Gaming > Game Play How to Change Game Mode in Minecraft Use the gamemode command to switch between play styles By Robert Earl Wells III Updated on June 24, 2021 Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Game Play Consoles & PCs Gaming Services Game Play & Streaming Mobile Gaming What to Know Go to Settings > Game > Personal Game Mode.Enable cheats, then open the chat window and enter the /gamemode command.Adventure, Hardcore, and Spectator modes aren't available in all versions of Minecraft. This article explains how to change the game mode in Minecraft using the /gamemode command or in the game settings. Instructions apply to Minecraft for all platforms, including Windows, PS4, and Xbox One. How to Change Game Mode in Minecraft You can change the game mode in the settings while playing Minecraft. Pause the game to open the main menu and select Settings. Select Game on the left side. Select the Personal Game Mode drop-down menu and choose your game mode. To change the default game mode, select Default Game Mode and choose a mode. Scroll down further in the settings to adjust the difficulty. Difficulty affects how quickly your hunger bar depletes and the aggressiveness of mobs. Exit the main menu to return to the game. You'll see a message confirming that the game mode has been changed. How to Use the Gamemode Command A quicker way to switch game modes in Minecraft is to use the gamemode cheat command. You must first enable cheats to use this method. Open the main menu and select Settings. Select Game on the left side. On the right side of the screen, scroll down to the Cheats section and select Activate Cheats. Exit the main menu to return to the game, then open the chat window. The way to do this depends on your platform: PC: Press TXbox: Press right on the D-PadPlayStation: Press right on the D-PadNintendo: Press right on the D-PadMobile: Tap the speech bubble icon. Type /gamemode. As you type, you'll see your options appear in the chat window. Enter the letter for your game mode and press Enter. For example, to switch to Creative mode, you would enter /gamemode c. You'll see a message confirming that the game mode has been changed. Minecraft Game Modes Explained Although you selected a game mode when you first built your Minecraft world, you can switch to a different mode at any time. An exception is the Hardcore setting, which can only be chosen from the beginning and cannot be changed. There are five game modes in Minecraft: Survival: The standard game mode where you start from scratch with no resources. You have limited health, and to survive, you must keep your hunger bar filled. Creative: Play with unlimited health and access to all resources. You can destroy any block with one strike, and you can fly (by double-jumping).Adventure: Blocks cannot be placed or destroyed. You still have a health bar and a hunger bar.Spectator: Observe your world without actively participating in the game. You can fly through objects in this mode, but you can't interact with anything.Hardcore: This mode locks the game at the greatest difficulty. Players have just one life and take more damage from enemies. Spectator and Hardcore modes are only available in the Java Edition for PC. Adventure mode isn't available on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Wii U, or Windows 10. Why Would You Change the Game Mode in Minecraft? Creative mode gives you complete control of the game, allowing you to go anywhere and craft anything. It can be helpful if you want to test things out and get familiar with your world without having to worry about your hunger bar running out. Survival mode is considered the standard mode for beginners. Hardcore mode is for players who want an extra challenge. Adventure and Spectator modes let you explore without affecting the environment. If you're stuck underground, switch to Spectator mode and fly to the surface. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up! Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit