010 Found Archive.org listing Final Seecret Update and first and only Seecret Saturday Update. Replaced with a new build quickly because of a graphical bug, this version was only available to download for about three hours, making it a particularly elusive build for archivists to locate. Its discovery made headlines; PC Gamer called it a "holy grail," and Kotaku noted it was an "extremely rare version." It was found in 2021.
Alpha v1.1.2 Sep 18, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.1.2_01 Sep 23, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.2.0 Oct 30, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr The version labelled "1.2.0" in the launcher is in fact "1.2.0_02," as seen if the jar in the launcher is played.
Alpha v1.2.0_01 Oct 31, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.2.0_02 Oct 31, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.2.1 Nov 5, 2010 Lost Notch's Tumblr The version labelled "1.2.1" in the launcher is in fact "1.2.1_01," as seen if the jar in the launcher is played.
Alpha v1.2.1_01 Nov 5, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.2.2-1 Nov 10, 2010 Partially Lost Notch's Tumblr Pre-reupload is lost. This version is in the launcher, called "1.2.2a" and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.2.2-2 Nov 10, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher, called "1.2.2b" and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.2.3 Nov 24, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.2.3_01 Nov 24, 2010 Found Video Both the pre-reupload and the reupload have been found.
Alpha v1.2.3_02 Nov 25, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.2.3_03 Nov 25, 2010 Existence unconfirmed No proof Likely existed as version numbers weren't usually skipped.
Alpha v1.2.3_04 Nov 26, 2010 Found Video This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.2.3_05 Nov 30, 2010 Found Archive.org listing Accidentally labeled as "Alpha v1.2.4" in Notch's blog post. It is unlikely that "Alpha v1.2.4" exists.
Alpha v1.2.4_01 Nov 30, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.2.5 Dec 1, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.
Alpha v1.2.6 Dec 3, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This version is in the launcher and the jar is identical to the original.

Beta and Onwards

After Alpha, the next development cycle was Beta, with the first version being released on December 20, 2010, and the last version being released on November 11th, 2011. The popularity of Minecraft increased perhaps the most during this development cycle and the following release cycle, and due to this, every full beta release has been archived. There are, however, some versions of Beta that are not in the launcher, and there are some pre-releases that were reuploaded to fix a bug, with one of these not having the pre-reupload version archived.

Following Beta, Minecraft entered its final Release development cycle with "Version 1.0.0" released on November 18, 2010, although Release candidates for this version were released on November 13th. Notably, "Release 1.0.0" was the last version that the original creator, Notch, worked on before leaving Mojang. Unlike Beta, every full release of Minecraft is in the official launcher or on Mojang's servers that host versions. Despite this, some pre-releases are missing, and also some Snapshot versions were re-uploaded, and the pre-reupload versions are missing from the launcher and, for some versions, completely missing.

Below is a table of all Beta and Release versions, pre-releases and snapshots not featured in the official launcher or on Mojang's download servers, with notes for each version as well as download links for found versions. Proof of existence for all versions is included where possible, with an effort having been made to find proof from the release time of the specific version. Only one form of proof is included, but in some cases, more may be available in the form of screenshots, videos and official announcements on social media or minecraft.net. A -1, -2 etc., next to a version indicates there were multiple different versions of the same version released publically, or a version that was reuploaded, usually to attempt to fix a bug.

Version Name Release Date Status Proof of Existence Notes
Beta 1.0 Dec 20, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Beta 1.0_01 Dec 20, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Beta 1.0.2-1 Dec 21, 2010 Lost TkTech's pymy TkTech's tool shows an extra version published before Beta 1.0.2.
Beta 1.0.2-2 Dec 21, 2010 Found Video Breaks the numbering system by skipping 1.0.1.
Beta 1.1-1 Dec 22, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This version had no working text due to the font.txt being missing from the jar file.
Beta 1.1-2 Dec 22, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr This version was a reupload of the previous one that aimed to fix the no text bug but also had no working text due to the missing font.txt.
Beta 1.1_01 Dec 22, 2010 Found Notch's Tumblr Text bug was fixed.
Beta 1.1_02 Dec 22, 2010 Found Video No notes.
Beta 1.2 Jan 13, 2011 Found Video No notes.
Beta 1.2_01 Jan 13, 2011 Found Video No notes.
Beta 1.2_02 Jan 13, 2011 Found Video A version missing META-INF was uploaded to the launcher in August 2013.
Beta 1.3-1 Feb 22, 2011 Existence unconfirmed Twitter A server jar was found with the timestamp 16:47 (before the client release). The Twitter post may confirm this.
Beta 1.3-2 Feb 22, 2011 Found mc-dev Bukkit Repository This is a debug version that will give the player 64 torches, 64 beds, a diamond pickaxe, a diamond shovel and a diamond axe when a world is created. The version in the launcher is labelled "b1.3b" further indicating that a "b1.3a" or "b1.3-1" using this naming scheme existed.
Beta 1.3-3 Feb 22, 2011 Found Twitter No notes.
Beta 1.3-4 Feb 22, 2011 Found Twitter No notes.
Beta 1.3_01 Feb 23, 2011 Found Twitter No notes.
Beta 1.4-1 Mar 31, 2011 Found Notch's Blog This version has unused stats-related code. There was a comment in it, which was removed cleanly to produce a bit-perfectly original JAR.
Beta 1.4-2 Mar 31, 2011 Found Video Some stats-related codes are removed.
Beta 1.4_01 Apr 5, 2011 Found mcupdate No notes.
Beta 1.3-demo Apr 19, 2011 Found PC Gamer Site This version was a demo released officially by PC Gamer that is based upon "Beta 1.3" and features an exclusive cow texture.
Beta 1.5 Apr 19, 2011 Found Video No notes.
Beta 1.5_01 Apr 20, 2011 Found Video No notes.
Beta 1.6 May 26, 2011 Found Notch's Blog No notes.
Beta 1.6 Test Build 1 May 26, 2011 Lost No official release Likely exists, especially as users in the #minecraft IRC channel at the time mentioned there being multiple test builds of "1.6."
Beta 1.6 Test Build 2 May 26, 2011 Lost No official release Likely exists, especially as users in the #minecraft IRC channel at the time mentioned there being multiple test builds of "1.6."
Beta 1.6 Test Build 3 May 26, 2011 Found No official release This version was a test build that was placed on Mojang's public download servers to be sent to certain users for testing. It is unknown how many users got this version.
Beta 1.6.1 May 26, 2011 Found Notch's Blog No notes.
Beta 1.6.2 May 26, 2011 Found Notch's Blog No notes.
Beta 1.6.3 May 26, 2011 Found Notch's Blog No notes.
Beta 1.6.4 May 26, 2011 Found Notch's Blog No notes.
Beta 1.6.5 May 28, 2011 Found Notch's Blog No notes.
Beta 1.6.6 May 31, 2011 Found Notch's Blog No notes.
Beta 1.7 Jun 30, 2011 Found Notch's Blog No notes.
Beta 1.7_01 Jun 30, 2011 Found Video Breaks the naming convention. "1.7.1" doesn't exist.
Beta 1.7.2 Jul 1, 2011 Found Twitter 1.7.1 was skipped.
Beta 1.7.3 Jul 8, 2011 Found Notch's Blog No notes.
Beta 1.8 Pre-release-1 Sep 8, 2011 Found Forum Post This version was originally publically leaked by the users it was privately distributed to. The re-upload of this version released a day later is available on Mojang's download servers.
Beta 1.8 Sep 14, 2011 Found Notch's Blog No notes.
Beta 1.8.1 Sep 15, 2011 Found Twitter No notes.
Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3-1 Oct 6, 2011 Found Twitter Post This version was reuploaded to remove some ender dragon related code. The re-upload is available on Mojang's download servers.
Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4-1 Oct 13, 2011 Found Twitter Post This version was reuploaded to fix the version number still being "Prerelease 3." The re-upload is available on Mojang's download servers.
Minecraft RC1 Nov 13, 2011 Found Twitter Post This was the first release candidate for version "1.0.0."
Minecraft RC2-1 Nov 13, 2011 Found Twitter Post This was the second release candidate for version "1.0.0" and it was reuploaded to fix the version number still being "RC1." The re-upload is available on Mojang's download servers.
12w05a-1 Feb 2, 2012 Found Archive.org This version was reuploaded to fix a crash bug and some griefed translations. The re-upload is available on Mojang's download servers.
1.2-pre Feb 29, 2012 Found Archive of Mojang Site This version was labelled as a prerelease on the site but as "1.2 ingame." "1.2" therefore never had a full release.
12w21b-1 May 25, 2012 Found Archive of Mojang Site This version contained griefed translations and was reuploaded to fix these.[3] The reupload is available on Mojang's download servers.
1.3-pre-1 Jul 26, 2012 Lost Twitter 1.3-pre-1's folder was created 1 hour and 46 minutes before the current release on assets.minecraft.net.
12w39a-1 Sep 27, 2012 Lost Mojang 12w39a-1's folder was created 17 minutes before the current release on assets.minecraft.net.
1.4.1-pre-1 Oct 23, 2012 Lost Mojang 1.4.1-pre-1's folder was created 55 minutes before the current release on assets.minecraft.net.
1.4.5-pre Nov 16, 2012 Found Archive of Mojang Site This version was a prerelease for 1.4.5 but unlike many prereleases around this time, there was an actual separate release of 1.4.5 that came after which fixed a bug, meaning this version is distinctive. The actual 1.4.5 is available in the launcher.
13w03a-1 Jan 17, 2013 Lost Twitter Post This version featured an inventory corruption issue so it was reuploaded to fix this. The re-upload is available on Mojang's download servers.
13w05a-1 Jan 31, 2013 Found Archive.org listing It is currently unknown why this version was reuploaded.
13w06a-1 Feb 7, 2013 Found Archive of Mojang site Contains a crash bug that is fixed in the reupload version.[4] The reupload is available on Mojang's download servers.
13w12~-1 Mar 19, 2013 Lost Archive of Mojang site This was a silent public release on the Mojang bug tracking site released to try to fix a bug but the attempt did not work. It was re-uploaded and the bug was fixed the second time around.[5] The re-upload is still available on Mojang's download servers.
Minecraft 2.0 (April Fools) Apr 1, 2013 Found Archive of Mojang Site This was the second April Fools version released. Originally only given to select YouTubers and other users, the download links to 3 separate versions, blue, red and purple, were leaked. The red and blue versions contain separate features, and the purple version contains all of the features from the other two. All 3 versions are archived.
13w16a-1 Apr 18, 2013 Lost Mojang No notes.
13w16a-2 Apr 18, 2013 Found List of MD5 hashes for various Minecraft versions. List sent to Omniarchive by Searge. Note: Some early versions listed are Luigi versions. No notes.
13w16b-1 Apr 23, 2013 Lost Twitter Reuploaded due to problems on Linux.
13w23b-1 Jun 8, 2013 Lost Twitter Current jar dates to over half an hour after the announcement.
1.6-pre-1 Jun 25, 2013 Lost Mojira Known version dates to over an hour after original announcement time.
1.6.2-pre-1 Jul 5, 2013 Lost Archive of Mojang Site This version, similar to "1.4.5," was a prerelease for "1.6.2" but the actual release of "1.6.2" featured a bug fix meaning this was a distinctive version. The actual "1.6.2" is available in the launcher.
1.6.2-pre-2 Jul 5, 2013 Lost Twitter Reupload for 1.6.2-pre-1, also lost.
1.6.2-1 Jul 8, 2013 Found Archive.org listing It is currently unknown why this version was reuploaded.
13w36a-1 Sep 5, 2013 Lost Twitter Post This version was reuploaded to fix some bugs involving language selection and mesa biomes and the re-upload version is available in the launcher.
13w36b-1 Sep 6, 2013 Lost Twitter Post This version contains issues with inventory keys and as such it was reuploaded to fix these issues. The re-upload, however, is not available in the launcher as this version was once again re-uploaded after this.
13w36b-2 Sep 6, 2013 Lost Twitter Post This version was once again re-uploaded, this time control changes were rolled back to their previous state. Said reupload "13w36b-3" is available in the launcher.
1.6.3-pre-1 Sep 12, 2013 Found Archive.org listing This was a prerelease for "1.6.3" that was reuploaded and this re-upload is available in the launcher, listed as "1.6.3" although technically the version was never fully released and was prerelease only.
13w38c-1 Sep 20, 2013 Lost Twitter Current client dates to 4 minutes after the announcement.
13w41b-1 Oct 11, 2013 Lost Twitter Post This version featured a crash bug and was reuploaded to fix this. The re-upload is available in the launcher.
1.7-pre-1 Oct 22, 2013 Lost Mojang Corresponds to the server. The current 1.7-pre client matches the time of the 1.7-pre-2 server.
14w04b-1 Jan 24, 2014 Lost Twitter Pre-reupload.
14w11b-1 Mar 13, 2014 Lost Twitter Twitter post dates before the currently known version.
1.7.10-pre2-1 Jun 4, 2014 Lost Twitter Said pre1 in game.
14w27b-1 Jul 2, 2014 Lost Twitter Was called 14w27a in game.
14w34c-1 Aug 19, 2014 Lost Twitter Pre-reupload that crashed.
16w50a-1 Dec 15, 2016 Found No proof This version was accidentally released being labelled "1.11.1" and was reuploaded to fix the label in-game. The re-upload is available in the launcher.
17w18a-1 May 3, 2017 Lost Twitter Pre-reupload for 17w18a fixing the aspect ratio.
1.14.2-pre4-1 May 24, 2019 Found No proof This version was reuploaded to remove the splash "Woo, minecraftforum!", as the Minecraft Forums were to be shut down. The re-upload is available in the launcher.

Common Fakes/How to Recognize Them

Sadly, as with a lot of popular game series, Minecraft also suffers from a large number of fake versions, particularly of older versions of the game. Even more, unfortunately, many of these are distributed online and believed to be real by most and are, in most cases, easier to find than the real versions. It is therefore important that these versions can be recognised and identified as fake so that they are not labelled as being legitimate, and luckily there are a few ways to identify fake versions. It is also important to note that the internet has been scoured almost entirely for versions, which means that it is highly likely that if a "missing" version is found online that it is fake, particularly if it was found with ease or uploaded fairly recently.

Common Fakes

There are some websites that are known for distributing fakes; the most well-known of these is Luigi2600's site, which can be found here. Most of the versions found on this site are fake, often modified versions of versions that are actually found; in many cases, just the version number has been edited. Any that are legitimate are available in Omniarchive and other trusted places, so there is no need to download any versions from this site. Due to most believing these versions to be real, they are often distributed on sites such as YouTube and in various Minecraft communities. Additionally, if a link is found to any zip known as the "Hidden Versions," it is likely from Luigi2600's site.

How to Recognize a Fake

Despite the worrying amount of fakes, it is actually very easy to distinguish a fake from an original version. To do this, a person must have a program that is able to open .zip (and by extension .jar) files such as 7zip or WinRAR. Upon opening a minecraft.jar with one of these programs, said person should be able to see a folder that reads "META-INF." For example, here is an image of in-20091223-2 opened in WinRAR with its META-INF folder circled.

In-20091223-2.PNG

If the .jar features no folder labelled "META-INF," then it is almost certainly fake. Next, the person should open the META-INF folder and check the date of the files inside. They should all feature the same date and time, and if this is not the case, then the .jar has definitely been modified. Also, the date of the files should correspond (although under certain circumstances, it may be a small amount of time before) with the release date of the version in question, which can be found in the tables above. This is because the date and time listed on these files is the exact time that the .jar was compiled and the certificate was issued. An exception to this is the rd- versions featured in the official launcher, which feature dates from 2013. This is because they were compiled in 2013 and added to the launcher, likely from very old source code that was recovered from before Minecraft was even public; it's also possible that they are recreations. For example, here is an image of the META-INF folder from in-20091223-2 showing the date of the files, which corresponds to the release date of December 23, 2009.

In-20091223-META-INF.PNG

In addition, below is a screenshot showing the dates from the META-INF folder of the supposed "0.24," a version that was never actually released, on Luigi2600's site. Note that the dates differ from each other and that they are not in 2009 as should be expected from a Survival Test version.

0.24.PNG

Sources

Many of the versions listed above were found/contributed by members of the Omniarchive community, who have documented their progress in a Google spreadsheet.[6] Within the spreadsheet is a credit list of version contributors and researchers etc.

Many of the versions listed above being created for earlier versions of Java, and many of them do not function with current versions of Java or feature other bugs.

Gallery

AntVenom's video on the subject.

TheMisterEpic's video on the subject.

Daggz's video on the subject.

See Also

References