Best Minecraft servers 1.21: Survival, Skyblock, Bedwars, Factions, and more

Here are the best Minecraft servers for 1.21

Guide by Ollie Toms Guides Editor

Additional contributions by Jeremy Blum

Updated on Jan. 12, 2024

What are the best Minecraft servers? One of the great triumphs of Minecraft's formula is the playerbase's freedom to create their own public servers for others to join and play alongside friends and strangers alike. The polish and creativity of the top Minecraft servers has only risen over the past 10 years of Minecraft's lifetime, and now the best servers are incredible havens filled with hundreds or thousands of players, dozens of worlds and game modes, and a host of quality of life features and interesting features that make Minecraft a very different place from your private vanilla world.

In this guide we'll walk you through 15 of the very best Minecraft servers for 1.21, the latest version of Minecraft. Each of these servers offers a different Minecraft experience, so you can have a read through what each one offers and join whichever server is best for you.

To join a Minecraft server, all you need to do is copy the Server IP Address text, and then in Minecraft's Multiplayer menu select Add Server and paste the text you copied into the Server Address box. Give the server a name, click Done, and join the server.

Now let's take a look at the very best Minecraft 1.21 servers on offer.

Hypixel

Server IP Address: mc.hypixel.net
Game modes: Survival, Creative, Skyblock, Hunger Games, Minigames

Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way; after all, how could we have a Minecraft servers list without talking about Hypixel, the venerable titan of Minecraft servers? Whether you're interested in PvP and competitive Minecraft or a more relaxed and independent survival experience, Hypixel has about a dozen different modes for you to choose from, all presented through an easy-to-use inventory interface. Whatever kind of Minecraft player you are, whether you want to spend your time fighting players, fighting mobs like Slimes, mining for Diamonds, or creating fantastic Minecraft builds, you'll find something to love at Hypixel. That's what brings in tens of thousands of players day after day.

Complex Gaming

Server IP Address: top.mc-complex.com
Game modes: Pixelmon, Survival, Factions, Creative

Complex Gaming is often found at the top of many Minecraft server lists by player count, often housing thousands of concurrent players. It's a wildly popular series of servers which focuses primarily on various Pixelmon offerings, so if you're interested in catching, training, fighting, and trading, then Complex Gaming is an obvious choice for you. But as well as Pixelmon, this server also offers a variety of survival, creative, factions, and prison servers to help cater to all tastes.

TheArchon

Server IP Address: org.archonhq.net
Game modes: Factions, Prison, Skyblock, Survival

TheArchon is another incredibly popular multi-faceted Minecraft server with a variety of game modes, or "realms" to choose from, including regular old survival, Skyblock, Factions, Prison, and more. It's got a refreshing no-nonsense attitude that just allows you to dive right into whatever you like within the first few seconds of joining the server for the first time - but there's a particular emphasis on PvP modes here. You may want to take a look at our list of Minecraft texture packs to give you an edge over other players in PvP, or check out our towers and castle builds if you want to get to work on building some defenses.

MCCentral

Server IP Address: mccentral.org
Game modes: Survival, Creative, Skyblock, Hunger Games, Minigames

MCCentral is another Minigames and multimodal server that has a condensed but still very comprehensive selection of different modes, each usually with multiple servers available. There's a fully functional shared Creative Mode server which resets every day, where you can go to test out your Creative (and WorldEdit) skills. There's a multitude of servers for Skyblock, UHC, Prison, Factions, Hunger Games, Capture The Flag, and much more. Plus, their lobby looks fantastic - particularly with good Minecraft shaders enabled.

JartexNetwork

A Minecraft screenshot of the lobby of the Jartex server. — JartexNetwork Server

Server IP Address: topsc.jartex.fun
Game modes: Survival, Creative, Bedwars, Factions, Skyblock, Minigames

JartexNetwork is a popular and growing server filled with all the same sorts of minigames and modes as its rivals. Everything on JartexNetwork feels polished: the server controls are intuitive, the servers themselves are solid, the game modes are well-chosen and well-designed. It's a great alternative to the more venerable titans on this list, and is certainly stable enough for a quest to defeat the Wither and get the Nether Star, which you'll need to make a Beacon.

Blockdrop Network

A Minecraft screenshot of the lobby of the BlockDrop server. — Blockdrop Network Server

Server IP Address: bedwars.games
Game modes: Bedwars, Survival, Creative, Factions, Minigames

Blockdrop Network is another very popular variety server, but it specialises in Bedwars - a game mode which requires you to protect your bed and destroy other players' beds to win. Recently they've also added "City Life", a unique Sims-style game mode with rentable apartments, jobs, salaries, and everything else you need for a bit of good old escapism.

MineSuperior

Server IP Address: hub.mcs.gg
Game modes: Survival, Creative, Skyblock, Factions

If you're after Skyblock shenanigans above all else, MineSuperior should be your first stop. This popular server is packed with variations on the standard Skyblock formula, alongside numerous other game modes if Skyblock isn't to your taste. Everything is easily accessible and clear, meaning you can start playing what you want to play straight away.

WilderCraft

Server IP Address: play.wildercraft.net
Game modes: Survival

If the phrases "semi-vanilla", "nature-themed", and "help each other" appeal to you, then WilderCraft might be your best choice in this entire list of Minecraft servers. Within the spectrum of public Minecraft survival servers, it's pretty much the opposite of anarchy servers like Minewind: the emphasis here is on collaboration and community, and working together to build and achieve lots of cool stuff. For those looking to meet new players and have a more down-to-earth, relaxed survival experience, WilderCraft is ready and waiting.

Applecraft

Server IP Address: play.applecraftmc.org
Game modes: Survival, Minigames

Applecraft is a survival server, through and through. Well, okay, there's a little parkour minigame accessible from the lobby, but otherwise the point is to play a more-or-less vanilla survival game of Minecraft alongside hundreds of others in a colossal 100,000 x 100,000 world. It'll take you an awful lot of fully-zoomed-out Minecraft maps to fully explore that many blocks! So if you're more interested in traditional Minecraft than all the Factions and Skyblock stuff floating about these days, then Applecraft might be for you.

The Seed

Server IP Address: theseedmc.com
Game modes: Survival

The Seed is another attempt to bring Minecraft servers back to the traditional vanilla survival experience. It's almost entirely vanilla: the only additions are the ability to protect your houses and builds from griefers, the ability to warp to different locations (not for free, though!), and the ability to create shops and exchange goods with other players.

Datblock

Server IP Address: play.datblock.com
Game modes: Survival, Skyblock, Minigames

Another Minecraft server which offers a variety of survival experiences from vanilla to Skyblock, Datblock has the extra attraction of a series of unique concepts for survival experiences that we haven't seen the likes of anywhere else. The ambitious Datearth mode is played out on a map of the Earth, and offers "a geopolitical game with towns, nations and war", while the equally novel Datmars throws you onto a near-inhospitable rock reminiscent of the Martian surface, where you are tasked with surviving - if at all possible.

CubeCraft

Server IP Address: play.cubecraft.net
Game modes: Skyblock, Hunger Games, Minigames

CubeCraft features a smaller but arguably more intricately crafted selection of minigames and modes than most Minecraft servers can offer. I've been having a tonne of fun with their absolutely massive selection of parkour maps, with multiple themes each containing various levels across three different modes of difficulty. And that's just parkour. The other modes CubeCraft offers are similarly elaborate and well-designed, with hundreds of players at any given time logging into SkyWars, Tower Defence, Archer Assault, or any of the other modes in their rotating selection of popular games.

Vortex

Server IP Address: mc.vortexnetwork.net
Game modes: Prison, Pixelmon, Survival, Skyblock

Vortex is proof that sometimes all you need to have a fun, attractive server is a neat aesthetic. In this case, it's an outer space theme. You'll be catapaulted into a galaxy with great astronaut vibes the second you join this server, which uses custom assets to make your playing experience one full of space stations and starships instead of the usual down-to-earth Minecraft building blocks. If you've ever had a hankering to play Skyblock amongst the backdrop of the Milky Way, this is the server for you.

Havoc Games

Server IP Address: lobby.havoc.gamesk.net
Game modes: Survival, Minigames

Ever wanted to play other games while still playing Minecraft? Join the Havoc Games server and enjoy game modes based on other franchises, including "The Mining Dead" - a Minecraft take on The Walking Dead that's mildly reminiscent of Dayz - and "Craft Theft Auto," which is as close as you can get to Grand Theft Auto action in Minecraft, with vehicles that you can commandeer, guns you can buy, and plenty of street shenanigans. There's also "Warzone," which is (you guessed it), Warzone in Minecraft, and "Towny Earth," which is Minecraft's standard Survival mode but on a 1:1000 scale map of the Earth. If you love the idea of Minecraft recreating every other big game out there, there's tonnes of fun to be had here.

PirateCraft

Server IP Address: mc.piratemc.com
Game modes: Survival

On the same subject of "recreating other games in Minecraft," PirateCraft is a bold, extremely ambitious server that's something like Sea of Thieves. The server tosses you into Carribbean-inspired world where you can organise a crew, sail ships, shoot cannons, dock in ports, and hide your buried treasure away from rivals in your own plot of land. It's all staggering stuff, and you'll likely need to do a bit of research before you can figure out all the intricacies of this Golden Age of Piracy/Naval Combat simulator. But for the pirate-loving player who dreams of raising the Jolly Roger and building their own barge ship, this will be heaven.

And with that, we conclude our Minecraft servers guide. Hopefully you found a server or two that you like the sound of, and are now joyously off building sky-fortresses or maniacally chopping down enemy beds. If you're looking to gain more of an edge in combat, be sure to consult our comprehensive guides on Potions and Enchantments in Minecraft. Alternatively, if you're looking to set up your own Minecraft server, be sure to check out our list of the best Minecraft seeds to turn into your new home.