Best Minecraft Survival Biomes

Over the years a lot of biomes have been added to Minecraft to make it a more immersive and intriguing world to explore and build in. The biomes range the spectrum of living environments and while some like the Ocean or Desert can be difficult places to start a game in, others can make the early part of the game a breeze.

Whether it’s the abundance of resources, lack of threats, or unique advantages here are the best biomes players will want to be in for a survival run of Minecraft.

Updated on November 20th, 2024, by Chris Harkin: Minecraft continues to be updated and to find enduring popularity as the live-action movie based on the game gets nearer release. With plenty of additions in the past year or two, new biomes have popped up everywhere. From higher mountain peaks and falling snow blocks to delightful Cherry Groves and deeper cave systems, Minecraft is always finding new ways to expand and the biomes are ever-changing which are the most useful to survivor mode players. While the core concepts of surviving in Minecraft remain the same, the options and variation in gameplay are going to continue shifting for decades to come, enchanting whole new generations of players.

22 Windswept Hills

Can Be Good For Building And Difficult Materials

• Sheep
• Chicken
• Llama
• Pig
• Cow
• Emerald
• Coal
• Iron

Minecraft features many variations on similar biomes, and Windswept Hills aren’t the most unique but can be useful for a few different things. They are one of the few places on the surface where emerald blocks can be found and procured, they are also known for being fairly flat biomes.

Since stone is present as well as other useful building materials and animals, Windswept Hills can be made great use of for players looking to put houses together early in survival mode. Windswept Hills can be a great place for early and mid-game as players begin to delve deeper looking for materials, having a great place to start with this rocky terrain which will make finding iron and coal easy.

21 Sunflower Plains

Beautiful For Decoration And Relatively Safe

• Sunflowers
• Pigs
• Cows
• Donkeys
• Chickens

Plains are great for a number of reasons, but the rarer Sunflower Plains can be even better. Plains are traditionally good because the flat terrain is a good place to build, and there are plenty of animals. But in addition to this, they are relatively peaceful biomes without a great deal of enemy activity, easy to mark out, and make safe with light that will spread wider across flat areas.

Players happening upon a Sunflower Plain will be eager to make use of the spacious and beautiful area. But plains biomes are also great for food and other materials, making them far from the worst biome to stumble into, and they are also likely to spawn near other beautiful and unique biomes like Cherry Groves. Sunflowers are a unique item to this biome, and as a source of yellow dye, they can be valuable for many decorating experts in Minecraft.

20 Cherry Grove

Beautiful But Not Overly Helpful

• Cherry Trees
• Rabbit
• Sheep
• Donkey

It was a long time coming, but cherry blossoms are finally in Minecraft. Previously, these beautiful pink trees could only be found in a few select biome mods, but now, players can enjoy them while playing Minecraft vanilla, so long as they have the 1.20 version downloaded.

Given how aesthetically pleasing these trees are and how Mojang went one step further to give them the falling leaf particle effect, this biome should be a no-brainer for building beautiful bases in. It’s typically a biome found in mountains and spawns similarly to how meadows might spawn.

This means that players can also find some nice views if they come across a cherry grove that’s particularly high up. The new cherry trees come with a new log type, the cherry log, which has a unique coloration ideal for building in this biome.

19 Mangrove Swamp

Tricky To Handle But Has Some Uses

• Mangrove Trees
• Mud
• Warm Frog
• Fossils

The newest swamp variation in the game finally brings a bit of spice to the old swamp biomes of Minecraft. Swamps are typically not a favorite among players due to the muddy color of the water and how broken the terrain can sometimes be with water spawning in tiny puddles here and there. That said, the new mangrove swamp features a different type of aesthetic with mangrove trees that could be inspiring for players to build in—though keep in mind that this biome is otherwise devoid of most passive mobs used for food, which makes it challenging.

In terms of natural resources, the mangrove swamp is very similar to a regular swamp. However, players will have access to the mangrove logs in this swamp variant and will be able to find a bunch of white, warm frogs that call this swamp their home. The mud block is also abundant in the mangrove swamp biome. Like with regular swamp biomes, the main advantage of living in a swamp is that it will spawn slimes somewhat regularly. When it’s the full moon, players might even see a huge abundance of them spawn, which makes farming for slime ten times easier than in some other biomes on this list.

18 Stony Peaks

A Good Source For Some Rocky Materials

• Calcite
• Emerald
• Pillager Outposts

This new biome is called Stony Peaks and was included in the Minecraft 1.18 update. In terms of visual effects, the biome is quite impressive. It’s the temperature and lush version of three mountain peak biomes, making it ideal for players who want to build at daring heights with a great view.

While there’s grass and trees to be found, passive mobs don’t spawn in this biome. It might make things a bit difficult in terms of finding food, but why care about that when there are emeralds to be found and a beautiful mountain home to be built on these peaks?

17 Meadow

Plain But With Plenty Of Animals

• Sheep
• Donkey
• Rabbit
• Emerald
• Bees and bee nests
• Birch Trees
• Oak Trees
• Villages
• Pillager Outposts

Looking for a home at a higher altitude but with a lush environment? The new meadow biome might just be the ideal location then. While they don’t generate on mountain tops, they usually appear nearby or at least at a slight elevation.

Meadows are lush biomes with Sheep and Bees, tons of flowers, and Emeralds to be found as well since they’re usually connected to mountains. Villages can spawn in them, too, which makes them very convenient biomes to set up a base in. Just watch out for any Pillager Outposts.

16 Lush Cave

Adventurous Underground Mystery

• Axolotls
• Glow Squids
• Tropical Fish
• Azalea (and all related blocks)
• Dripleaf
• Moss Block and Carpet
• Spore Blossoms
• Glow Berries
• Dungeons
• Mineshafts
• Amethyst Geodes
• Strongholds

Living in a cave might not be the first choice of many Minecraft players, but the new lush cave biome makes it a very attractive idea. Lush caves are underground areas where moss, azalea, and vines coat the surfaces. There are also bodies of water where the new axolotl mob can spawn along with glow squids, making for a really magical environment.

This cave biome is fairly rare but absolutely worth moving into for daring players. They’re gorgeous environments, and if lit up properly, mobs won’t be an issue as well, since mobs now only spawn in complete darkness as of 1.18. The bright side of living in a lush cave is that there’s always a mine nearby, and potentially dungeons and other structures to be discovered.

15 Taiga

Common And Filled With Food

• Wolf
• Sheep
• Pig
• Cow
• Rabbit
• Fox
• Taiga Village
• Sweet Berry Bush
• Spruce Log
• Spruce Leaves

Along with the regular forest biome, the taiga is probably the most common biome in the entire game. It’s easy to end up spawning here, and while it can appear a bit dull and boring this place does have its advantages in the long run. For a quick start, it’s definitely a great place to build a house.

There are plenty of resources around to be had, mainly wood and possibly tons of cave systems down below. Moreover, for those who are into taming dogs, there are usually several wolf packs that will spawn around here as well. Other passive mobs will spawn in great amounts too, as will foxes. It’s very balanced and one of the best biomes to live in Minecraft.

14 Swamp

Unfriendly And Filled With Danger, But Useful

• Sheep
• Chicken
• Cow
• Slime
• Witch
• Swamp Hut
• Fossils
• Lily Pad
• Seagrass
• Clay
• Vines
• Oak Logs
• Blue Orchid
• Mushrooms
• Dead Bush

No one can deny that the swamp biome is the ugliest biome in all of Minecraft. The color of the water and the grass doesn’t inspire anyone to come and set up camp here. However, in terms of sheer resources, it’s a wonderful place to live in due to having tons of passive mobs and wood around.

The closeness to water also allows for a lot of sugar cane, and since it’s the swampland, there are mushrooms too for a mushroom stew. Best of all, slime will spawn here, and they’ll spawn the most when it’s time for a full moon. It’s an easy place to farm for slime.

13 Flower Forest

Beautiful But Not Dissimilar To Regular Forests

• Sheep
• Pig
• Chicken
• Cow
• Rabbit
• Oak Log
• Birch Log
• Bee Nest
• Allium
• Lily of the Valley
• Rose Bush
• Lilac
• Peony

For players who prefer something a bit more aesthetically pleasing but still immensely convenient for a classic survival experience, why not find a flower forest? T hese forests are probably the best kind, due to the number of gorgeous flowers that dot their grassy surface.

With so many flowers there are also a ton of beehives that will spawn on trees. For players who would like to start an easy bee farm in Minecraft, there’s really no better place than a flower forest. All other useful resources like food and wood, as well as caves, are also in abundance here.

12 Bamboo Jungle

Filled With Wondrous And Useful Resources

• Sheep
• Pig
• Chicken
• Cow
• Parrot
• Panda
• Podzol
• Bamboo
• Vines
• Jungle Log
• Oak Log
• Melon

Another super unique biome is the bamboo jungle biome, which is a variant of the classic jungle biome everyone knows and loves. The good thing about bamboo jungles is that they’re easier to clear when making space for a house and it has that nice, vibrant green color ideal for an idyllic survival home.

There’s plenty of wood around, usually jungle wood. Starting a bamboo farm or a panda retreat is extremely easy around here. Bamboo is actually a fantastic fuel for some redstone XP farms as well, to help players grind for those enchantments. From a survival standpoint, the Bamboo Jungle can be one of the best biomes to live in Minecraft.

11 Warped Forest

As Safe As The Nether Can Get?

• Strider
• Huge Warped Fungus
• Glowstone Blobs
• Bastion Remnants
• Lava
• Ruined Portals
• Nether Fortresses
• Warped Nylium
• Netherraack
• Warped Stem
• Warped Wart Block
• Blackstone
• Gravel
• Shroomlight
• Warped Roots
• Crimson Roots
• Warped Fungus
• Crimson Fungus
• Mushrooms
• Nether Sprouts
• Twisting Vines

Ever since the new 1.16 Nether update, the Nether has a totally new face. There’s a bunch of new biomes to discover, and while many of them look cool, only one of them is really good enough for rare Nether living. Yes, that’s right: surviving in the Nether is possible these days.

The Warped Forest is your best bet for a survival home location. There’s tons of wood, and mobs other than Endermen don’t actually spawn in this biome. The mushrooms will scare off any Hoglins as well, which can help you protect your home and maybe even set up a Hoglin food farm. The possibilities are endless. Just remember: sleeping in a bed is not an option! If living in the Nether, this is the best biome in Minecraft.

10 Birch Forest

Interesting Trees And Many Useful Resources

• Sheep
• Pig
• Chicken
• Cow
• Birch Log
• Bee Nest
• Rose Bush
• Lilac
• Peony
• Lily of the Valley

The Birch Forest is one of the more common biomes to spawn in and is good for beginners. It’s a large field populated with numerous birch trees. The white trees are helpful for spotting mobs like Creepers and Zombies but can make spotting Skeletons difficult.

Birch is also considered one of the best trees for tree farms given their standardized height, lack of branches, and rapid growth rates. There aren’t a lot of benefits in terms of resources or friendly mobs, but there aren’t a lot of downsides either.

9 Forest

Everything Can Be Made Use Of

• Sheep
• Pig
• Chicken
• Cow
• Wolf
• Oak Log
• Birch Log
• Bee Nest
• Rose Bush
• Lilac
• Peony
• Lily of the Valley

Forests are similar to Birch Forests, except they are also populated with oak trees. Oaks produce apples, which are helpful for nourishment or creating golden apples but can spawn with large branches, making them annoying to harvest.

They also shelter hostile mobs during the daytime, which can be tricky to navigate. However, wolves will often spawn here, giving players an effective deterrent for skeletons and attacking other mobs. The mushrooms are also a handy food source.

8 Dark Forest

Useful Forests With The Valuable Forest Mansions

• Sheep
• Pig
• Chicken
• Cow
• Woodland Mansion
• Dark Oak Logs
• Birch Logs
• Oak Logs
• Mushroom Blocks
• Rose Bush
• Peony
• Lilac
• Lily of the Valley

Dark Forests are forests populated by dark oak trees that grow tall and have dense foliage. This gives the player an abundance of wood but makes navigating the ground a scary experience with lots of shadows for hostile mobs.

Fortunately, this dense foliage permits players to travel and build on top of the trees which is recommended and extremely safe. There are also large mushrooms that spawn here for a good source of food. This is also the only biome to spawn Woodland Mansions, which has great loot. It’s also the only source of Totems of Undying, assuming players can kill the Evokers and Illagers.

7 Wooded Mountains

All The Advantages Of Forests With Stone Resources

• Sheep
• Pig
• Chicken
• Cow
• Llama
• Oak Log
• Spruce Log
• Snow
• Stone
• Emerald Ore
• Coal Ore
• Iron Ore
• Infested Stone

Wooden Mountains can be dangerous given the sheer drops the player can fall from, but there are some advantages to this mountainous biome. Underground bases built into the sides of mountains are considered some of the safest houses in the game and directly support mining efforts.

Spruce trees are great for tree farms, especially their giant variations. Llamas can be found here for transporting large quantities of items. Plus, this is one of the few areas where emeralds can be mined to trade for some great items in villages.

6 Savanna

Many Pillagers Make For Impressive Loot

• Sheep
• Pig
• Chicken
• Cow
• Horse
• Donkey
• Village
• Pillager Outpost
• Acacia Log
• Oak Log

Savannas are open fields with sparse forests of acacia trees. These open fields make it easy to spot hostile mobs and they won’t get much shade from the trees during the day. The biggest perk of savannas is that cows, horses, sheep, and llamas all spawn here.

Finding villages is easy, and many players will form caravans with llamas for trading purposes. The only downside to this biome and why it doesn’t rank higher is that the trees can be annoying to harvest thanks to diverging branches and tall heights. For building and transporting lots of materials, this is the best biome to live in Minecraft.

5 Jungle

Filled With Valuable Resources At Every Turn

• Sheep
• Pig
• Chicken
• Cow
• Parrot
• Panda
• Ocelot
• Jungle Pyramid
• Vines
• Jungle Log
• Cocoa
• Oak Log
• Melon
• Bamboo

Jungle biomes are always a treat for players in survival, as they contain incredibly useful resources not obtainable anywhere else in the game. It contains immense trees with vines, melons that are great for automated farms, ocelots for protection from Creepers, parrots for warning systems, and bamboo for a great source of fuel for smelting.

The trees and dense foliage can make things dangerous, especially with Creepers blending into all that green, but with a parrot in tow and either a tree house or ocelots around the base it’s manageable. The Jungle pyramids are a great source of loot — if players can solve their booby traps and puzzles that is.

4 Plains

Relatively Safe And Filled With Villages

• Sheep
• Pig
• Chicken
• Cow
• Horse
• Donkey
• Village
• Pillager Outpost
• Oak Log
• Bee Nest
• Azure Bluet
• Oxeye Daisy
• Cornflower
• Tulips

For players who want a big open space to build, plains are the biome to pick. These vast fields are great for large projects and make defending from hostile mobs easy, as players can guarantee most will get burned up by the sun in the morning as there is no shade anywhere.

Players will want to find one of the many horses to traverse the expanse. Donkeys are great for carrying items. There will typically be at least one village around, and bee hives are great for honey or sugar farming. The only downside to these biomes is players might be hunting for trees, but once the player has a tree farm going this is hardly an issue.

3 Snowy Taiga

Pillagers And Igloos Make For Huge Volumes Of Loot

• Sheep
• Pig
• Chicken
• Cow
• Wolf
• Rabbit
• Fox
• Igloo
• Village
• Pillager Outpost
• Snow
• Fern
• Sweet Berry Bush
• Spruce Log

Snowy Taiga biomes may not like look it, but they are golden for survival purposes when starting out and later in the game. With all that snow, players can quickly shovel it up to make an impromptu snow castle. Plus, the snowballs can work as ranged weapons in a pinch.

There are plenty of trees to harvest from, the wolves can be tamed for safety, and once the player has a pumpkin farm they can start crafting Snow Golems. The occasional igloo that spawns naturally makes a great house with a built-in furnace and bed. Starting a wheat farm can be annoying as water blocks often freeze over, but torches can remedy that.