Are Minecraft servers illegal?
No. Joining a Minecraft server is how millions of people play every day, and Mojang itself publishes the server software for anyone to run.
Why people are asking
In June 2026, at a California State Senate hearing on the proposed Protect Our Games Act (AB 1921), a representative of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the US video game industry's trade group, described private servers as illegal and brought up Minecraft's community servers as an example. The clip spread quickly.
The ESA then clarified its position to PC Gamer. Its updated statement narrowed the concern to private servers that host or distribute copyrighted game content without authorization. (PC Gamer, July 1 2026)
What's actually true
- Mojang provides the server. The official Minecraft: Java Edition server can be downloaded from minecraft.net. Running it means accepting the Minecraft EULA, which allows it.
- There are rules for server owners. Mojang's EULA and usage guidelines set out what servers may and may not do, especially around selling things to players.
- Mojang can block servers that break those rules. Blocked servers can't be joined from the official game. We check Mojang's blocked-server list and never list a blocked server.
- What the ESA was worried about is different. Its clarified concern is about servers that copy and hand out a game's content without permission, which is a different thing from a normal Minecraft server that players join with their own copy of the game.
What should you watch out for?
Not the law, but the usual online-safety basics: never type your Microsoft account password anywhere except Microsoft's own sign-in, be wary of servers asking for personal details, and if you're a parent, look for servers with clear rules and active moderation. Our guide to finding a good server covers the warning signs.
This page explains the news and how Minecraft servers work; it isn't legal advice.