Pre-Classic refers to the very first development phase of what is now Minecraft: Java Edition. These prototype versions were created before Classic, and the phase lasted for less than a week, from approximately May 10–16, 2009.
At the time, none of these versions were publicly released. The game initially went by the name “Cave Game”, which was later changed to “Minecraft: Order of the Stone”, and finally just “Minecraft”.
Overview
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Starting version | Cave Game Tech Test (May 13, 2009, unreleased) |
| Latest version | rd-161348 (May 16, 2009, unreleased) |
| Paid | No |
| Website | N/A |
For a detailed guide on all pre-Classic features, see the Java Edition Pre-Classic releases guide.
History
Pre-Classic began when Markus “Notch” Persson started developing a project called Cave Game, inspired by games like Infiniminer, Dwarf Fortress, Dungeon Keeper, and his previous project RubyDung.
Textures for blocks such as grass and stone came from RubyDung. Stone was later reworked into cobblestone. During this phase, new blocks like saplings, dirt, stone, and planks were added. Early mobs were also included, and these models were recycled from Notch’s earlier game Zombie Town, later influencing the player model.
Most of this phase remains poorly documented since these builds were never publicly released. Videos of these versions used to exist on Notch’s YouTube channel Nizzotch, though many are now unavailable in most countries.
A tech demo video called “Cave Game Tech Test” was released on May 10, 2009, showing the game before block placement was implemented.
The pre-Classic development phase concluded on May 16, 2009, after less than a week. Four versions from this phase were later made available via the Minecraft launcher. These versions, starting with rd-132211, were modified in 2013, making them technically not original.
Features
Blocks and Items
- Air
- Grass Block
- Stone
- Dirt
- Cobblestone
- Oak Planks
- Oak Sapling
Gameplay Mechanics
- Block physics
- Mob behavior (spawning using G)
- Level generation
- Particle effects
- The void
- Respawning elsewhere using R
- Placing blocks with left-click
- Destroying blocks with right-click
- World saving via Enter or Esc
Pre-Classic Versions
- Cave Game Tech Test
- rd-132211
- rd-132328
- rd-20090515
- rd-160052
- rd-161348
Trivia
- Breaking blocks does not drop items, as item drops were not yet implemented.
- Pre-Classic launcher versions display the window title as “Game” rather than “Minecraft”.
- The name “Order of the Stone” was later reused in Minecraft: Story Mode.
- Version numbering uses the format rd-ddhhmm, where rd stands for RubyDung. The ddhhmm represents the day, hour, and minute of build in Sweden time. For example, rd-132211 was built on May 13 at 22:11.
- Exception: rd-20090515 uses the YYYYMMDD format.
- All pre-Classic versions are considered archival only, as the launcher copies were altered on August 6, 2013.