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Jay Miller
Game Engineer
How to Use Game Rules in Minecraft
Game rules allow you to alter or modify the gameplay of your Minecraft server without using any mods or plugins. Game rules are an extended set of configuration options available by default and can be used both in single-player and multiplayer.
Some examples of functions you can change with game rules include freezing the weather or time cycles, mobs dropping items when they die, players keeping the items in their inventory when they die, preventing creepers and endermen from griefing, and more.
Operator Permissions
You must be a server operator (OP) to be able to use the /gamerule command. If you are not yet an operator, check out our tutorial here: Giving Operator (OP) to a Player
Using the command /gamerule will display a list of game rules you can modify.
Check out some of the useful game rules listed below, what they do, and the commands to enable or disable them. For a full list of all available Java Minecraft game rules, check out the wiki page on the subject here.
| Game Rule | Description | Command |
|---|---|---|
| announceAdvancements | Enable or disable announcement of player achievements in-game. | /gamerule announceAdvancements <true or false> |
| doDaylightCycle | Enable or disable the day and night cycle, and moon phases. | /gamerule doDaylightCycle <true or false> |
| doMobSpawning | Enable or disable the spawning of mobs in the worlds. | /gamerule doMobSpawning <true or false> |
| doWeatherCycle | Enable or disable the weather cycle and changes in Minecraft. | /gamerule doWeatherCycle <true or false> |
| keepInventory | Enable or disable keeping of items in players' inventories when they die. | /gamerule keepInventory <true or false> |
| mobGriefing | Enable or disable the ability of mobs to change the world and pick up items. | /gamerule mobGriefing <true or false> |
| pvp | Enable or disable the ability of players to fight against or hit other players. | /gamerule pvp <true or false> |
| showDeathMessages | Enable or disable death messages from being shown on the chat. This also affects messages shown to a player when their pet dies. | /gamerule showDeathMessages <true or false> |
| tntexplodes | Enable or disable TNT explosions. | /gamerule tntexplodes <true or false> |