● Investigating
Mass Tort

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Minecraft has been marketed for more than a decade as safe, creative, and even educational. But a growing wave of lawsuits filed across the country alleges that Microsoft and Mojang AB built Minecraft with reward systems and design features specifically engineered to keep children playing far longer than they intend to — and that the companies never warned parents about the risk. If your child developed compulsive, addictive Minecraft use and suffered emotional, behavioral, or academic harm as a result, your family may be able to pursue a claim.

What Happened

Since 2024, parents around the country have filed product liability lawsuits against the makers of what litigation has come to call the “gateway games” — Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft — alleging that each was intentionally designed to foster addictive, compulsive use in children. Minecraft, developed by Mojang AB and acquired by Microsoft Corporation in 2014 for $2.5 billion, is named in a growing number of these complaints.

One representative case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in February 2026, describes a 10-year-old Minecraft player who began using the game at age two and developed what the family’s attorneys describe as a disordered, compulsive relationship with video games — including withdrawal-type reactions such as rage and property damage when access to the game was removed. The complaint alleges that Microsoft and Mojang built Minecraft’s “advancements” and achievement system to reward long, repeated play sessions, and that the companies used randomized item-drop algorithms to extend the time children must spend in-game to obtain desired rewards.

These allegations are not isolated. Attorneys have asked the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) — the federal body that decides whether similar lawsuits filed in different courts should be consolidated for pretrial proceedings — to centralize video game addiction cases into a single Multidistrict Litigation (MDL). The JPML denied that request twice: first in 2024, and again in December 2025, when it declined to form In re: Gateway Game Addiction Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3168. The panel reasoned that the litigation could expand to include many additional games and developers, making a single coordinated federal proceeding unwieldy. That does not mean the cases have gone away — it means each lawsuit is currently proceeding on its own in the court where it was filed, while more than 100 related cases have been coordinated in California state court under Judicial Council Coordinated Proceeding (JCCP) No. 5363, overseen by a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge.

For families, the practical effect is straightforward: there is currently no single national settlement fund or federal MDL to join. Individual lawsuits are being filed and litigated in the districts where the affected families live.

Who Is Affected

This litigation centers on children and teenagers who played Minecraft — often beginning at a very young age — and went on to develop symptoms consistent with a gaming or behavioral addiction. Minecraft carries an age rating of 10 and older from the Entertainment Software Rating Board, yet studies cited in recent complaints indicate that a majority of children age 6 to 12 already play the game, and Minecraft requires no meaningful age verification to create an account.

You may want to have your child’s situation evaluated if:

  • Your child began playing Minecraft as a minor, particularly before age 10
  • Your child shows signs of compulsive or uncontrollable use — playing for many hours daily, lying about screen time, or neglecting schoolwork, sleep, or other activities
  • Attempts to limit or remove access to the game trigger anger, aggression, property damage, or other intense reactions
  • Your child has been diagnosed with, or is being evaluated for, a gaming or internet addiction disorder, anxiety, depression, or attention difficulties connected to gaming use
  • Your child made in-game purchases — Minecoins, a Marketplace Pass, or a Realms subscription — without effective parental controls in place
  • Your child also played Roblox, Fortnite, or other games named in similar litigation, since many families pursue related claims together

What You May Be Entitled To

Every case is different, and no outcome can be guaranteed. Families who successfully pursue claims like this one may be able to recover compensation for costs and losses connected to their child’s gaming addiction, which can include:

  • Past and future costs of psychological or psychiatric treatment, therapy, and counseling
  • Costs associated with diagnostic testing and evaluation
  • Lost educational opportunity or academic setbacks tied to compulsive gaming
  • Pain, suffering, and diminished quality of life for the affected child
  • In appropriate cases, punitive damages intended to punish especially reckless or deceptive conduct by a defendant
A Note on Diagnosis
A formal diagnosis of a gaming or internet addiction disorder can strengthen a claim, but it is not always required to begin a case evaluation. If you are concerned about your child’s gaming habits, it is worth having your family’s situation reviewed regardless of whether a diagnosis has been made.

Time-Sensitive: Deadlines Apply

⚠ Statutes of Limitations Vary by State

Every state sets its own deadline for filing a product liability or personal injury claim, and special rules often apply when the injured person is a minor. Waiting can permanently forfeit your family’s right to compensation. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to find out how much time you have. There is no fee unless we win.

Frequently Asked Questions

Families across the country allege that Microsoft and Mojang AB designed Minecraft with achievement systems, reward loops, and randomized item-drop algorithms intended to keep children playing for long, repeated sessions. The lawsuits claim the companies knew about the risk of addictive use by minors but failed to include meaningful age verification, parental controls, or warnings.

You may have a claim if your child used Minecraft as a minor and later showed signs of compulsive or addictive use, such as withdrawal reactions, declining grades, or a diagnosed gaming disorder. Every family’s situation is different, so the best way to find out is through a free case evaluation.

No settlement has been reached in this litigation, and these are proceeding as individual lawsuits rather than a certified class action. In December 2025, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation declined to consolidate the cases into a federal MDL, though more than 100 related cases are coordinated in California state court.

Many of the same families involved in Minecraft litigation have also raised claims involving Roblox and Fortnite, since all three games have been described in court filings as “gateway games” with similar addictive design features. If your child played more than one of these games, tell us about all of them during your case review.

Yes. Every state has a statute of limitations that limits how long you have to file a claim, and the rules can differ when the affected person is a minor. Deadlines vary by state, so it is important to have your situation reviewed as soon as possible.

A documented diagnosis of a gaming or internet addiction disorder, anxiety, depression, or similar condition can strengthen a claim, but it is not always required to start a free evaluation. If you are unsure whether your child’s experience qualifies, we can help you find out.

Why Carey & Danis LLC

Carey & Danis LLC is a national plaintiffs’ law firm representing families in mass tort and class action litigation across the country. Our attorneys are closely monitoring the video game addiction litigation, including cases involving Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite, and we work on a contingency-fee basis — meaning there is no fee unless we win your case.