TrueCraft

About

Minecraft is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios, first released as an early-access alpha in 2009 and formally in November 2011, later ported to numerous platforms. TrueCraft is a clean-room implementation of Minecraft beta 1.7.3 (circa September 2011) — the README stresses it is an implementation, not a decompiled clone, and that no decompiled Minecraft code was used in its development. It's compatible with actual Minecraft beta 1.7.3 clients and servers, built in C# (compiled via Mono/xbuild), and the project is now archived and inactive.

How it differs from the original

The project deliberately stops at Minecraft's beta 1.7.3 feature set, explicitly avoiding everything added since — such as the End dimension, all-in-one redstone devices, and villager trading — because the author wanted to preserve what they saw as a simpler, more complete version of the game. It ships a default texture pack (Pixeludi Pack) rather than requiring original Mojang assets, though the launcher can optionally install the real Mojang assets and beta-compatible texture packs.

Getting started

Clone the repository recursively, restore its NuGet packages (via an IDE or the NuGet tool directly), then build with xbuild; running the resulting client launches a launcher that can connect to servers or start a singleplayer game, while a separate server executable can host multiplayer.

History

The project describes a strict "clean room" split between contributors who have and haven't read Minecraft's original source code — those who have are barred from directly contributing to the codebase to avoid legal contamination, and can instead work on related tools, documentation, or reverse-engineering guidelines for others.

What you need to run it

Features

• The client is compatible with Minecraft beta 1.7.3 clients and servers.
• You can play singleplayer, connect to servers, and host a server for others.
• Supports Minecraft beta 1.7.3 texture packs and includes the Pixeludi Pack by default.

How to install

1. You can install the Mojang assets through the TrueCraft launcher, if you wish.

Licensing & legal

• The README states TrueCraft is not associated with Mojang or Minecraft in any official capacity.

FAQ

What is TrueCraft?

TrueCraft is an open-source engine reimplementation of Minecraft. A new engine written from scratch that loads the original game's data files.

Do I need the original game files to run TrueCraft?

According to the project's README, no original game files are required.