Minecraft capesthe full archive

Every cape Minecraft has handed out, what you had to do to get one, and whether that door is still open. 37 entries, searchable, from the Classic Mojang cape in 2010 to the most recent drops.

What a cape actually is

A cape is a cosmetic that hangs from your character's shoulders. You cannot craft one, buy one from Mojang, or unlock one by playing well. Every cape in the game was granted: for turning up somewhere, for doing volunteer work, for holding an account at the right moment in history, or for working at Mojang.

That is the whole reason capes carry weight. A cape is not a measure of skill, it is a timestamp. It says the account was present when something happened, and most of those moments cannot happen twice. An account wearing a MINECON 2011 cape was in a room in Las Vegas on the day Minecraft 1.0 shipped, and no account created after that day can ever say the same.

The archive

37 capes

CapeFirst seenEditionHow it was givenStatus
Classic Mojang capeStaff 20 December 2010 Java Issued to Mojang employees Retired
dB capeOne-off 21 April 2011 Java Personal award Retired
Millionth customer capeOne-off 12 January 2011 Java Awarded to the one millionth buyer Retired
MINECON 2011 capeEvent 10 October 2011 Java Attending MINECON 2011 in Las Vegas Retired
Snowman capeOne-off 19 August 2011 Java Personal award Retired
MINECON 2012 capeEvent 24 November 2012 Java Attending MINECON 2012 at Disneyland Paris Retired
Translator capeContributor 16 May 2012 Java Volunteer translation work Retired
Xbox 360 platform capesPlatform Legacy Console Edition Console Issued to Microsoft and 4J Studios staff on Xbox 360 Retired
MINECON 2013 capeEvent 30 October 2013 Java Attending MINECON 2013 in Orlando Retired
Moderator capeContributor 25 December 2014 Java Volunteer moderation on Mojira Retired
Scrolls champion capeContributor 7 November 2014 Java Winning competitions in Scrolls Retired
Chinese translator capeContributor 4 June 2015 Java Volunteer translation work Retired
MINECON 2015 capeEvent 9 July 2015 Java Attending MINECON 2015 in London Retired
Mojang capeStaff 7 October 2015 Java Issued to Mojang employees Retired
Realms map maker capeContributor 15 December 2015 Java Map making for the Realms programme Retired
Cobalt capeContributor February 2016 Java Winning competitions in Cobalt Retired
MINECON 2016 capeEvent 26 September 2016 Java Attending MINECON 2016 in Anaheim Retired
Prismarine capeOne-off 20 June 2016 Java Personal award Retired
Turtle capeOne-off 5 February 2018 Java Personal award Retired
Founder’s capePromotional 29 October 2019 on Bedrock, 8 May 2025 on Java Both Early supporter recognition Retired
Pan capePromotional 12 February 2020 on Bedrock, 8 May 2025 on Java Both Granted to all players Available
Birthday capeOne-off 30 April 2021 Java Personal award Retired
Migrator capePromotional 9 July 2021 Java Migrating a Mojang account to a Microsoft account Retired
Mojang Studios capeStaff 25 July 2021 Both Issued to Mojang Studios employees Retired
Vanilla capePromotional 31 August 2022 Both Owning both Java and Bedrock editions Retired
Cherry Blossom capePromotional 13 October 2023 on Bedrock, 26 October 2023 on Java Both Event server participation Retired
Progress Pride capePromotional 1 August 2023 Bedrock Limited time online event Retired
15th Anniversary capeAnniversary 17 May 2024 Both Minecraft 15th anniversary celebration Retired
Follower’s capePromotional 18 May 2024 on Bedrock, 1 July 2024 on Java Both Social campaign redemption Retired
MCC 15th year capePromotional 28 July 2024 on Bedrock, 5 August 2024 on Java Both Minecraft Championship event Retired
Minecraft Experience capeEvent 18 October 2024 on Bedrock, 23 October 2024 on Java Both Visiting the Minecraft Experience venue Retired
Mojang Office capePromotional 13 December 2024 Both Virtual event participation Retired
Purple Heart capePromotional 15 May 2024 on Bedrock, 1 July 2024 on Java Both Social campaign redemption Retired
Common capePromotional 6 May 2025 Both Login reward Retired
Copper capePromotional 13 October 2025 on Bedrock, 15 October 2025 on Java Both Promotional campaign Retired
Home capePromotional 18 March 2025 Both Promotional redemption code Retired
Yearn capePromotional 2 April 2025 Both Completing an event server run Retired

Which capes are actually rare

Rarity comes down to how many accounts could ever have received one. Three tiers are worth knowing.

Event capes

The five MINECON capes are capped by ticket sales: 4,500 accounts in 2011 and 2012, 7,500 in 2013, then 10,000 and 12,000. Nobody can join that group now.

Staff and contributor capes

Mojang, Mojira moderator, translator and map maker capes were never public. They were issued to people doing specific work, which makes them the thinnest supply of all.

Window capes

Migrator, Vanilla and the anniversary capes went to anyone who acted inside a time window. Supply runs into the millions, so they are common, but the window is shut.

Questions people ask

Can you still get the MINECON capes?
No. All five were tied to attending a physical event between 2011 and 2016, and Mojang has never reissued them. The only way an account gains one now is if the account itself changes hands.
Can a cape be transferred between accounts?
No. Capes are attached to the account that earned them and cannot be moved, gifted or traded on their own. This is exactly why accounts carrying rare capes are traded as whole accounts.
Do capes work in Bedrock Edition?
The older ones do not. Every cape up to 2018, including all five MINECON capes, is Java Edition only. Capes from 2019 onward are increasingly issued across both editions.
Are cape mods the same thing?
No. Client-side mods show a cape to you and to other people running the same mod. They are cosmetic overlays, not account-level capes, and they are visible to nobody else.
What is the rarest Minecraft cape?
By supply, the one-off personal capes and the staff capes, which exist on a handful of accounts. Of the capes a member of the public could obtain, the MINECON 2011 cape is the scarcest at roughly 4,500 accounts.

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