How Long is a Minecraft Tick (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 0.5 seconds

The sandbox video game, Minecraft was ideated and launched in 2011 by Mojang. Built with the help of the Java programming language, the game is centered around building structures and edifices. The outlay of the Minecraft gaming model is based on the principle of procedural generation, which allows each gamer to craft his own path in the game. Navigating through the different gaming modes, players can build edifices, craft collectibles, combat mobs, etc.

Much like most other video games, Minecraft runs on a program loop. It runs on a series of pulsations that help synchronize the tasks involved in progressing the game simulation with the overarching loop of the game. Thus, each of these cycles in a game is called a tick.

How Long is a Minecraft Tick

Synchronizing the various complex, yet interrelated aspects of the game is seminal in maintaining the premium experience of the gamers. The Minecraft game play is advanced through a certain unit of gaming time called ticks. Minecraft operates on a fixed gaming loop to stabilize the experience of the game for all its users. This is possible because the functionality of the game is attained at a fixed rate of 20 ticks per second.  This implies that one Minecraft tick will last for 0.5 seconds.

The length of a day in the Minecraft world is not equivalent to a real one- spanning 24 hours. Each Minecraft in-game day lasts for a total duration of 20 minutes. During the course of the single gaming day, a player traverses through 24,000 gaming ticks. A variety of activities are stimulated by the 24,000 gaming ticks during this period. This indicates that there are 20 game ticks in the duration of a single second. Thus, by calculation, a gamer in the Minecraft world will encounter a gaming tick every 0.5 seconds of real-time.  

However, despite the preexisting tick settings, different players may experience different tick durations. Lagging in the gaming console or computer can lengthen the duration of a single gaming tick. This would suggest that in such rare instances, a singular Minecraft tick may be longer than the standard 0.5-second mark. Moreover, there will be fewer ticks completed within a given second. As tick timings are calculated in terms of gaming protocols and not in reference to the real-time framework, these differences are bound to be visible.

In Summary:

Why is a Minecraft Tick this Long?

To play through a Minecraft day, gamers need to pass through several ticks. Under normal operative circumstances, each Minecraft tick will be completed within the stipulated time frame of 0.5 seconds. Each gaming tick is arranged in a well-crafted sequential order. This helps organize and regulate the predominant gaming loop. However, if any one of these ticks is not completed within 0.5 seconds, then the various aspects of the game will fall out of order.

Ticks help advance the player through the game. Marginal, but important aspects of the game like the movement of objects, mobs checking their surroundings, conditions of the player’s health, etc. are all regulated by a well-synchronized series of ticks. Thus, each Minecraft tick has to maintain this set rate to prevent the cycle from collapsing. These factors have been taken into account for setting the tick rate at the 0.5 seconds mark.

On the other hand, in the case of a slow computer or gaming console, the player may have a different experience with the Minecraft ticks. Due to the lagging encountered by the processor of such a server, the ticks per second speed will invariably be lowered.

The overburdened processor of such a gaming console or PC cannot effectively handle the burden of commands issued by the gamer. This produces a delay in the actions seen on the screen, which is in turn a by-product of fewer ticks per second. Moreover, on the rarest of occasions, the central Minecraft gaming server may face lagging. This would also slow down the tick-rate per second, making each tick longer than 0.5 seconds.

Conclusion

Minecraft has achieved unmatched accolades for providing gamers with a premium experience. The lack of a specific gaming agenda in Minecraft allows gamers to explore their own trajectories in the 3D world of the game. However, to ensure the provision of this quality experience, gaming ticks have to be well-synchronized.

Normally a gaming tick in Minecraft would last for 0.5 seconds. However, under conditions of lagging the duration of each tick is extended. This causes a delay in encountering the various developments in the gaming scenario. Thus, it is always advisable to play the game on a high-speed console for a satisfactory experience.

References

1. https://kilthub.cmu.edu/articles/Minecraft_Beyond_Construction_and_Survival/10029221
2. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/6866580/