As one of the most popular and commonly played video games of all time, Minecraft has a special place in the hearts of gamers all around the world. Since its original release in 2011, the game’s pixel-based aesthetics, intriguing and creative gameplay, and dedicated development in added updates have made it an ever more popular multiplayer gaming option.
There are many different ways to make money from Minecraft. Chief among these money-making methods is hosting a successful Minecraft server of your own. But many users often take this task for granted and botch the creative process. So in this article, I will cover the requirements before jumping on how to earn money in Minecraft.
Your First Step to Make Money on Minecraft
Before you can even dream of making money in Minecraft, there’s one absolutely fundamental step: hosting your very own Minecraft server. This isn’t just a suggestion; it’s the bedrock for every income-generating opportunity. Running your own server gives you total control over gameplay, plugins, monetization methods, and the player experience.
If setting one up feels daunting, don’t fret! Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to make a Minecraft server that walks you through the entire process with ease. Oh, and one more crucial piece of the puzzle: mastering how to share your Minecraft IP address is paramount. After all, what’s a thriving server without eager players to fill it?
14 Ways to Earn Money On Minecraft
Now that we have settled the requirements of starting a Minecraft server, let’s move straight to what we’re all here for to make money playing Minecraft. Some of these Minecraft money-making methods will directly involve your newly-established Minecraft server. In contrast, others will have complementary roles with your server and not be involved in it directly, although you can always use them to advertise your server and garner a larger audience.
If you’re aiming to keep operational costs low while maintaining strong performance, consider running your server on a Minecraft VPS. It offers more flexibility and control compared to traditional shared hosting, making it ideal for monetization strategies.
Here’s 14 assured steps to balance your Minecraft server cost and make money with Minecraft server!
1. Stream Minecraft on Twitch
Streaming is the bread and butter of making money via video games these days. Are you comfortable in front of the camera? Can you produce entertaining gameplay content? Then hop on Twitch and start your streaming career. Twitch offers several different ways to make money. After a certain point, you may have the chance to become a Twitch Partner with its own perks and benefits. If you get a large enough audience, pretty soon, you can rack up a lot of money from donations as well. Popularity on Twitch is also an excellent opportunity to advertise your server on the platform and get more players.
2. Create a Minecraft YouTube Channel
YouTube is the king of online video content and a large portion of the most popular content on this website is dedicated to gameplay videos of popular games including Minecraft. The good thing about having a YouTube channel dedicated to Minecraft is that a large portion of your content is produced during playing and streaming on Twitch. You can edit the videos to better suit the YouTube style and post them. Views on YouTube from ads can make a lot of money and it’s another popular platform where you can advertise your Minecraft server.
3. Join the Minecraft Partner Program
If you are also a designer and online content creator on top of being an avid Minecraft gamer, you can enroll yourself as part of the Minecraft Partner Program. Of course, Mojang studios will not accept everyone. You will need to answer their questions correctly and have a rather impressive previous work portfolio and resume. But once you are enrolled, you can then use their platform to sell all sorts of Minecraft themed products. Servers, Worlds, items, Cosmetics, texture packs, add-ons and much more!
4. Charge for Minecraft Server Access
If you’ve put in the effort to create a high-quality Minecraft server with custom worlds, interesting game mechanics, and a tight-knit community, then charging for access is a natural next step. You can either implement a one-time access fee or run it as a subscription-based model. Many servers offer a free trial or open limited-access worlds to new players, enticing them to upgrade later for full access.
5. Host and Monetize a Minecraft Server
Charging for access is just one piece of the puzzle. There are so many other creative ways to monetize! Think about offering cool in-game perks, exclusive ranks, or virtual currency through your server’s website. Loads of popular servers run on a “freemium” model – the basic experience is free, but sweet optional upgrades cost extra. Tools like Buycraft (now Tebex) make setting up an in-game store surprisingly easy. Just remember to always play by Minecraft’s EULA rules – no selling anything that gives unfair gameplay advantages in competitive settings. That’s a big no-no.
6. Accept Donations from Fans
I already mentioned donations on Twitch as a primary way of making money from Minecraft. In the early stages of your Minecraft server, you can cite the Minecraft server cost as one of the reasons that you need donation support, and since the server is probably free at this point for users, a small number will likely support you with donations. As the server gets larger and you introduce additional membership fees, donations will cease to be effective as a monetization strategy since you will be charging for the server anyway.
7. Charge a Membership Fee
Charging a membership fee is the most straightforward method of making money on Minecraft to set off your initial Minecraft cost and make a profit. There are all sorts of membership charging schemes out there that you can use to monetize your Minecraft server. You can make the server exclusively for paying members or make certain features paid-only. Beware however that you will need to make this process a gradual one. An unknown off-the-ground server with no reputation and a small player number will not be successful if it decides to charge a membership fee from the get-go. It’s best to wait until you have a sizable player base and slowly add a membership fee.
8. Sell Minecraft-Themed Merchandise
This option is for when you have a massive Minecraft server or presence. Minecraft is the most popular game of all time, so you can easily make merchandise related to this lovely pixelated game and sell them. T-shirts, props, toys, cushions, and all sorts of creative items can be adorned with the unique Minecraft aesthetic and sold. You can use all the platforms mentioned above for advertising the sale of these items and use new methods like drop-shipping to minimize the cost of shipping and production. By this point, you should be well beyond the end of worrying about your Minecraft server cost.
9. Sell Minecraft Skins & Cosmetics
Custom Minecraft skins, capes, and other cosmetic items are seriously in demand right now! If you’ve got a knack for design, you could create and sell your own original cosmetic packs right on your server or through third-party platforms. Players absolutely love personalizing their avatars and are often willing to shell out a few dollars for that cool, unique item that helps them stand out. Try combining this with your server’s economy or integrating it into your webstore to really maximize its appeal and income.
10. Sell Custom Minecraft Artwork
Are you a bit of an artist? Custom Minecraft artwork – things like in-game portraits, server logos, character renders, or even banners – can be sold directly to players or other server owners. These artistic services are surprisingly in demand among community managers and Minecraft influencers. Platforms like Fiverr or Etsy are fantastic places to showcase your talent. The best part? This option doesn’t even require you to run a server, making it perfect for creatives who want to tap into Minecraft’s huge, vibrant community.
11. Monetize with Tebex or a Webstore
Let’s get Tebex covered first because it’s the only one of these solutions that is not a direct way to make money in Minecraft. Tebex is an online tool that can be linked to your online gaming servers to manage your server’s accounting aspect. It gives you a payment gateway to charge for the server, keeps accounts, provides analytics to calculate things like the Minecraft server price, and helps you advertise and market your Minecraft server. While it does not directly help make money, the insight and efficiency flow saves time and effort and leads you to better manage, run and monetize Minecraft server. Tebex will charge you around 2% per transaction for its useful services.
Avoid Selling Minecraft Accounts It is against Minecraft’s Terms of Service (TOS) to sell capes as a cosmetic item.
12. Use Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is another clever, low-key way to make money through Minecraft, especially if you’re running a blog, a YouTube channel, or a server website. You can team up with Minecraft-related services and earn a commission whenever someone makes a purchase using your special referral link. This is truly a low-effort, passive income stream that grows as your audience does. Just a friendly reminder: always be transparent about your affiliate relationships.
13. Start a Minecraft Blog
If you enjoy writing and have a good grasp of SEO, launching a Minecraft-focused blog can be a brilliant long-term strategy. Topics are endless – mod reviews, server tutorials, building guides, or news about updates. By attracting organic search traffic, you can monetize with ads (like Google AdSense), affiliate links, or even promote your own server or YouTube channel. Over time, a successful blog can not only drive more players to your server but also become a steady, reliable revenue source all on its own.
14. Earn Through Sponsorships & Rewards Apps (Buff Gaming)
It is possible to use your Minecraft server’s publicity as a marketing tool for other brands who are willing to sponsor you in exchange for featuring their brand as part of your server if you have a large player base or if you are featured prominently on streaming platforms such as YouTube or Twitch. With this method, a server is not required to make money on Minecraft. However, if you are popular on streaming and video platforms, you can think about starting your server as an additional source of income in conjunction with potential sponsorship deals.
Conclusion
Minecraft’s massive popularity makes for an excellent money-making opportunity for all gamers and tech people. However, like every other financial endeavor, there are traps along the way to avoid and optimizations to make to ensure you have an optimal experience from hosting your Minecraft server. If cutting your Minecraft server’s cost while maintaining the quality is what you’re looking for, then consider using Cloudzy’s Game hosting VPS as your server.
