Does Minecraft Dungeons have microtransactions?

No hidden costs to play Minecraft Dungeons

Minecraft Dungeons is a fantastic ARPG that has a focus on co-op mixed into its traditional dungeon looting gameplay. However, this game has you constantly looking for the next-best gear, has emeralds as in-game currency, and a full vendor-based ecosystem. This means Minecraft Dungeons could've been the perfect vessel for microtransactions, or in-game purchases that are "optional" but might be necessary to get the best gaming experience. Microtransactions are common in mobile games, and can often ruin the experience, which was the case with Minecraft Earth.

So does Minecraft Dungeons succumb to the same mistake that Minecraft Earth, it's mobile AR cousin, made? Potential players will be happy to hear that it doesn't. Minecraft Dungeons features no in-game purchases of any kind, and Mojang Studios has been clear that it intends to stick to this strategy. The emeralds I mentioned earlier? They're not available for purchase, and can only be collected through playing the game.

Expand your Minecraft Dungeons

That's not to say you can't expand your Minecraft Dungeons experience if you desire. Expansion packs are being released that add new content such as levels, gear, mobs, secrets, and more. To date there are two expansions, Jungle Awakens and Creeping Winter, and both add a lot to do. These expansions also launched alongside free updates, so that players who chose not to purchase them could still play with their friends who have, and can still enjoy the latest bug fixes, balancing changes, and tweaks.

If you love Minecraft Dungeons and want everything the game has to offer, the best way to do so right now is by purchasing the Hero Edition, which is available for Xbox ($30 at Microsoft) and Windows 10 ($30 at Microsoft). If you already own Minecraft Dungeons or play through Xbox Game Pass, you can also buy the Hero Pass ($10 at Microsoft) by itself, which includes everything in the Hero Edition except for the base game.

If you decide you don't want to pay for the entire Hero Edition quite yet, or only one of the expansions interests you right now, Mojang Studios also lets you buy each individual expansion. As mentioned earlier, there are only two right now — Jungle Awakens ($6 at Microsoft) and Creeping Winter ($6 at Microsoft). Either way, you'll always get all of the content included in the base game, as well as any free updates that have been released.

Mojang Studios wants Minecraft Dungeons to be a fun, engaging game that is constantly growing without relying on aggressive microtransactions to keep paying the bills. You don't have to worry about not having enough emeralds to upgrade a piece of gear and needing to turn to your wallet. Instead, enjoy playing the game naturally, and consider each new expansion as it releases.