Minecraft Server Types Explained: Survival, Skyblock, Factions, Bedwars and More

Browse any Minecraft server list and you'll see the same gamemode tags over and over: Survival, Skyblock, Factions, Bedwars, Prison, SMP, Crossplay. If you're not sure what separates them, here's a quick breakdown to help you pick a server that actually matches what you want to play.

Survival is the closest to vanilla Minecraft — gather resources, build, fight mobs, survive. Most Survival servers add land-claim plugins so other players can't grief your builds, plus some quality-of-life commands like teleport-to-home or player warps. It's the best starting point if you just want the normal Minecraft experience with a community around it.

SMP (Survival Multiplayer) is closely related but usually implies a smaller, whitelisted or invite-style community focused on long-term worlds and building together, rather than a large open server with hundreds of strangers.

Skyblock drops you on a tiny floating island with almost nothing — often just a tree and a bit of dirt — and the entire game becomes about expanding your resources and island from scratch, usually with custom generators, islands you can upgrade, and often a competitive leaderboard for the most developed island.

Factions is built around PvP and territory. Players group into factions, claim land, raid rival factions' bases, and build up power and resources as a team. It's a more aggressive, competitive style of play than Survival, closer to a strategy game layered on top of Minecraft.

Prison servers center on mining in ranked "prison" areas to earn money, then ranking up through tiers (often literally called A through Z) to unlock better mines, gear and prestige systems. It's a grind-and-progress style gamemode that many players find addictive precisely because of the constant sense of leveling up.

Bedwars and other minigames (like Skywars or capture-the-flag style modes) are short, round-based and highly competitive — you're dropped into a match with a clear win condition, and it ends in minutes rather than being a persistent world you return to. These are great if you want quick sessions instead of a long-term save.

Crossplay simply means the server supports both Java and Bedrock players connecting to the same world, which matters if you play with friends across different platforms or on console/mobile.

When you're browsing a Minecraft server list, use these tags as filters rather than just picking the server with the highest player count. A smaller server running exactly the gamemode you love will usually be more fun than a massive server running a mode you don't actually enjoy.