A full day-night cycle in Minecraft lasts 20 minutes in real-world time
. This cycle includes both daytime and nighttime phases.
- Daytime lasts about 10 to 11 minutes , during which the sun is up, and players can safely gather resources and build
- Nighttime lasts about 9 minutes , when hostile mobs spawn and the world is dark
- There are also brief periods of dawn and dusk (twilight), lasting around 1 to 3 minutes total, which transition between day and night
Minecraft time runs approximately 72 times faster than real time, with one Minecraft day equaling 24,000 ticks, and 20 ticks per second in real time
. In summary:
- Full Minecraft day (day + night + twilight): 20 minutes real time
- Day: ~10-11 minutes
- Night: ~9 minutes
- Twilight (dawn/dusk): ~1-3 minutes
This cycle repeats continuously as you play, influencing gameplay elements like mob spawning and villager schedules