Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote: Here's the winner!

Image from Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote.
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Minecraft is a perpetually evolving game of epic proportions, and it has survived as long as it has only through the active participation of its vast community. One way Mojang Studios and Xbox involve the Minecraft community is the yearly Mob Vote, which allows Minecraft players to vote on one of three mobs to actually be added into the game through a future update.

Another year, another Mob Vote. Minecraft Live 2023 is happening, and it's going to bring a huge round of Minecraft-related news for every area of the growing franchise. It's also bringing three new mobs for the Mob Vote, dividing the community once again in eager anticipation of the victor. At the end of it, a new mob will join the vast ecosystem of one of the best Xbox games.

Read on for everything you need to know about the Minecraft Mob Vote, including how to vote, the mobs up for vote during Minecraft Live 2023, and the winners of last year's Mob Vote during Minecraft Live 2022.

NOTE: It's official, the Armadillo won the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote, besting both the Crab and the Penguin. The Armadillo will likely join the Minecraft world as a part of Minecraft 1.21.

Minecraft Live 2023: The Mob Vote winner

Minecraft Live 2023 is now concluded, and with it came the final results of the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote. The Penguin was voted out first, followed shortly by the Crab. You know what that means — the Armadillo is coming to Minecraft, probably as a part of the Minecraft 1.21 update. That means we're getting an adorable new mob with a defensive curl and the ability to protect our precious wolf fur babies.

The Armadillo secured close victory over the Crab and Penguin. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios | Twitter)

Want the hard numbers? Over 5 million people participated in this year's Mob Vote. That's 2 million more than last year! Of those 5 million votes, 42.3% of them were for the victor, the Armadillo. The Crab secured second place with a cool 32.5%, and the Penguin came in last with 25.2%.

And... That's the end of another Mob Vote! This article will be sticking around until next year, but it'll be a while before we're asked to cast another vote at Minecraft Live. By that time, the Armadillo will already be a part of Minecraft.

Minecraft Live: The new Mob Vote options

A new Mob Vote is on the horizon. Minecraft Live 2023 kicks off on Oct. 15, 2023, and the Minecraft community will have the opportunity to vote on another batch of mobs. Here's every mob in this year's Mob Vote, including the Crab, Armadillo, and Penguin. Read on if you need to know how to participate in the Minecraft Mob Vote.

Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote — The Crab

The Crab lives in the Mangrove Swamp biome, and features the loveable scuttle we all adore in our own real-life crabs. An important part of the swamp ecosystem, players will have to keep their eyes peeled when exploring in order to spot them. What makes the Crab unique is its single massive claw, which helps the Crab thrive in its home, but can also be used by players to place blocks farther away. Handy. Claw-y?

This crabby boi's claim to fame is that giant claw. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote — The Armadillo

The Armadillo is the second mob with the potential to join Minecraft's ranks following this year's Mob Vote! Another friendly mob, the Armadillo calls the Savannah biome its home, and is an adorable blocky critter. The Armadillo boasts a unique behavior in that it can roll into a ball when it's startled — just like real armadillos! The Armadillo also drops a special scute that can be used to craft... wolf armor! Finally, my precious pets can be protected. Perfect.

The Armadillo is perfectly cubular and utterly adorable (no bias here). (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote — The Penguin

The Penguin is the third and final mob in this year's Mob Vote, and can be found in the Stony Shores biome. The Penguin is amphibious, meaning it can waddle on the beach or speed around the oceans. It's a social creature rarely seen alone, and possesses a unique ability — helping your boat travel faster! These Penguins are pretty cute, too, even if they look a little grumpy.

The Penguin has some sick hair. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote summary

Three more mobs are entering the ring, but only one will be allowed to join the ranks of Minecraft's existing mobs. This year, rather than choosing between three creatures that could only exist in Minecraft, Mojang Studios is letting us vote for one of three real-life animals. The Crab, the Armadillo, and the Penguin. Which one will win? I think all three mobs are pretty great, but my vote is clear, personally — I want the Armadillo. It's adorable and perfectly blocky, but also lets me don my wolf in protective armor. That's the way to go, but others will certainly feel differently. Which mob will you vote for?

It's worth noting that many in the community do not have positive feelings regarding the Minecraft Live Mob Vote. There is a large movement within the Minecraft community uniting against the Mob Vote and calling for its permanent end, and they may have a point. Many feel disappointed and frustrated every year because, at best, only one of three awesome new Minecraft mobs will actually ever make it into the game. Some feel that Mojang Studios should change how it does the Mob Vote, or do away with it entirely. What do you think?

Minecraft Live: How to participate in the Mob Vote

Previous iterations of the Minecraft Mob Vote saw players participating in polls on Twitter during the actual event, resulting in a frenzy of internet discussion lasting for hours. This process also led to suspicion regarding people potentially voting numerous times, however, and gave players little time or opportunity to make their voices heard outside the actual event. In 2022, Mojang Studios changed how the Minecraft Mob Vote works to include more people and be fairer.

Minecraft Live 2023 airs on Oct. 15, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CEST. The Mob Vote opened up its doors exactly 48 hours before the event, so players can vote from Oct. 13, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CEST. Voting will end 15 minutes after Minecraft Live 2023 begins, so there's not much time left.

Here's how you can participate in the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote, with voting open right now:

  • Minecraft.net
    • You will need to sign-in to your Microsoft Account first, but then you'll be automatically redirected to the voting page
  • A special Minecraft: Bedrock Edition server
    • Players will be able to meet the mysterious Tinies, play mini-games, and engage in some Minecraft parkour
    • To join this server, you'll need to launch the latest version of Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on your device, and click/tap the "Minecraft Live" button in the bottom left-hand corner
    • If you play on Xbox or PlayStation, you will be able to join the live voting server without an online multiplayer subscription
    • During the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote, you can even download and join the live voting server without owning Minecraft on Xbox and PlayStation
    • You can earn unique Creator Items for participating in this live server, like a unique item themed after the mob you vote for, and a fancy cape and top hat that you can earn for finding all the lost mobs
  • The Minecraft Launcher on PC
    • You'll need to open the latest version of the Minecraft Launcher on your PC, then click the "Minecraft Live" button in the left-hand menu

In order to vote, players need to sign in with their Microsoft Account, which is the backbone that powers all Minecraft games and services. This is to help protect the integrity of the vote. Players can cast their vote at any point during the 48-hour period and change that vote as many times as they want, but you ultimately only get one vote.

Minecraft Live: Previous Mob Vote winners

Almost as exciting as the build-up to and the actual Mob Vote are the results being announced during Minecraft Live. Learning which of the three mobs will be added to Minecraft in a future update is always a fun affair, especially if the winner happens to be the mob for which you voted. Here are the winners of previous Minecraft Live Mob Votes.

Minecraft Live 2022 Mob Vote — The Sniffer

The Sniffer came to Minecraft via the Tales & Trails Update, and it's adorable. (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

The Sniffer is the official winner of the Minecraft Live 2022 Mob Vote, beating out the Rascal and the Tuff Golem. Over 3.5 million people participated in this year's vote, and the Sniffer walked away with over half of the total votes. The Rascal came in second place, while the Tuff Golem finished in a still respectable third. The Sniffer was added to Minecraft as part of the Minecraft 1.20 Tales & Trails Update, and counts among the most adorable (and large) mobs in Minecraft now.

Minecraft Live 2021 Mob Vote — The Allay

The helpful Allay can now enjoy the fresh air of Minecraft's blue skies. (Image credit: Mojang Studios)

Minecraft Live 2021 was packed from end to end with amazing Minecraft announcements, but the reveal that garnered the most attention was the news that the adorable and helpful Allay won the Minecraft Mob Vote. The Allay has since been added to Minecraft as part of Minecraft 1.19 The Wild Update, and is a beloved mob by many.

Zachary Boddy
Staff Writer

Zachary Boddy (They / Them) is a Staff Writer for Windows Central, primarily focused on covering the latest news in tech and gaming, the best Xbox and PC games, and the most interesting Windows and Xbox hardware. They have been gaming and writing for most of their life starting with the original Xbox, and started out as a freelancer for Windows Central and its sister sites in 2019. Now a full-fledged Staff Writer, Zachary has expanded from only writing about all things Minecraft to covering practically everything on which Windows Central is an expert, especially when it comes to Microsoft. You can find Zachary on Twitter @BoddyZachary.