Minecraft is a visually deceptive game - while it’s designed simply, it's filled with hidden Easter eggs. In a virtually infinite world, it’s difficult to discover all of the secrets that the creators of the game have tucked inside. And despite the game’s age - Minecraft turns ten years old in 2021 - and the fact that many Easter eggs are well-documented, there are still some that players may not know about.

Minecraft's longevity on the gaming scene can in many ways be attributed to the large number of out-of-the-way tricks and secrets that can be discovered. For those new to the game, the depth of what it has to offer can quickly become apparent, and for those who have lapsed, it seems as though there are always new things to discover, given Minecraft's many regular updates over the course of time.

Related: Minecraft’s Most Well-Hidden Easter Eggs

Easter eggs are just one part of this collective knowledge about the game that finds its way onto Minecraft wikis and forum posts. Due to the game's age, there are now a few Easter eggs that have been lost to time, as Minecraft has undergone big changes since its initial release. As such, a few are only available in older versions of the game, and some others that don't get much time in the spotlight.

Happy Birthday, Notch!

Minecraft Easter Egg Happy Birthday Notch

One of the oldest Minecraft Easter eggs occurred every June 1 until the 1.8.5 update on May 22, 2015. The only splash that was displayed on the title screen was “Happy Birthday, Notch!” (Splashes are plain yellow text that pulsate on the title screen; the same message will display until the game is closed or re-loaded.)

Notch is a Swedish programmer and game designer, and the original creator of Minecraft. However, Notch left developer Mojang in November 2014 when Microsoft bought the game. The Easter egg was removed and hasn't been a part of Minecraft since his departure.

Made-Up Languages

Minecraft Easter Egg Languages Quenya

Some Easter eggs are much easier to find, such as renaming Minecraft mobs. Others can be accessed in the game’s settings—like Minecraft's secret languages. Minecraft boasts nearly real 120 languages. Players can specify which they wish to play the game in by accessing the language menu. The first 56 languages were added in Minecraft’s 1.1 version. However, players also have the option to change their language to a variety of made-up languages, including Klingon, Pirate Speak, Quenya (the language J.R.R. Tolkien devised for the Elves in The Lord of the Rings), and even LOLCAT.

When a player chooses one of these languages, all in-game text is changed, including the options buttons and the buttons on the title screen. Unfortunately, this Easter egg can only be found in Minecraft’s Java edition - if playing Bedrock, it can't be accessed.

Invisible Textures

Minecraft Easter Egg Invisible Textures

Some textures in Minecraft have certain pixels set to 0 opacity, which simply means that they'll generally appear transparent when they’re opened in most image viewers, though they'll still appear if the alpha channel is disabled. A number of Minecraft models have this kind of invisible artwork, including Alex, who can be seen wearing glasses, and the magma cube, which has a second pair of eyes. It's possible that more of this kind of Easter egg will appear in Minecraft’s newer mobs and items, as they're generally not intentional so much as they are remnants of texture creation and development.

Several Minecraft capes also have “secret” images, and while these aren’t necessarily hidden pixels, they are difficult to see. Two such capes (in addition to a number of others) are the Turtle Cape, which appears with a turtle’s belly on its underside, and the Scrolls Champion’s Cape, which displays an S on its underside.

Easter eggs add another level of challenge for new and veteran players alike playing vanilla Minecraft, and this only scratches the surface of what can be found. Some Easter eggs may be difficult to find, or even require access to the game’s code, but new Minecraft patches and updates are sure to contain even more secrets for players to unlock - and keep them returning to the game for years to come.

Next: What Are Minecraft’s Rarest Biomes?