Minecraft capes: All capes, events, and how to get yours

Minecraft skins are a brilliant way to customise your avatar to your liking. Whether for your own screenshots or on a server with other players, it’s always cool to see yourself (Minecraft Skins: Where to Get Them and How to Change Them In-Game) . But right from the early days of the game there’s been another accessory that makes your skin look even cooler: the cape. Once a highly coveted Minecraft item, capes are now much easier to obtain. Yet many players don’t realise these capes exist or how to get them.

What are Minecraft capes and how do they work?

Capes are an additional accessory you can select for your character and wear alongside your skin. For many years they were a very exclusive and rare item, granted only to specific players. As a result, they were highly sought-after, and many older accounts with these capes still carry a unique status within the community.

In game, your cape billows behind you and simply looks cool. You can toggle it on and off, depending on what you prefer. A cape also changes the appearance of the Elytra, with unique patterns depending on the cape. Official capes are visible in both Java and Bedrock; some older event capes were historically available only in Java.

All official Minecraft capes: complete list by category

Capes for your Minecraft account (Pan, Migrator, One Vanilla, Common)

These capes were awarded for specific actions related to your Minecraft account. There’s a good chance you have at least one of these and can select it.

• Pan Cape: A cape every player receives and the only cape without a time limit.
• Migrator: Granted to everyone who successfully migrated their Mojang account to Microsoft.
• One Vanilla: Awarded to players who owned both versions before June 2022.
• Common: You can currently obtain this by logging into Bedrock (available until 5 May 2026).

MineCon and Minecraft Live capes: rare event capes (2011–2016)

The former MineCon was a fan event held from 2010 to 2016, later replaced by other events. Only a few thousand players own these rare capes. Most of them are usable only in Java, as Bedrock didn’t exist at the time. Today, the show is known as Minecraft Live, where new updates and surprises are announced.

• 2011
• 2012
• 2013
• 2015
• 2016
• MC Experience

Mojang and Microsoft employee capes: developer capes

Minecraft was long a project built by a small team, so it’s no surprise they had an exclusive cape. Over the years, and with Mojang’s acquisition by Microsoft, the design changed several times. New employees also receive a cape.

• Classic Mojang: Issued between 2010 and 2015. Only 27 people own it.
• Microsoft Xbox: Only for developers of the original Xbox version.
• Mojang: Given to employees between 2015 and 2021, seen on roughly 200 developers.
• Mojang Studios: The current cape for Minecraft developers, likewise worn by around 200 people.

Capes for virtual events and campaigns (2019–2024+)

These capes will look familiar to most players, as they’re far more common and were introduced in recent years. It’s likely most new capes will continue to appear in this category.

• Founder’s: Downloadable digitally for MineCon Live 2019.
• Progress Pride: Free in the Bedrock shop in 2023.
• Cherry: Granted to all players who took part in the Mob Vote in 2023.
• Follower’s: Awarded on TikTok in 2024.
• Purple Heart: Awarded on Twitch in 2024.
• 15th Anniversary: Redeemed on the website in 2024 for Minecraft’s 15th birthday.
• MCC 15th Year: Also for the 15th anniversary, but had to be earned via a Bedrock challenge map.
• Mojang Office: Earned during the “Eerie Mojang Office Party” at the end of 2024.
• Home: For the Minecraft film: obtainable on Twitch.
• Menace: For the Minecraft film: obtainable on TikTok.
• Yearn: For the Minecraft film: obtainable on an exclusive Bedrock server.

Personal capes for players: unique capes

Over the years, a few very special capes were granted to individual players, whether for events or for ideas that made it into the game. These are often bound to a single account and cannot be obtained by others.

• Bacon: A temporary cape for player Miclee, who suggested Pigmen.
• Millionth Customer: Cape for akronman1, the millionth purchaser.
• dB: Cape for musician dannyBstyle, whose music Notch likes.
• Snowman: Cape for JulianClark, nephew of comedian Ray Cokes.
• Cheapsh0t’s: For the Japanese translation and user cheapsh0t.
• Spade: For modder MrMessiah, who added both grass and a new light engine to the game in 2011.
• Prismarine: For modder Drullkus and his custom prismarine blocks.
• Turtle: A cape for player billyK_, who really wanted turtles in the game.
• Birthday: An exclusive cape for developer Gr8Bizzo.
• Valentine: Incorrectly granted to LolFoxy2 and later revoked. It was subsequently given to player JoinGrave.
• Oxeye: A cape mistakenly given to player iSxckk, presumably intended for someone else.

Capes for competitions: Scrolls & Cobalt

Mojang developed a few other games besides Minecraft. Two capes are tied to competitions held in those games.

• Scrolls Champion: For winners in the game Scrolls, now known as Caller’s Bane. Only 9 players own this cape.
• Cobalt: Issued to winners of a Cobalt tournament, of which there were 23. It’s also the only cape with a completely different Elytra design, inspired by one of Cobalt’s monsters.

How do you get new Minecraft capes? Tips and sources

Capes still aren’t that easy to obtain today — you need to be in the right place at the right time. We recommend keeping an eye out for special events and following Minecraft’s official accounts on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Twitch, and TikTok. When cape events are announced, this is where you’re most likely to hear about them. Some newer capes are also tied to challenge servers available only in the Bedrock Edition.

Practical tips:

• Enable notifications: Follow official channels and turn on alerts so you don’t miss time-limited redemption codes.
• Check region and times: Drops and codes are often valid only within specific time windows.
• Log into the game: Some capes (e.g. “Common”) require a Bedrock login by a set deadline.
• Check event pages: Official websites and in-game news provide redemption links and QR codes.
• Beware of scams: Never feed third-party tools with your account details — official capes only come via Mojang/Microsoft campaigns.

Equip a cape in game (Java & Bedrock): step-by-step

• Java: Change your skin in the Minecraft Launcher and select one of your capes there. Alternatively, you can adjust your skin in your browser.
• Bedrock: Launch the game, then click your Wardrobe on the right of the main menu. In the left-hand menu at the very bottom you’ll find your Capes.

Note on third-party capes (OptiFine, LabyMod & co.)

Mods and clients such as OptiFine or LabyMod offer their own optional capes. These are only visible to players using the same mod/client and do not count as official Mojang capes. For global visibility, only official capes matter.

Conclusion: Minecraft capes as a status symbol and collectible

Capes are a true status symbol in Minecraft. Older and exclusive capes are especially coveted and also provide a great glimpse into Minecraft’s development history. You can rent a Minecraft server and show off your cape to your friends on the server. Keep an eye out for new events and capes if you want to grab them within their limited availability windows.