If you own a copy of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition or Minecraft: Education Edition, you can now grab a free expansion pack based on the BBC’s Planet Earth III. Much like the previous Frozen Planet II experience, this new wildlife documentary DLC lets players explore five scenarios through the lens of animals — arctic wolves, ocelots, musk oxen, leopards, Cape fur seals, great white sharks, impalas and more.
Basically, be the hunter or be hunted; you get to play both sides on locations ranging from the Arctic tundra to the Okavango Delta. In the case of the lily-trotter, you’re either the father protecting your chicks from crocodiles, or you’re one of the chicks following your father’s signals. There’s also an activity involving the fascinating interaction between unlikely insect allies: the tree hopper and the stingless bee, with the latter in charge of shooing ants and assassin bugs away from the tree hoppers’ nest.
A new addition to this educational experience is the “BBC Planet Earth Field Station,” which is set in the heart of a pixelated jungle. This serves as a portal to the five biomes, with extra goodies including sound boards, animal facts and a cinematics album. Upon the completion of each activity (which can be repeated), you’ll receive rewards that can be used to decorate the hub or dress up your avatar.
With the game reaching its 15th anniversary this year, Minecraft has become the best-selling video game of all time, reaching over 300 million copies sold as of October last year. There’s also a movie adaptation in the works, reportedly starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa when it comes out in April 2025.