Highlights

• Minecraft is a survival game with horrifying creatures like undead skeletons and evil bunnies.
• New mobs like the Bogged and the Breeze add more terrifying elements to the game.
• Players must be prepared to face aggressive mobs like witches and cave spiders to survive.

It’s easy for gamers to forget that, at its core, Minecraft is a survival game with horror elements. Underneath the bright-colored blocks, cute pigs, and nameable horses are undead creatures, monstrosities from the depths of the Nether, and what was once a pig that has horribly mutated and stalks the player with a hiss on its lips. When put like that, it's sometimes easy to forget that this game is predominantly played by children.

Across the various dimensions and encountered in various biomes, there are some truly terrifying mobs for gamers to meet, but some are a great deal scarier than others.

Updated February 22, 2024, by Ben Painter: Minecraft is filled with adorable creatures that gamers are sure to love, but not all entities in the game should be approached. Certain mobs are hostile and will gladly attack the player if they happen to venture too close. Most aggressive mobs can be easily identified thanks to their horrifying designs, but a select few can often leave players wondering whether they should introduce themselves or not. Whether they look terrifying or simply pose a threat, there are several mobs in Minecraft that players should fear, and more are scheduled to arrive with the 1.21 update.

23 Bogged

Where to Find: Swamp Biomes at Night or Trail Chambers

• Type: Undead
• Health: 16

A brand new mob that will come into Minecraft in the 1.21 update is the Bogged, a variant of the Skeleton mob, similar to the Stray, that will spawn in Swamp biomes.

The Bogged looks straight out of a swamp monster movie and is more dangerous than the skeleton as it will shoot the player with poison arrows. The swamp is not the only place that gamers will find the Bogged, as they will also spawn as an enemy in the new Trial Chambers, a combat system in which players must defeat mobs in order to progress and be rewarded. Skeletons are terrifying enough, but this Bogged version takes it to another level.

22 Breeze

Where to Find: Trail Chambers

• Type: Monster
• Health: 30

The Breeze is a completely new mob in the game, and it is exclusively found in Trail Chambers as an enemy to be defeated. This mob attacks players from a distance by firing wind charges, and unlike most over mobs in the game, projectiles cannot hit the breeze as it will fire them straight back.

There is another mob, the Blaze, which has a similar ilk to the Breeze. Both mobs float through the air and fire projectiles. The two are also only found in generated structures. Players who are familiar with what a Blaze can do would do well to avoid an encounter with a Breeze.

21 The Killer Bunny

Where to Find: Must Be Spawned In

• Type: Animal
• Health: 3

The Rabbit is a passive mob, but there is a dark twist to the tail in the Killer Bunny. It can only be spawned in the Java Edition of the game using the "/summon rabbit ~ ~ ~ {RabbitType:99}" command.

The Killer Bunny is a hostile mob, fully white with piercing red eyes, and it will attack the player, wolves, and foxes. Something is terrifying about a cute and innocent creature, such as a rabbit, being a deadly killer. Though it can't be encountered naturally, the fact that it exists is frightening nonetheless.

20 Husk

Where to Find: Desert Biomes

• Type: Undead
• Health: 20

Zombies are one of the most basic yet alarming mobs in Minecraft. They endlessly stalk the player at night, standing at doorways and groaning in a low and unnerving tone until the light of the Sun fills the sky and burns them to a crisp. Husks are just like their undead counterparts but have a unique "superpower" that allows them to stand up to the sun, and they won't catch on fire and disappear like their brethren.

Those who are exploring the Desert biomes of Minecraft may come in contact with a Husk, and treating it like a normal Zombie is a mistake. This variant may move and act like a traditional Zombie, but their immunity to sunlight makes them a bit of a nuisance.

19 Witch

Where to Find: At Night or in a Swamp Hut in the Swamp Biome

• Type: Monster
• Health: 26

Witches aren't exactly the most imposing enemies in Minecraft. After all, they simply look like a Villager dressed in "spooky attire." One might mistake them for a Villager celebrating Halloween, but ignoring their presence is a mistake. Witches have a nasty poison that lasts for an agonizingly long 45 seconds for any player that's hit by their toxic concoction.

Witches show up in the strangest of places, too, with some of them popping up in caves. Players can recognize them in the darkness thanks to their cackle, but those who are unprepared to fight against a Witch will soon find themselves respawning at their base.

18 Cave Spider

Where to Find: Monster Spawner in Mineshafts

• Type: Arthropod
• Health: 12

The standard Spiders would be enough to frighten any arachnophobe, but Cave Spiders take things to the next level. These eight-legged monstrosities have a sickly green tint to their bodies and lurk in abandoned mineshafts.

The worst aspect about them is that each bite infects the player character with a poison that eats away at their health even after they’ve run away. Getting mobbed by a pack of these in a mineshaft deep underground is a surefire way to meet a horrible death without the right preparation.

17 Wither

Where to Find: Must be Created by the Player

• Type: Undead
• Health: 300 (Easy), 450 (Normal), 600 (Hard)

The Wither is a unique creature in Minecraft. It never naturally occurs anywhere in the game and is immediately hostile upon being created. This skeletal monstrosity is a hybrid of three Wither Skeleton skulls and four blocks of Soul Sand.

The lore implications for this creature are terrifying and completely mysterious. If that wasn't already bad enough, this creature will also fly about attacking anything that isn’t an undead creature. If the player doesn’t quickly bring this beast down, its destructive potential will obliterate all life and severely alter the landscape.

16 Stray

Where to Find: Any Snow-Covered Biome

• Type: Undead
• Health: 20

Strays are undead Skeletons that wander the frozen biomes of Minecraft. Their skeleton is an icy gray, and they wear ragged armor from their former lives. They’re terrifying in combat thanks to their long-range attacks and Slowness that bogs the player’s movement speed, making escape next to impossible.

The lore behind these creatures is unknown but likely unpleasant. It seems as if these warriors met their demise in the frozen parts of the world and returned due to dark powers. Who knows how many Strays are buried in the frozen ice and snow, just waiting for the player to come along?

15 Wither Skeleton

Where to Find: Nether Fortresses

• Type: Undead
• Health: 20

Wither Skeletons are the variant of Skeleton found exclusively in the Nether. Their skeletal bodies have been charred due to constant exposure to the lava and fires of that hellish environment. They lurk in Nether Fortresses, waiting to attack anyone who trespasses and will answer the Wither’s call in battle.

Their most terrifying attribute is the Wither effect they inflict on their enemies; victims will slowly succumb to a type of rot that harms even other undead. Only the Wither, Wither Skeletons, and the Ender Dragon are immune to the poison that corrodes and decays the victim’s body.

14 Ghast

Where to Find: The Nether

• Type: Monster
• Health: 10

There are many horrors within the Nether, but the worst has to be the giant ghost-looking mobs that fly around the caves known as Ghasts. The second-largest mob in the game, these things are a sight to behold, but when they notice the player, things get downright dangerous.

Their eyes flash red, and they launch a fireball that deals tremendous damage and can shred the player’s surroundings. Many players that survive the initial blast will die anyway by falling through the newly created hole in the Netherack into the lava ocean below.

13 Drowned

Where to Find: Underwater

• Type: Undead
• Health: 20

For many years, the oceans of Minecraft were devoid of life and relatively peaceful. Many players enjoy creating underwater bases, and the coral biomes convinced many gamers to explore the ocean depths.

But lurking in the dark waters are the Drowned -- zombies that have been transformed by the tides to become adept swimmers and wield mighty tridents. One of the worst moments in Minecraft is boating across the ocean only to see these decrepit forms rise up from the depths, hungry for the player’s flesh.

12 Evoker

Where to Find: Woodland Mansions and Raids

• Type: Illager
• Health: 24

A Woodland Mansion is a dungeon in the depths of the Dark Forests, and they can contain some of the best loot in the Overworld. What many players seek are Totems of Undying, but to obtain these powerful artifacts, they must face a terrifying enemy, the Evoker.

Villagers driven mad by the magic they studied, these sorcerers can summon ethereal Vexes to track down the player and can summon rows of fangs from the ground to attack enemies. Getting bitten by a mouth from the great beyond is a terrifying experience, to say the least.

11 Vex

Where to Find: As Part of the Evoker's Attacks

• Type: Monster
• Health: 14

As bad as Evokers are, their summoned minions, the Vexes, are much worse. Resembling ghostly villagers with wings and swords, these phantasmal cretins are summoned in groups and will relentlessly hunt the player down.

These creatures are nigh unstoppable as they will phase through walls, water, lava, fire, and any other obstacle barring their way to the player. Their presence in the Overworld is temporary, and they will disappear given time, sufficient damage, or the death of their master, but it’s not a foe to be taken lightly. It's one of the most frightening mobs in Minecraft, for sure.

10 Baby Zombie

Where to Find: At Night

• Type: Undead
• Health: 20

While many players will quickly lose their fear of zombies and even begin crafting elaborate farms to cull them for resources, there is one variation of the mob that can throw a monkey wrench in the works, the Baby Zombie.

These mini-versions of the adult variation are fast, can fit in one-block spaces, are hard to hit, and do damage very, very quickly. Even professional Minecraft players have had their runs tragically cut short by these little monsters. Players should spare their sanity and not spend too much time considering how they were created in the first place.

9 Silverfish

Where to Find: From Broken Infested Blocks

• Type: Arthropod
• Health: 8

The bane of all miners and those searching for End Gates is Silverfish. These miniature bug-like creatures hide inside infested blocks and will surprise the player when the block is damaged. Once freed, they will call upon other Silverfish in the area to attack the player in mass, quickly forming a swarm of wriggling terrors.

What’s worse is that they can track the player through walls and relentlessly hunt them down. When out of range, they will burrow into nearby blocks and lie in wait until the player comes back. Professional miners know to carry a sword enchanted with Bane of Arthropods because of these critters.

8 Phantom

Where to Find: Will Spawn When the Player has not Slept for Three or More Days

• Type: Monster
• Health: 20

It used to be that beds were a convenience in Minecraft; thanks to an update a few years ago, they have now become a necessity for survival. If the player can stay rested, these mobs will never appear, but for those who’ve gone at least three days without sleep, the Phantoms will come for them.

Phantoms are flying creatures that can spawn in groups of six and swoop down on the player. They are fast, relentless, and will not go away until the player gets some proper sleep. It's not often that the waking hours are more terrifying than the nightmares that lie beyond the realms of sleep.

7 Creeper

Where to Find: At Night

• Type: Monster
• Health: 20

This iconic monster has been the bane of players since the early days of Minecraft. Accidentally created after coding for a pig went wrong, they are some of the scariest mobs in the entire game. Not banished by the light of day and utterly ignored by Iron Golems, they will silently track the player on their short feet. Once close, they will start hissing, their bodies will flash and start to expand, and then they’ll detonate with the force of TNT.

A quick browse through YouTube will reveal hundreds of videos of players getting startled by these monsters even after all these years. It is a creature that haunts both amateurs and experts alike. Players should pray that they never encounter one struck by lightning.

6 Shulker

Where to Find: End Cities

• Type: Monster
• Health: 30

Shulkers are simply terrifying. This mob resides in the End Cities and has the unique ability to make the player float through the air; dangerous to think when it can result in a quick fall to the ground.

As a little face inside a shell, encountering this creature in real life will surely shock anyone. If gamers are brave enough to take on the shulkers, they will be rewarded with a shulker shell that can be crafted into a shulker box, a useful item that can be used as a backpack to store more items. Builders love these things despite how scary they can be in the game.

5 Ravager

Where to Find: Illager Raids

• Type: Monster
• Health: 100

These are very unique mobs in Minecraft, found only in villager raids; they act as the muscle to the Illagers as they attempt to take command of the village.

A ravager is a massive beast reminiscent of a bull, but in-game, they are a problem, capable of doing up to 9 hearts of damage when playing in hard mode. A Truly scary mob, it is best to be well-prepared to face and maintain a safe distance as they only attack from close range.

4 Blaze

Where to Find: Nether Fortresses

• Type: Monster
• Health: 20

Found inside a Nether Forretress, a terrifying place in itself, the blaze is somewhat of a ghost that is engrossed in flames and smoke. A creature that is made of fire is best to avoid.

They can fly and shoot fire, and touching them will also cause damage. They are a vital mob for the game as they are the only source of blaze rods, which in turn can be turned into blaze powder, an ingredient needed for the eye of ender, which is used for getting into the End Dimension. Braving to face them is sadly a necessity for those hoping to reach The End.